Greatest Kansas Football Players of All-Time Bracket: Otto Schnellbacher vs Aqib Talib

Both players cruised into the second round with easy victories; Schnellbacher eliminated Ron Warner while Talib knocked out Mike Butler.

(2) Otto Schnellbacher

“The Double Threat from Sublette” was an amazing all around athlete. He played both offense (WR) and defense (CB), plus, he was first team All-Conference four times in basketball for the Jayhawks.

He laced it up on the gridiron for KU from 1942-43 and 1946-48. He was named first team All-Conference in 1943, 1946, and 1947.

He was a co-captain on the 1947 Orange Bowl squad, the same year he (alongside Ray Evans) became KU’s first ever first team All-Americans. In the “three yards and a cloud of dust” era, Otto was credited with 58 receptions and 1069 yards in his KU career, school records that stood for 22 years.

Otto was drafted 231st overall by the Chicago Cardinals (you read that right) in the 1947 NFL Draft. His professional career wouldn’t start until 1948 with the New York Yanks. He was an interception machine in his NFL career, averaging nearly an interception per game. At the same time, Otto played professional basketball in the NBA.

Schnellbacher’s name - all 13 letters of it - is inscribed in the Ring of Honor in KU’s Memorial Stadium.

(7) Aqib Talib

Talib suited up for the Jayhawks at WR and CB from 2005-07. Although he would only spend three years in Lawrence, it was a great time to be a KU football fan. He led the country in passes defended as a sophomore in 2006, and was named first team All-Big 12 in both 2006 and 2007, as well as first team All-American in 2007 and the 2008 Orange Bowl MVP. Talib is second in KU history in career INTs with 13.

He was drafted 20th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2008 NFL Draft. He has since suited up for the Bucs, Patriots, and now the Broncos. Talib was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He helped lead the Denver Broncos to their Super Bowl title his past season. He has 30 career INTs in 107 games played.

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