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NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
Official list of the NFL's best players in the 1990s
Official list of the NFL's best players in the 1990s
The NFL 1990s All-Decade Team was chosen by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team was composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the 1990s.
The squad consists of first- and second-team offensive, defensive and special teams units, as well as a first- and second-team head coaches. Only a person's performance in the 1990s was used as criteria for voting.
Bruce Matthews, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Bruce Smith and Reggie White were unanimous choices. Deion Sanders and Mel Gray were the only players to make the team at two positions. Sanders was named first-team cornerback and punt returner while Gray made the second team as both a kick and punt returner. Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, Sean Landeta, Ronnie Lott, Gary Zimmerman, Jerry Rice, Bruce Smith, and Reggie White were first named to the 1980s All-Decade Team. Larry Allen, Warren Sapp, and Willie Roaf were also named to the 2000s All-Decade Team.
Offense
| * | Elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame | ¤ | Finalist information updated through 2025 selection |
|---|
| Position | First Team | Hall of Fame? | Second Team | Hall of Fame? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | John Elway* (Denver Broncos) | Yes | Brett Favre* (Green Bay Packers) | Yes |
| Running back | Barry Sanders* (Detroit Lions) | Yes | Thurman Thomas* (Buffalo Bills) | Yes |
| Emmitt Smith* (Dallas Cowboys) | Yes | Terrell Davis* (Denver Broncos) | Yes | |
| Wide receiver | Jerry Rice* (San Francisco 49ers) | Yes | Michael Irvin* (Dallas Cowboys) | Yes |
| Cris Carter* (Minnesota Vikings) | Yes | Tim Brown* (Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders) | Yes | |
| Tight end | Shannon Sharpe* (Denver Broncos) | Yes | Ben Coates (New England Patriots) | No |
| Tackle | Willie Roaf* (New Orleans Saints) | Yes | Tony Boselli* (Jacksonville Jaguars) | Yes |
| Gary Zimmerman* (Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos) | Yes | Richmond Webb (Miami Dolphins) | No | |
| Guard | Bruce Matthews* (Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans) | Yes | Larry Allen* (Dallas Cowboys) | Yes |
| Randall McDaniel* (Minnesota Vikings) | Yes | Steve Wisniewski (Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders) | No | |
| Center | Dermontti Dawson* (Pittsburgh Steelers) | Yes | Mark Stepnoski (Dallas Cowboys, Houston / Tennessee Oilers) | No |
Defense
| Position | First Team | Hall of Fame? | Second Team | Hall of Fame? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | Bruce Smith* (Buffalo Bills) | Yes | Chris Doleman* (Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers) | Yes |
| Reggie White* (Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers) | Yes | Neil Smith (Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos) | No | |
| Defensive tackle | Cortez Kennedy* (Seattle Seahawks) | Yes | Warren Sapp* (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) | Yes |
| John Randle* (Minnesota Vikings) | Yes | Bryant Young* (San Francisco 49ers) | Yes | |
| Linebacker | Junior Seau* (San Diego Chargers) | Yes | Hardy Nickerson (Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) | No |
| Derrick Thomas* (Kansas City Chiefs) | Yes | Cornelius Bennett (Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts) | No | |
| Kevin Greene* (Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers) | Yes | Levon Kirkland (Pittsburgh Steelers) | No | |
| Cornerback | Deion Sanders* (Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys) | Yes | Darrell Green* (Washington Redskins) | Yes |
| Rod Woodson* (Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens) | Yes | Aeneas Williams* (Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals) | Yes | |
| Safety | Steve Atwater* (Denver Broncos, New York Jets) | Yes | Carnell Lake (Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars) | No |
| LeRoy Butler* (Green Bay Packers) | Yes | Ronnie Lott* (San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, New York Jets) | Yes |
Special teams
| Position | First Team | Hall of Fame? | Second Team | Hall of Fame? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kicker | Morten Andersen* (New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons) | Yes | Gary Anderson (Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings) | No |
| Punter | Darren Bennett (San Diego Chargers) | No | Sean Landeta (New York Giants, Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles) | No |
| Kick Returner | Michael Bates (Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers) | No | Mel Gray (New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Houston / Tennessee Oilers, Philadelphia Eagles) | No |
| Punt Returner | Deion Sanders* (Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys) | Yes | No |
Coach
| Position | First Team | Hall of Fame? | Second Team | Hall of Fame? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Bill Parcells* (New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets) | Yes | Marv Levy* (Buffalo Bills) | Yes |
References
References
- "Offense". [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].
- (2000-07-25). "NFL selects All-Decade Team". Santa Fe New Mexican.
- "1990s ALL-DECADE TEAM". NFL.com.
- "NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s - DEFENSE". [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].
- (2000-07-25). "1990s ALL DECADE TEAM". Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- "Finalist list". NFL.com.
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