'It's legendary' - AP All-America honor resonates for some of college football's all-time greats

Desmond Howard walked up a ramp in Schembechler Hall, looking at black-and-white pictures hanging on a white wall where Michigan honors its All-America football players.

The 1991 Heisman Trophy winner stopped to point out the image of two-time AP All-America receiver Anthony Carter, who starred for the program several seasons before Howard crossed the Ohio border to become a Wolverine.

Howard grinned after taking a few more steps and seeing his high-top fade hairstyle captured in a photo that cemented his legacy for the college football program with the most wins.

“You’re remembered as one of the greats, that’s for sure," Howard told the AP. “You put on the V-neck sweater with the maize block 'M,’ and you take your picture and you know that you’re in a special group.”

With the 2025 season here, the AP named an all-time All-America team to mark the 100th anniversary of the first team from the early days of the sport. Many outlets have named All-America teams over the decades, but only a few such as AP have stuck around. A number of player sspoke with AP about what the honor meant:

When the three-time All-America defensive end is asked who was the most influential people in his life, he says Bob Hope.

Hope's annual Christmas specials featured AP All-Americanss from 1971 to 1994 and Green recalled the late comedian pulling him aside during commercial breaks to rave about his play in games that were not on TV.

“Kids today might take it a bit different, but we should always have a person that has his credentials do the AP All-American show every year,” Green said. “That was something very special and unique.”

Walker won a national championship as a freshman with the Bulldogs and said he got too much credit over teammates like the offensive linemen who paved the way for his success. The three-time All-America running back is proud, though, to have shown that someone from Wrightsville, Georiga, with a population of about 3,000 people, could make it big.

“I wanted to inspire people from my little hometown — or kids from small towns around this country — to let them know you can do it too,” he said.

The late Bo Schembechler was known for a run-heavy offense at Michigan, but that didn't stop a 155-pound freshman from becoming a big-play threat right away and eventually a two-time AP All-America.

“No one thought I would last in the Big Ten,” Carter said. “To be an All-American means a lot, coming out of Michigan because we didn't throw the ball a lot. I wouldn't have achieved what I did without a lot of great teammates.”

Buckeye Grove is a small patch of land with a sea of trees a few steps south of Ohio Stadium, a place where Ohio State honors its All-America football players with a buckeye tree and a plaque.

“When you get older, you kind of appreciate those things,” said Pace, a two-time All-America offensive tackle. “I have kids that go to Ohio State, and I always tell them to go by and check out my tree.”

He played in 20 games, including the playoffs, as a rookie linebacker for the New York Giants when they won the Super Bowl in 2012. His NFL career ended after a six-game stint the next season in Jacksonville. His back-to-back All-America honors, however, still shine as accomplishments.

“It’s etched in history,” Jones said, holding one of the plaques with his All-America certificate. “Obviously, you can get cut from an NFL team, you can lose your job, but that can stay forever.”

The Wolverines' all-time leader in receptions, yards receiving and touchdown catches was aware two decades ago that there were a lot of college football All-America teams, but recalled one being the most coveted.

“The AP was the one I that cared about," Edwards said. "The writers telling me that I was the player that deserved to be All-American, that was the one that I was waiting for.”

When the three-time All-America linebacker takes recruits on tours as an assistant coach, Buckeye Grove is always a stop on the visit.

“It’s pretty cool to kind of honor that tradition,” he said.

He is the only Associated Press College Football Player of the Year to exclusively play defense, but still laments that he finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. He was an AP All-America in 2009.

“The Associated Press saw something special in me that the Heisman didn’t,” Suh said. “I am all 10 toes down with The Associated Press."

As the son of second-team AP All-America defensive tackle Chris Hutchinson, earning a spot on the All-America wall alongside his father was a goal for Aidan Hutchinson during his senior year four years ago.

“There’s a lot of All-American teams, but AP is different,” he said. “It’s legendary.”

