New all-time transfers list includes Auburn player
The Auburn Tigers have a vast and storied history, and any historical rankings tend to prove it.
On3 released a list of college football’s all-time all-transfer team on Friday, and it included a player from far back in Auburn’s history — center Frank Gatski, who played for Auburn in its 1945 season after transferring from the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Here is what the list had to say about Gatski, whose consistency and excellent play would cement his status as an American football legend after his playing career concluded.
Gatski, a West Virginia native, was a two-year starter at Marshall before leaving school during World War II. When he returned to the U.S. after the war, Marshall had not resumed playing football, so he played his final season at Auburn in 1945. Gatski played 12 seasons in the NFL, was a four-time first-team All-Pro and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985; others in that class included Staubach, Simpson and Joe Namath. He is the only player in Marshall history to have his uniform retired (No. 72) and reportedly never missed as much as a practice at Marshall, Auburn and in the NFL.
Gatski’s Auburn team in 1945 went 5-5 with a conference record of 2-3. After finishing his last season at Auburn, Gatski went to the Cleveland Browns of the then-established the All-American Football Conference, or the AAFC. That conference eventually merged with the NFL in 1950, and Gatski had a hand in four championships with the Browns. He played a final year with Detroit before retiring and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
The article also gave an honorable mention to former Tigers quarterback Cam Newton, who transferred from Florida to Blinn College to Auburn. throughout the course of his college career. The list ultimately went with Roger Staubach, whose stint at Navy was enough to put him at the quarterback spot.
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