StoRMinBrutus
Great 2 B A Buckeyes !!!
For all Future Ohio State Running Back Recruits to consider!!!
Yes, Ohio State is ranked even higher than all the others when it comes to Runningbacks !!! :) GT not even mentioned.
This was taken from college football.com/football database/ RB U
for full version:
http://www.cfbnews.com/2004/Columnists/HistoricalDebate_RBURC.htm
For this highly subjective exercise, only college players from the past 35 years have been considered. Keep that in mind while you’re feverishly searching for Ernie Davis or Billy Cannon. The timeframe could have easily been, oh, 30 or 40 years, but either way, the objective was to draw a distinct line of demarcation between the modern era of college football and a time when the game, the players and the schools were dramatically different than they are today. Something about apples and oranges comes to mind. Go deep enough into the annals and you might be compelled to champion schools, which are no longer relevant to this conversation. Raise your hand if you’re ready to debate the virtues of backs such as George McAfee, Glenn Davis or Ollie Matson, former first round draft choices from Duke, Army and San Francisco, respectively.
While the emphasis here is on collegiate results, pro performance has clearly been factored into the inexact equation. As it should be. Leaving it out would be to suggest Priest Holmes and Terrell Davis have no relevance to the discussion because they didn’t blossom into stars until they reached the NFL. Huh? That’s like saying the Wharton School of Business sucks because most graduates don’t get a corner office until they reach their 30s.
Like most opinion-based responses, there is no right answer to the question of who truly deserves to be dubbed Running Back U. Just plenty of different answers, which makes the subject so deliciously appetizing.
1. Ohio State
The Flag-Bearer – Eddie George
The Ensemble – Archie Griffin, Keith Byars, Pete Johnson, Robert Smith, Jim Otis, John Brockington, Tim Spencer, Pepe Pearson, Raymont Harris, Michael Wiley, Calvin Murray, Maurice Clarett, Leo Hayden, Ron Springs, Vince Workman and Jonathan Wells
Consistency, dotted with periodic episodes of brilliance, is what separates the Buckeyes from every other NCAA program seeking the title of Running Back U. And unlike most other schools, Ohio State backs haven’t endured any serious dry spells. In the 1970s, there was two-time Heisman winner Griffin and pile-driving fullbacks Otis, Brockington and Johnson. The 1980s gave us Spencer and Heisman runner-up Byars. The 1990s were highlighted by Eddie George and his 1,927-yard Heisman season. After a stellar rookie season, Clarett looked poised to carry the torch early in the 21<SUP>st</SUP> century torch before his life spun out of control.
Since 1969, 16 different Buckeyes have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a college season. Six hit the milestone in the NFL. Again, a model of consistency. From 1969-1981, no one was better than USC. Not even close. However, since that time, the Trojans have slipped and the Buckeyes have stayed the course, passing them at some point in the late 1990s. With both teams recruiting so well these days, expect them to jockey for the pole position for the foreseeable future.
2. USC
The Flag-Bearer – O.J. Simpson
The Ensemble – Marcus Allen, Charles White, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis, Clarence Davis, Sam Cunningham, Mosi Tatupu, Ricky Ervins, Chad Morton, Sultan McCoullough, Reggie Bush and Lynn Cain
It’s been a long time since USC had the kind of dynamic, Heisman-contending back, who enhanced the school’s reputation as Tailback U. To be specific, it’s been 23 years since Marcus Allen lit up the Pac-10 and became the first player in NCAA history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. Of course, Allen was preceded by a parade of all-time greats, like Simpson, Anthony Davis, Bell and White, each of whom was a first-team All-American. However, it was after 1981 that the Trojans began to lose their stranglehold on the top spot. Since then, the school has pinned its hopes on a menagerie of mediocre talent, none of whom ever bridged the gap to yesteryear or came close to being tabbed an All-American. It’ll be up to players like Bush, LenDale White and Hershel Dennis—the newest generation of Trojan horses—to regain the title they believe is rightfully theirs. <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>
3. Penn State
The Flag-Bearer – Curt Warner
The Ensemble – Lydell Mitchell, Franco Harris, John Cappelletti, Matt Suhey, Larry Johnson, Richie Anderson, Ki-Jana Carter, Blair Thomas, Curtis Enis, D.J. Dozier, Sam Gash, Charlie Pittman, Booker Moore, Gary Brown, Steve Smith and Mike Guman
It’s been well-documented that Penn State’s recent history with first round draft choices has been horrid. Dozier, Thomas, Carter, Enis. Flop, flop, flop, flop. Injuries have been a factor, but that makes each no less of a colossal bust. Still, all that can’t diminish what that quartet accomplished in State College. Nor does it take away from the fact that ten Lions have been plucked in the first round draft since 1972, eight were selected to someone’s All-American squad, Cappelletti won the 1973 Heisman Trophy, Harris is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame or Johnson ran for more 2,000 yards in 2002. The point being that despite all the bad press, few programs have spawned more top backs the last 35 years than the Nittany Lions. <O:P></O:P>
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4. Miami
The Flag-Bearer – O.J. Anderson
The Ensemble – Chuck Foreman, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Alonzo Highsmith, Cleveland Gary, James Jackson, Stephen McGuire, Melvin Bratton, Donnell Bennett, Danyell Ferguson, Frank Gore and Najeh Davenport
Quarterback U. Wide Receiver U. Tight End U. Running back U.? Miami has had so much talent at the other skill positions, it’s easy to forget just how effective their backs have been over the years. They’ve had power-speed tailbacks like James, Portis and McGahee, big and nimble fullbacks in the mold of Highsmith and Gary and back-in-the-day stalwarts like Foreman and Anderson, both of whom played in the Super Bowl and multiple Pro Bowls. Portis is currently one of the best pure runners in the NFL, a claim McGahee hopes to make someday, now that his reconstructed knee is getting close to 100% healthy.
