All-American Awards
One measure of a football program’s status is the number of All-American players it has produced.
The numbers can be a bit tricky, however, as many individuals and organizations have named All-American teams over the years and each school compiles its own “official” list of first team All-American selections that it recognizes. William Cunningham (tackle) was Michigan’s first All-American in 1898. UM had nine All-Americans before Ohio State received its first award when Boyd Cherry was named at the end position in 1914. Since then OSU has built a significant lead in the total number of All-American awards, based on its many multiple winners, as well as in the number of individual All-Americans.
Since Walter Camp picked Cunningham for his team in 1898, Michigan has had at least one All-American in all but 37 years. Ohio State boasts a better percentage over a shorter time-span with All-Americans in all but 16 seasons since 1914. OSU’s best year was 1974 with seven selections, while Michigan garnered five All-Americans in 1981.
