One of college football’s best traditions that no longer exists was the Playboy All-American team. Players from all over the country used to gather for photos and other activities before every magazine/website started their own preseason All-American teams.
The Playboy was different and more prestigious because they actually got the players together. The photo above is the 1977 team and features USC safety Dennis Thurman and defensive lineman Walt Underwood.
OFFENSIVE TEAM: on sculpture, left to right: Walt Downing (72), center, Mich.; Frank Myers (60), lineman, Texas A & M; James Taylor (76), lineman, Mo.; Earl Campbell (20), fullback, Texas; Ken MacAfee (81), tight end, ND; Dan Irons (60), lineman, Texas Tech; Mark Donahue (60), lineman, Mich.; Terry Miller (43) running back, Okla. St.; Fran Curci, Coach of the Year, Ky.; Guy Benjamin (7), quarterback, Stanford; Wes Chandler (89), receiver, Fla.; Ozzie Newsome (82), receiver, Ala. Tony Franklin (1), kicker, Texas A & M.
DEFENSIVE TEAM on ground, left to right: Randy Holloway (70), lineman, Pittsburgh; Dennis Thurman (7), safety, USC; Lucius Sanford (89), linebacker, Georgia Tech; Ralph Stringer (9), defensive back, North Carolina State; Ross Browner (89), lineman, Notre Dame; Walt Underwood (95), lineman, USC; Art Still (97), lineman, Kentucky; Jerry Robinson (84), linebacker, UCLA; Bill Krug (42), rover, Georgia; Russell Erxleben (15), punter, Texas; John Anderson (86), linebacker, Michigan; Zac Henderson (19), defensive back, Oklahoma.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
Just recently Playboy had decided to do away with nude women models. And now no pre – season college football teams in their pages.
There is no reason in the world for a red blooded American male to pick up a Playboy mag if it ain’t gonna have nude centerfolds and football articles. What else is there in life for a growing teenage boy?
(Admittedly, Playboy did decide to bring back the nude centerfold. A smart choice).
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Scooter,
Where was the photo taken?
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