The Crimson Tide recognizes its All-America players on a wall in their training facility, intentionally putting the displays in a room recruits visit on campus, and at various locations at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Just walking in there and being a little kid and just thinking, one day that would be me, and then just going out there and fulfilling that dream,” Arnold said. “It's also one of those things when I take my future family to Alabama, and look at it, `Son, this is what your dad was like.'”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

FILE - Ohio State tackle Orlando Pace (75) pushes Penn State linebacker Brandon Short (43) aside as the Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 38-7 in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 1996, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Hall, File)

James Laurinaitis, a three-time AP All-America linebacker at Ohio State, stands alongside the tree planted in his honor in Buckeye Grove adjacent to Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Larry Lage)

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2009, file photo, Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh (93) rushes against a Florida Atlantic player during an NCAA football game in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver, File)

FILE - Michigan's Anthony Carter (l) celebrates as he scores a touchdown against Notre Dame during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 1981 in Ann Arbor, Mich (AP Photo/Richard Sheinwald, File)

Desmond Howard, an AP All-America receiver and Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan, points at a portrait of Michigan's Athony Carter at Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Aug. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Larry Lage)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 18, 2026--

Running shoes brand Xtep has announced that it will form a joint venture with Bonia, a distributor with over 50 years of market expertise in Malaysia, to jointly develop the Malaysian market. Analysts indicate that this move will accelerate Xtep’s drive to become the leading running brand in Southeast Asia. Notably, this new strategic direction also involves an adjustment to Xtep’s previous business cooperation model in Malaysia. In line with Xtep Group’s overall strategic shift, the company’s business model in Malaysia will be upgraded from a single exclusive distribution arrangement to a multi-channel setup. The former exclusive distributor, VGO, will transition to a “non-exclusive distributor” and remain a key partner for Xtep in deepening its local market presence. Before Xtep’s partnership with Bonia, VGO served as Xtep’s exclusive partner in Malaysia. As the initial partner facilitating Xtep’s entry into the Malaysian market, VGO laid a solid foundation for the brand’s successful entry. Xtep will continue its collaboration with VGO to advance the Xtep brand’s development through channels where VGO holds particular strength. Meanwhile, Bonia will focus on maximizing Xtep’s brand visibility in Malaysia’s core commercial districts and running brand hubs.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260114707896/en/

Chinese media reports highlight Malaysia as Xtep’s springboard for expansion into Southeast Asia, emphasizing that this business model transformation is crucial for implementing the “Chinese Root, World-Class Running Shoes” strategy proposed in 2022. Bonia’s sales network spans Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian markets. The company maintains strong, stable relationships with major shopping centers in these countries, possesses deep insights into local consumer needs, and has solid cross-border retail operation capabilities.

The first store under Xtep’s partnership with Bonia opened in Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur. According to Xtep, this 3,262-square-foot professional running flagship store displays performance running products by function and features services such as a trial running zone and foot shape and gait analysis, allowing runners to experience world-class running technology. This store also showcases stories of local runners and photos from local running events to enhance runners’ sense of belonging.

Running culture in Malaysia is maturing. Data from the World Bank and Euromonitor International shows that Malaysia has the largest sportswear and footwear market in Southeast Asia. The Malaysian Sports Culture Index 2023 survey revealed that 63% of respondents cited jogging as their favorite sport. In terms of road racing popularity, the 2024 Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon attracted over 40,000 participants.

Xtep entered the Malaysian market in 2024 and has consistently employed an operational strategy of “Professional-to-mass influence” coupled with a cultural strategy of “adapting to local conditions”. The brand has connected with local consumers through events and running communities. During its partnership with VGO, Xtep organized several large-scale running events in Malaysia, including the “10KM Time Challenge” held in Penang in August 2024, which attracted top athletes from Indonesia, Singapore, Uganda and Kenya. With Malaysia emerging as a strategic hub for international growth, Xtep envisions the country as both a blueprint for overseas expansion and a dynamic showcase of its running heritage.

Comprehensive Channel Upgrade! Xtep Leverages Southeast Asian Foothold to Advance Global Running Footwear Strategy