College Years
Tommy Nobis is one of college football’s all-time greatest linebackers. In his tenure with the Texas Longhorns (1963–1965) he averaged nearly 20 tackles a game and, as the only sophomore starter, was an important participant on the Longhorns’ 1963 National College Football Championship team, which defeated Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Nobis was a two time All-American and made the All-Southwest Conference team three times. In the 1965 Orange Bowl, Nobis made one of the most famous tackles in the game’s history. On fourth-and-inches, and clinging to a 21-17 lead, he led his teammates to a game saving halt of top ranked Alabama’s QB Joe Namath. Tommy Nobis was an iron man, playing (and starting) on both defense and offense for his entire college career. Aside from being an All-American linebacker, he also played guard on the offensive side of the ball and was often the primary blocker on touchdown runs. Famed Texas coach Darrell K. Royal called him "the finest two-way player I have ever seen." A knee injury slowed him during the latter part of his senior season, but he still was able to perform at a high level and won a number of major individual awards including the Knute Rockne Award, best lineman, the Outland Trophy, best interior lineman, and the Maxwell Award for college football’s best player. Nobis also finished seventh in the Heisman voting to USC’s Mike Garrett. He appeared on the covers of LIFE, Sports Illustrated and TIME magazines.
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