Texas Football Releases List of State’s Best Linebackers of All-Time

SAN ANGELO, TX — Texas Football’s list of the state’s top 10 linebackers ever didn’t include the Concho Valley or West Texas, but a beloved Texas Tech player managed to make the cut.

Zach Thomas, who went to a Hall of Fame career with the Miami Dolphins, was ranked No. 9. He was an undersized player coming out of the Panhandle. 

Thomas played his freshman year at White Deer and remaining three seasons at Pampa.

He became a two-time All-American at Texas Tech and was then named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year after being selected in the fifth round.

It’s hard for the Concho Valley to be represented on such a prestigious list, but if we were, you’d think Wall’s Clayton Weishuhn might have been our best bet.

Weishuhn anchored Wall’s incredible defense in 1977 that allowed only 4.7 points per game. The Hawks finished 14-1 after losing in the state semifinals.

Weishuhn then became an All-American linebacker at Angelo State and helped the Rams win the 1978 national title.

He was drafted in the third round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and set the franchise’s single-season record with 229 tackles in 1983.

The record still stands 43 years later.

Weishuhn’s NFL career was cut short by a knee injury he suffered in 1984, but he’s rightfully remembered as one of the best players to come from our area.

He passed away in a vehicle crash in 2022, and Wall’s football field was renamed in his honor. 

Other notable players on Texas Football’s Top 10 list included Dick “Night Train” Lane (Austin Anderson), Dat Nguyen (Rockport-Fulton), Jessie Armstead (Dallas Carter) and Derrick Johnson (Waco).

To see the complete list, check out Texas Football’s story here.