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A College Football Hall of Fame inductee and Houston Oilers star, Texas A&M defensive tackle Ray Childress, is the latest Independence Bowl participant on the game’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team chosen by a local media panel.
Coming in as the No. 18 player on the top 50 roster, Childress played in the Independence Bowl before defensive stats were recorded, but he was a freshman star on the Aggies squad that defeated future College and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson and his Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 1981 Independence Bowl. Childress and the Texas A&M defense held Oklahoma State to 257 yards and 16 points in the victory.
In his junior season in 1983, Childress recorded 117 total tackles and a Texas A&M-record 15 sacks on his way to being named second-team All-American. That tremendous season was followed by another standout collegiate campaign, his 1984 senior season, in which he tallied 124 tackles and 10 sacks. He was named first-team All-American. The Richardson, Texas native was also named first-team All-Southwest Conference in 1983 and 1984.
A star all four years in College Station, Childress is fifth on the Texas A&M all-time list for both career tackles and sacks. He was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, in the midst of his thriving NFL career, and into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He became the sixth Independence Bowl alumnus inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2010.
Childress became the ninth Independence Bowl player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft when he went third overall to the Houston Oilers in the 1985 NFL Draft, selected two spots after fellow Independence Bowl alum and first-overall pick Bruce Smith. Childress was one of six Independence Bowl players selected in the top 20 picks of the 1985 NFL Draft.
Playing all but one of his 12 NFL seasons in Houston, Childress was the leader of the Oilers defense as a 3-4 defensive end for the first five seasons of his career and a 4-3 defensive tackle for the remainder of his career. He finished his NFL tenure with 887 tackles, 76.5 sacks and 19 forced fumbles. He made one Pro Bowl as a defensive end in 1988, when he had 60 tackles, 8.5 sacks and seven fumble recoveries. He made four additional Pro Bowl teams as a defensive tackle to bring his career total to five.
The best season of his career came in 1992, when he was named first-team All-Pro. That season, he had 90 tackles and 13 sacks – the only season in his career with double-digit sacks. Childress was no stranger to All-Pro nods, however, as he was named second-team All-Pro four times. Averaging over 70 tackles and six sacks per season, Childress was considered the premier defensive tackle in football during his prime.
The next player on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, No. 17, will be announced on Tuesday, August 18. Players will be announced individually every week, with No. 1 being announced on Monday, December 7.
Players already announced on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team:
No. 19 – Sidney Rice (WR, South Carolina, 2005); No. 20 – Brad Smith (QB, Missouri, 2003 and 2005); No. 21 – Derrick Mason (WR, Michigan State, 1995); No. 22 – Garrison Hearst (RB, Georgia, 1991); No. 23 – Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech, 2023); No. 24 – Tim Krumrie (NG, Wisconsin, 1982); No. 25 – Muhsin Muhammad (WR, Michigan State, 1995); No. 26 – Ja’Mar Toombs (RB, Texas A&M, 2000); No. 27 – Otis Wilson (LB, Louisville, 1977); No. 28 – A.J. Green (WR, Georgia, 2009); No. 29 – Rocky Calmus (LB – Oklahoma, 1999); No. 30 – Flozell Adams (OT – Michigan State, 1995);
No. 31 – Willie Blade (DT, Mississippi State, 2000); No. 32 – Scott Thomas (S, Air Force, 1983 & 1984); No. 33 – Chad Hennings (DT, Air Force, 1984); No. 34 — Dameyune Craig (QB, Auburn, 1996); No. 35 – Geno Atkins (DT, Georgia, 2009); 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); No. 50 – Lorenza Baker (LB – Louisiana Tech, 1990).