Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cleveland Vann Made History as OSU’s First All-America Linebacker
April 25, 2022 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Former Oklahoma State linebacker Cleveland Vann is one of just four players in school history to earn All-America honors at linebacker, and he was also the first to do it.
Born September 3, 1951, in Seguin, Texas, Vann played fullback in high school for the Seguin Matadors and scored more than 400 points on his way to earning all-state honors and first team honors on Parade Magazine's All-America High School Football Team.
He was a standout on both offense and defense for Seguin and even was a standout placekicker, kicking 12 field goals as a junior and senior in 1968 and 1969 with a long of 47 yards. On top of that, he was also a standout in baseball, basketball and track and served as class president and homecoming king as a senior.
It prompted Seguin head coach Jack Taylor to say, "He's the best all-around football player I've ever coached."
His high school football career netted him offers from Oklahoma State, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and more than 50 others.
After a hard-fought recruiting battle, Vann said signed with OSU on the morning of February 10, 1970, in a ceremony at El Apache Restaurant in Seguin, accompanied by his family as well as OSU coach Floyd Gass.
He told The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise at the time that he chose OSU because "when I visited there I liked what I saw … the people were nice."
After a senior year in which he totaled 1,145 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns at fullback while averaging more than six yards per carry, Vann arrived in Stillwater as part of the Cowboy backfield.
Vann's career started with an impressive year as part of the OSU freshman team for the 1970 season, as he put up several big rushing performances and helped in the placekicking department as well. He followed that up by earning OSU's primary fullback spot as a sophomore during the 1971 season, rushing for 240 yards on 65 carries and making five catches for 27 yards in 11 games.
As promising as Vann's path at fullback appeared, the Cowboy coaches were forced to look at him on the other side of ball in the spring of 1972. He made the move in practice during the first week of April and was one of only two players two on the roster to lock up a starting spot before August.
It was only up from there.
By the time his 1972 junior season ended, Vann was a first team All-Big Eight linebacker and OSU's leading tackler with 122 total stops while adding three interceptions and two pass breakups.
His 1973 season brought him even more honors as he led the team in tackles again with a total of 117, earned first team all-conference honors for the second year in a row and became the first All-America linebacker in school history as he was named a first team selection by the Football Writers Association of America. It was made even more noteworthy considering that he and safety Alvin Brown became Oklahoma State football's first Black All-Americans that season.
Vann then showcased his skills at the 1973 Blue-Gray Game and the East-West Classic before being drafted in the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins.
Although his selection by the Dolphins was impressive, he opted for the World Football League and spent time with the Southern California Sun before moving on to the Canadian Football League to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
His rookie CFL season in 1976 ended with recognition as a CFL All-Star, and he was earned Grey Cup MVP honors despite a loss in the game.
Vann played until the end of the 1980 season and then decided at 28 years old that it was time to retire from football.
He was honored in 1994 as a Seguin Athletic Hall of Honor inductee and then inducted into the Roughriders' "Plaza of Honour" in 2000. He is also still tied for fourth in OSU history with two career touchdowns on interception returns.
After his impressive football career, Vann worked in law enforcement in the state of Texas and then moved back to Regina, Saskatchewan, where he lived and worked in health and safety services for 20 years before retiring and now enjoys cooking riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle in his free time.
It's a well-deserved break for an all-time great Cowboy who is still a respected member of the OSU family.
Born September 3, 1951, in Seguin, Texas, Vann played fullback in high school for the Seguin Matadors and scored more than 400 points on his way to earning all-state honors and first team honors on Parade Magazine's All-America High School Football Team.
He was a standout on both offense and defense for Seguin and even was a standout placekicker, kicking 12 field goals as a junior and senior in 1968 and 1969 with a long of 47 yards. On top of that, he was also a standout in baseball, basketball and track and served as class president and homecoming king as a senior.
It prompted Seguin head coach Jack Taylor to say, "He's the best all-around football player I've ever coached."
His high school football career netted him offers from Oklahoma State, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and more than 50 others.
After a hard-fought recruiting battle, Vann said signed with OSU on the morning of February 10, 1970, in a ceremony at El Apache Restaurant in Seguin, accompanied by his family as well as OSU coach Floyd Gass.
He told The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise at the time that he chose OSU because "when I visited there I liked what I saw … the people were nice."
After a senior year in which he totaled 1,145 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns at fullback while averaging more than six yards per carry, Vann arrived in Stillwater as part of the Cowboy backfield.
Vann's career started with an impressive year as part of the OSU freshman team for the 1970 season, as he put up several big rushing performances and helped in the placekicking department as well. He followed that up by earning OSU's primary fullback spot as a sophomore during the 1971 season, rushing for 240 yards on 65 carries and making five catches for 27 yards in 11 games.
As promising as Vann's path at fullback appeared, the Cowboy coaches were forced to look at him on the other side of ball in the spring of 1972. He made the move in practice during the first week of April and was one of only two players two on the roster to lock up a starting spot before August.
It was only up from there.
By the time his 1972 junior season ended, Vann was a first team All-Big Eight linebacker and OSU's leading tackler with 122 total stops while adding three interceptions and two pass breakups.
His 1973 season brought him even more honors as he led the team in tackles again with a total of 117, earned first team all-conference honors for the second year in a row and became the first All-America linebacker in school history as he was named a first team selection by the Football Writers Association of America. It was made even more noteworthy considering that he and safety Alvin Brown became Oklahoma State football's first Black All-Americans that season.
Vann then showcased his skills at the 1973 Blue-Gray Game and the East-West Classic before being drafted in the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins.
Although his selection by the Dolphins was impressive, he opted for the World Football League and spent time with the Southern California Sun before moving on to the Canadian Football League to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
His rookie CFL season in 1976 ended with recognition as a CFL All-Star, and he was earned Grey Cup MVP honors despite a loss in the game.
Vann played until the end of the 1980 season and then decided at 28 years old that it was time to retire from football.
He was honored in 1994 as a Seguin Athletic Hall of Honor inductee and then inducted into the Roughriders' "Plaza of Honour" in 2000. He is also still tied for fourth in OSU history with two career touchdowns on interception returns.
After his impressive football career, Vann worked in law enforcement in the state of Texas and then moved back to Regina, Saskatchewan, where he lived and worked in health and safety services for 20 years before retiring and now enjoys cooking riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle in his free time.
It's a well-deserved break for an all-time great Cowboy who is still a respected member of the OSU family.
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