A panel of AJC voters chose these players as the top 10 Georgia Tech football players of the 1950s. The players are listed alphabetically.
Maxie Baughan
From Forkland, Alabama, Baughan made the 250-mile trek to Tech in 1956. He lettered for the Yellow Jackets from 1957-59, playing center and linebacker, and was named an All-American in 1959. He was the 1959 SEC lineman of the year and twice an all-SEC selection.
The 1960 Gator Bowl MVP went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL (making nine Pro Bowls) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, respectively.
Baughan is in the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame.
Ray Beck
Beck played guard for Tech and helped the Jackets go 11-0-1, win the SEC and beat Baylor in 1951. The Cedartown High School graduate was named an All-American in ‘51 and would go on to play for the New York Giants, winning the 1956 NFL championship.
Beck, who lettered for the Jackets from 1949-51, is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Franklin Brooks
Brooks starred at O’Keefe High and was the 1952 lineman of the year while playing up front on both offense and defense. He had a standout career for the Jackets shortly thereafter and was selected as the MVP of the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Brooks’ defensive stop of Pittsburgh quarterback Corny Salvaterra as time expired in the second quarter kept Tech ahead 7-0.
After a single season in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, Brooks later became as assistant coach for Tech under coaches Bill Fulcher and Pepper Rogers from 1972-76.
Pete Brown
An All-American center, Brown led the 1951 and ‘52 squads who went a combined 23-0-1 – the 1952 team, of course, was crowned national champs.
Brown played fullback and punter in high school in Rossville, where he was named all-state in both football and basketball. The Jackets put him in the lineup as a linebacker in 1950 before moving him into the center of the offense.
Brown played two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame.
Leon Hardeman
Hardeman ran for 1,794 yards and 22 touchdowns during his time as Tech’s tailback from 1951-53. The Jackets went 32-2-2 during Hardeman’s career (winning the 1952 Orange Bowl, 1953 Sugar Bowl and 1954 Sugar Bowl) and he was named the 1952 SEC player of the year.
In the national title season of ‘52, Hardeman ran for 776 yards and scored nine touchdowns en route to becoming an All-American. Hardeman was also a three-time all-SEC selection.
Hardeman is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Baylor School Hall of Fame and Chattanooga Old Timers Hall of Fame.
Buck Martin
An All-American at end and a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, Martin is best known for catching four touchdown passes in a 1951 win over Auburn.
Martin was drafted by the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals in 1954 but opted to forego a career in professional sports. He was part of Tech’s 1952 national championship team.
Hal Miller
Miller arrived at Tech from Kingsport, Tennessee, where he was a high school All-American. Miller was a co-captain of the 1952 national championship team and the tackle was a consensus All-American that season.
A member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Northeast Conference Hall of Fame and Dobyns-Bennett High School Alumni Hall of Fame, Miller, twice an all-SEC pick, also played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1953.
George Morris
Another All-American on the 1952 national title team, Morris was part of the inaugural class of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1955. He made 114 tackles in 1952 and 11 career interceptions playing linebacker before drafted by the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time all-SEC selection, Morris is in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame and, as a Vicksburg, Mississippi native, the Mississippi Hall of Fame.
Morris was named an ACC legend in 2007.
AJC file photo
AJC file photo
Larry Morris
Morris was a captain of both the Tech football and baseball teams. He was an all-SEC pick in 1952 and 1953 playing center and linebacker.
A Decatur native, Morris received an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 1980. He played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears and the Falcons, respectively.
Morris was named to the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1960s, was an All-American in 1953 and 1954 and is in the College Football Hall of Fame.
AJC File
AJC File
Don Stephenson
Stephenson was a two-time All-American (1956-57) playing on both the offensive and defensive front for the Jackets before an eight-season career in the Canadian Football League.
Stephenson also was a two-time all-SEC selection and is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
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