Photo illustration by azcentral sports.
Position, years at UA: Running back, 1953-56.
Honors, accomplishments at UA: Led the nation in rushing in 1954 (1,359 yards) and in 1955 (1,313). … His 3,381 rushing yards rank third in school history. … His 21 rushing touchdowns in 1954 stood as the UA season record until Ka’Deem Carey went for 23 last season.
Why he made our list: The Cactus Comet was unrivaled as the brightest football star in UA history until the 1980s, and you can still make a compelling case that Art Luppino should be No. 1 on this countdown of the school’s top players. In 1954, he led the nation in rushing, kick returns, all-purpose yards and scoring (he had 24 touchdowns to go with 22 extra points).
There has never been a better single-game performance in UA history than the first game of his sophomore season, in 1954 against New Mexico State as the Wildcats unveiled a split-T attack.
Luppino rushed for 228 yards on only six carries, scoring on runs of 37, 48, 74 and 53 yards. He also scored on an 88-yard kick return and set up another score with a 43-yard punt return. UA won 58-0 as Luppino played only about 20 minutes.
Luppino, who combined a quick burst with shifty moves, was the first player in college history to win consecutive rushing titles, but his quest for a third in 1956 was wrecked by a preseason knee injury that limited him to 66 carries for 327 yards as a senior.
Despite that low total, he set the college career rushing record with 3,381 yards, which stood for a dozen years until surpassed by 7 yards by Eugene “Mercury” Morris of West Texas A&M in 1968.
Luppino’s 166 points in 1954, which included two touchdowns on kick returns and one on an interception return as a free safety, was an NCAA record for 17 years.
Life after college: Luppino’s knee problems and persistent concussion issues, stemming from when he was slugged by a Texas Tech player in a 1954 game, scuttled a pro career.
Luppino was a 30th-round draft pick (No. 356 overall), of the Washington Redskins in 1957. He didn’t sign until late July 1958 but the knee problem flared up in his first Washington workout and he gave up football.
In partnership with the Arizona Republic, we are counting down the top 50 football players in Arizona Wildcats history. Leave your top five at AG’s Wildcat Report on Facebook, and check out azcentral.com for the countdown of ASU’s Top 50 football players.
Arizona’s top 50
No. 50 — LaMonte Hunley
No. 49 — Hubie Oliver
No. 48 — Rob Gronkowski
No. 47 — Jim Donarski
No. 46 — Ontiwaun Carter
No. 45 — Steve McLaughlin
No. 44 — John Fina
No. 43 — Glenn Parker
No. 42 — Bobby Lee Thompson
No. 41 — Marcus Bell
No. 40 — Fred W. Enke
No. 39 — Ka’Deem Carey
No. 38 — Juron Criner
No. 37 — Dana Wells
No. 36 — Tom Tunnicliffe
No. 35 — Bruce Hill
No. 34 — Chuck Osborne
No. 33 — Brandon Sanders
No. 32 — Sean Harris
No. 31 — Mike Thomas
No. 30 — Bobby Wade
No. 29 — T Bell
No. 28 — Joe Salave’a
No. 27 — Eddie Wilson
No. 26 — Chuck Levy
No. 25 — Allan Durden
No. 24 — Nick Foles
No. 23 — Tony Bouie
No. 22 — ‘King Kong’ Nolan
No. 21 — Bill Lueck
No. 20 — Walter “Hoss” Nielsen
No. 19 — Trung Canidate
No. 18 — Mark Arneson
No. 17 — Chris Singleton
No. 16 — Mike Dawson
No. 15 — Max Zendejas
No. 14 — Dennis Northcutt
No. 13 — Jackie Wallace
No. 12 — Antoine Cason
No. 11 — Vance Johnson
No. 10 — Lance Briggs
No. 9 — Byron Evans
No. 8 — Darryll Lewis
No. 7 — Joe Tofflemire
No. 6 — Chris McAlister
* * *
Here is footage of Luppino from Arizona’s game against Idaho in 1954. He’s No. 22 at running back, safety and kicking extra points.
Luppino scores around the 22:50 mark on a 1-yard plunge, has a interception and a 42-yard return at 23:59 and scores on a 25-yard run on a pitch around left end at 31:04. (More rare UA game video is here.)