We are 47 days away from college football kickoff. Happy Football Friday all y’all. Today, we have David Pollack and Bennie Oosterbaan. Y’all need to read about Oosterbaan his story is fascinating. Be sure to check back tomorrow for #46 in our countdown to kickoff. Enjoy!
David Pollack (47) Days Away From College Football Kickoff
David Pollack followed in the footsteps of Herschel Walker as only the second Georgia player to earn First Team All-America honors in three seasons. He left Athens as one of the most decorated players in school history.
Pollack was a consensus First Team All-American in 2002 and 2004. After his senior year, he won the Bednarik Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, and Lott IMPACT Trophy. Pollack was named SEC Player of the Year in 2002 and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, leading Georgia to back-to-back conference title games and winning the championship as a sophomore.
Pollack was a consensus First Team All-American in 2002 and 2004. After his senior year, he won the Bednarik Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, and Lott IMPACT Trophy. Pollack was named SEC Player of the Year in 2002 and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, leading Georgia to back-to-back conference title games and winning the championship as a sophomore.
Pollack is the only player to win the Ted Hendricks Award twice as the nation’s top defensive end. He was also a three-time First Team All-SEC pick and a two-time Nagurski Trophy finalist. As team captain in 2004, Pollack helped the Bulldogs finish in the top 10 for three straight seasons. The team reached No. 3 in 2002 with a 13-1 record and a Sugar Bowl victory over Florida State. Pollack was named Defensive MVP after the 2004 Capital One Bowl win over Purdue and earned MVP honors again with a school bowl record of three sacks in the 2005 Outback Bowl win against Wisconsin.
Pollack was a two-time Vince Dooley team MVP and holds Georgia’s all-time record with 36 sacks, which is fourth in SEC history. He also set school records with 58.5 tackles for loss and three blocked punts. Pollack had two of the top five single-season sack totals in Bulldogs history, with 14 in 2002 and 12.5 in 2004. He was named the 2003 Atlanta Touchdown Club Lineman of the Year and led the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss as a sophomore and senior. Pollack started all four years and made the Freshman All-SEC team in 2001.
Pollack was a first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, but his professional career ended early due to injury. He retired in 2007. In 2009, he was inducted into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame and was also named to Sports Illustrated’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
Pollack began his broadcasting career in 2008, working in the studio for CBS and hosting a sports radio show on Atlanta’s 790 The Zone. He has been a college football analyst at ESPN since 2009, where he also worked on Thursday night games and co-hosted “Palmer & Pollack” on ESPNU. Today, Pollack contributes to “College Football Live” and has been part of the Emmy Award-winning “College GameDay” since 2011.
Pollack was a two-time Vince Dooley team MVP and holds Georgia’s all-time record with 36 sacks, which is fourth in SEC history. He also set school records with 58.5 tackles for loss and three blocked punts. Pollack had two of the top five single-season sack totals in Bulldogs history, with 14 in 2002 and 12.5 in 2004. He was named the 2003 Atlanta Touchdown Club Lineman of the Year and led the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss as a sophomore and senior. Pollack started all four years and made the Freshman All-SEC team in 2001.
Pollack was a first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, but his professional career ended early due to injury. He retired in 2007. In 2009, he was inducted into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame and was also named to Sports Illustrated’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
Pollack began his broadcasting career in 2008, working in the studio for CBS and hosting a sports radio show on Atlanta’s 790 The Zone. He has been a college football analyst at ESPN since 2009, where he also worked on Thursday night games and co-hosted “Palmer & Pollack” on ESPNU. Today, Pollack contributes to “College Football Live” and has been part of the Emmy Award-winning “College GameDay” since 2011.
Another Great #47, Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan
Benjamin G. “Bennie” Oosterbaan started at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1924 and made it his home for the rest of his life. Oosterbaan spent many years at the university, first as a student, then as an assistant football coach from 1928 to 1947, head basketball coach from 1938 to 1946, head football coach from 1948 to 1958, and director of alumni relations from 1959 to 1972.
As a football player, Oosterbaan was a three-time All-American end (1925-27), team captain, and Most Valuable Player in 1927. The Football Writers Association named him to its all-time All-America modern team in 1974.
In 1925, Oosterbaan led all Big Ten football players in scoring with eight touchdowns. In 1926, his 60-yard run after recovering a fumble helped Michigan win 7-6 over Minnesota. He earned varsity letters in basketball for three years and led the Big Ten in scoring in 1928 with 129 points in 12 games. Oosterbaan also lettered three years in baseball and led the Big Ten in batting in 1928. That same year, he received Michigan’s Big Ten medal for excellence in both scholarship and athletics. As head football coach, Oosterbaan’s record was 63 wins, 33 losses, and 4 ties. His 1948 team finished the season undefeated and won the national championship, and he was named Coach of the Year.
Editor’s Note: The countdown to college football kickoff has been a series on the Last Word on College Football social media platforms for the past 9 years. They consisted of a photo and a small blurb for each player, with the jersey corresponding to the number of days until kickoff. The rank of the players is sourced from articles by Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, and The Athletic. There are also some favorite players of the Last Word on College Football writers. Their bios are sourced from multiple online sources, including but not limited to the College Football Hall of Fame, their Heisman profiles, and school websites.
Main Photo: University of Georgia Athletics
