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As the countdown continues on the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl’s All-Time Team, the stars are getting brighter.
The top 50 players in the bowl’s history have been chosen by a local media panel as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Shreveport’s annual bowl game. The list is being unveiled gradually, beginning this month with four groups of five standouts.
The next five (Nos. 26-30) will be announced Monday.
The latest quintet is headlined by two former Air Force stars who are College Football Hall of Famers alongside three Southeastern Conference players, including an Auburn quarterback who put on one of the I-Bowl’s greatest offensive performances.
Numbers 35-31 on the Independence Bowl’s All-Time Team:
No. 35 – Geno Atkins (DT, Georgia, 2009) Atkins was one of the many great players in the 2009 Independence Bowl between Georgia and Texas A&M, turning in a strong performance with three total tackles, one sack, one tackle-for-loss (TFL), and one field goal block – earning the 2009 Defensive Player of the Game Award. Atkins was a disruptive force throughout his college career, collecting 33.5 TFL and 11 sacks. He was named 2007 First-Team All-SEC in his sophomore season after compiling 15 TFL and 7.5 sacks. He also earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2009, when he recorded 10.5 TFL and three sacks. After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Atkins played all 11 seasons of his NFL career for the Cincinnati Bengals. A first-team All-Pro honors five times, Atkins made the Pro Bowl seven times – racking up 75.5 sacks and 100 TFL in his career. Atkins was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
No. 34 – Dameyune Craig (QB, Auburn, 1996) One of the most electric performances in Independence Bowl history came from Craig in 1996 against Army West Point. He completed 24 of 40 passes for 372 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed 13 times for 75 yards and a touchdown. The performance earned him the 1996 Offensive Player of the Game award, and his name remains littered throughout the Independence Bowl record book today. His 372 passing yards are the fourth-most in a game, and he still holds the record for individual total offense with 447 yards. Craig’s best collegiate season came in 1997 when he was named second-team All-SEC. He was named the 1998 Peach Bowl MVP and the 1998 Senior Bowl MVP.
No. 33 – Chad Hennings (DT, Air Force, 1984) Hennings, one of the 29 College Football Hall of Famers to play or coach in the Independence Bowl, played for the Falcolns in their second straight Independence Bowl appearance. Defensive statistics were not kept for the 1984 game, but Hennings was part of an Air Force defense that limited Virginia Tech to just one touchdown in a 23-7 victory. At Air Force, he was a two-time first-team All-WAC honoree in 1986 and 1987. As a senior, he was named the Outland Trophy winner, WAC Defensive Player of the Year, UPI Lineman of the Year and a unanimous All-American. Hennings was not drafted until the 11th round of the 1988 NFL Draft due to his military commitment, and after leaving the United States Air Force, he joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1992. Hennings was a leader of the Cowboys’ defense that won three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII and XXX) under College and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson, who coached Oklahoma State in the 1981 Independence Bowl.
No. 32 – Scott Thomas (S, Air Force, 1983 & 1984) Another former Air Force player and College Football Hall of Famer, Thomas starred in back-to-back Independence Bowls. Thomas led the Air Force defenses that allowed 10 total points – three points against Ole Miss in 1983 and seven against Virginia Tech in 1984. He was named the 1984 Independence Bowl Defensive Player of the Game – capping off a great season in which he collected 125 total tackles, four interceptions and two tackles for loss. Thomas was the captain of the 1985 Air Force team and had his best collegiate season, earning consensus All-American honors. He finished as the MVP of the 1985 Bluebonnet Bowl. Following his graduation and football career at Air Force, Thomas flew F-16 combat missions during Desert Storm and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
No. 31 – Willie Blade (DT, Mississippi State, 2000) Blade created possibly the most memorable play in Independence Bowl history, blocking the Texas A&M extra-point attempt in overtime of the 2000 Snow Bowl. Julius Griffith returned the blocked extra point for two points, and those points turned out to be the difference in the most-memorable game in the bowl’s history, which also happened to be the 25th anniversary game. Blade tallied eight solo tackles, 16 total tackles and four TFL on his way to being named the 2000 Defensive Player of the Game. His four TFL are tied for the second-most TFL in a game in Independence Bowl history. That season, his senior year, Blade was named second-team All-SEC and was an Outland Trophy semifinalist. He was drafted in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft and spent parts of five seasons in the NFL.
The first 15 players announced on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team:
No. 36 – Rondell Mealey (RB, LSU, 1997), No. 37 – Rolando McClain (LB, Alabama, 2007), No. 38 – Weldon Brown (CB, Louisiana Tech, 2008), No. 39 – Andre Smith (OT, Alabama, 2006 & 2007), No. 40 – Tiki Barber (RB, Virginia, 1994), No. 41 – Puka Nacua (WR, BYU, 2021), No. 42 – Gary Kubiak (QB, Texas A&M, 1981), No. 43 – Seneca Wallace (QB, Iowa State, 2001), No. 44 – Todd McClure (C, LSU, 1995 & 1997), No. 45 – Gary Anderson (K, Syracuse, 1979), No. 46 – Booger McFarland (LB, LSU, 1995 & 1997), No. 47 – Tremaine Edmunds (LB, Virginia Tech, 2015), No. 48 – Bill Musgrave (QB, Oregon, 1989), No. 49 – Larry Anderson (DB, Louisiana Tech, 1977) and No. 50 – Lorenza Baker (LB, Louisiana Tech, 1990).