There are 16 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to bed I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.
NO. 16 ANTOINE WINFIELD, CB (1995-1998)
Born: 1977 (Akron, Ohio)
High School: Akron Garfield
OHIO STATE CAREER
- The Buckeyes were 43-7 with Winfield on the team.
- 1996 Big Ten Title.
- 1998 Big Ten Title.
- 1997 Defeated Arizona State 20-17 to win the Rose Bowl.
- 1999 Defeated Texas A&M 24-14 to win the Sugar Bowl.
- Defeated That Team 31-16 in 1998.
HONORS
- 1998 Captain.
- 1998 All-American.
- 1998 Jim Thorpe Award.
- 1998 Jack Tatum Trophy.
- 1998 All-Big Ten.
- 1997 Team MVP.
- 1997 All-American.
- 1997 All-Big Ten.
- 2014 Inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
NFL DRAFT
Round 1 to the Buffalo Bills with the 23rd pick of the 1999 draft.
Antoine Winfield is one of my favorite Ohio State players. I loved the way he covered and especially the way he always came up and made the big tackle.
A big play and big hitter in a little body. One of the all-time greats.
Antoine Winfield's Ohio State career per The Ohio State Team Guide:
Antoine Winfield, a team captain as a senior, was one of the all-time great cornerbacks in Ohio State history. A two-time All-American, he was a consensus choice as a senior in
1998.He was the first Buckeye to win the Thorpe Award as the nation’s outstanding defensive back; the first non-linebacker (and only the fifth player total) to record at least 200 solo tackles; the first defensive back in Ohio State history to be voted team MVP (following the 1997 season); and the first cornerback in recorded history to lead the team in tackles when he did so in 1997.
A two-time all-Big Ten Conference selection, he closed his career with 278 tackles, including 224 solo stops, 22 tackles-for-loss, 29 pass breakups and three interceptions.
He played in four bowl games, including the 1996 Citrus Bowl when he came in as a true freshman and recorded seven tackles. He played in 50 career games, starting 29 times.
As a senior in 1998, he was one of five finalists for the Football News Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was named first-team All-America by the Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp, the Football Writers and the Football News and was named the Buckeyes’ Bill Willis Defensive Player of the Year award winner and Jim Thorpe Award winner. He totaled 75 tackles, including nine solo tackles in a win over Michigan to close the season.
As a junior, Winfield as voted by his teammates as the 1997 MVP after a season in which he totaled 100 tackles, 12 pass break-ups and two interceptions. He had 82 solo tackles, the fifth-highest solo tackle total in school history, and made the Football Writers and Football News All-America teams.
He led the team in tackles five times, including a magnificent 10-tackle performance against Michigan and a career-high, 13-tackle effort against Missouri.
A first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1999, the hard-hitting Winfield was a member of the Minnesota Vikings from 2004-2012. He retired from professional football in 2013 after a 14-year career. He will enter the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
Antoine Winfield was inducted into Ohio State's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | |
| BIG TEN MVP | |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 8 |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | 4 |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 6 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | |
| LETTER | 1 |
| TOTAL | 28 |
For more information on other players who wore No. 11 go here.
Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide and Wikipedia
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | 8 |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | 8 |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | 4 |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | 3 |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | 1 |
| LETTER | 0.25 PER YEAR |