5. Auburn
The Flag Bearer – Bo Jackson
The Ensemble – James Brooks, Stephen Davis, Joe Cribbs, William Andrews, Brent Fullwood, Carnell Williams, Rudi Johnson, Lionel James, James Bostic, James Joseph and Ronnie Brown
It’s fitting the Tigers have not one, but two backs that might be taken in the first round of next April’s NFL Draft. Williams is a strong Heisman contender and Brown would start in most I-A backfields. Over the past three decades, Auburn has had little trouble attracting similar quality to the Plains. None was more complete than Jackson, who won the 1985 Heisman Trophy before an ill-fated decision to play professional baseball and a degenerative hip condition kept him from reaching his full potential. Fullwood stepped in for Jackson in 1986 and promptly responded with an All-American season. Brooks, Davis, Cribbs and Andrews have each run for at least 1,000 yards three times and been named to the Pro Bowl team at least twice during their NFL careers. Johnson looks like he has a bright future ahead of himself in Cincinnati.<O:P> </O:P>
6. Nebraska
The Flag-Bearer – Roger Craig
The Ensemble – Ahman Green, Mike Rozier, Tom Rathman, Jeff Kinney, I.M. Hipp, Lawrence Phillips, Calvin Jones, Keith Jones, Rick Berns, Andra Franklin, Jarvis Redwine, Joel Mackovicka, Ken Clark, Cory Schlesinger, Dan Alexander, Correll Buckhalter, Derek Brown, Doug Dubose, Judd Davies and Joe Orduna
Not only can the Huskers boast a plethora of game-breaking I-backs, but they’ve also grown their share of snot-knocking fullbacks as if they were ears of corn. Players like Craig, Green, Rozier and Phillips picked up the yards and the post-season accolades, but it was Rathman, Mackovicka, Franklin and Schlesinger, who were paving the way and epitomizing the punishing Nebraska running game. Rozier won the 1983 Heisman in a walk after running for a school-record 2,148 yards and 29 touchdowns. Hipp, perhaps the best known of Nebraska’s many successful walk-ons, became an overnight celebrity in the 1970s. Craig played in four Pro Bowls, while Green has already received three invites after just six years in the NFL.
7. Georgia
The Flag-Bearer – Herschel Walker
The Ensemble – Garrison Hearst, Rodney Hampton, Terrell Davis, Tim Worley, Lars Tate, Robert Edwards, Musa Smith, Willie McClendon, Mack Strong, Olandis Gary and Larry Bowie
The Dawgs’ excellence here can be explained from three different angles: Walker was simply one of the most dominant backs in the history of college football. In 1980, he redefined the limits for a freshman, and when he was done in 1982, he held one Heisman, 11 NCAA records, 16 SEC records and 41 school marks. Tate, Worley, Hampton and Hearst parlayed 1,000-yard seasons into being high NFL draft choices. Hearst, in particular, had a terrific career in Athens, which was capped in 1992 with the Doak Walker Award. And Davis, Strong and Gary went from lightly-regarded pro prospects to prominent NFL contributors. No one was better than Davis from 1996-1998. Edwards appeared headed for similar glory before a freak 1999 injury required major reconstructive surgery and tragically halted a promising career.
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8. Oklahoma
The Flag-Bearer – Billy Sims
The Ensemble – Greg Pruitt, Joe Washington, Steve Owens, Quentin Griffin, Elvis Peacock, Kenny King, Stanley Wilson, De’Mond Parker, Spencer Tillman, Steve Sewell, Mike Gaddis, Lydell Carr, Marcus Dupree and Jerald Moore
From 1969-1979, no program east of Los Angeles had more electrifying backs than the Sooners. Owens, Pruitt, Washington and Sims picked up a pair of Heisman Trophies and seven All-American honors between them. All four had productive NFL careers, Sims’ ending prematurely in 1984 from a serious knee injury. Griffin’s the closest thing OU’s had to a return to those glory days. In 2002, he fell just 12 yards short of Sims’ single-season rushing record of 1,896 yards, usually saving his best efforts for the Sooners’ biggest games. Dupree had a breathtaking combination of size and speed, but wound up being just a peculiar footnote in the school’s storied history. After whetting appetites as a freshman, he transferred to Southern Miss before imploding with the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers.
9. Florida
The Flag-Bearer – Emmitt Smith
The Ensemble – Neal Anderson, Errict Rhett, Fred Taylor, John L. Williams, James Jones, Larry Smith, Jimmy Dubose, Lorenzo Hampton, Earnest Graham and Terry Jackson
For a school that’s been synonymous with the passing game for so many years, Florida has done a pretty good job of recruiting and developing big-time backs. Emmitt Smith had a brilliant three-year career in Gainesville before going on to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. He, Larry Smith and Rhett were named All-American in their final seasons. Eight of the aforementioned Gators have been chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft, including Jones and Williams, two of the most versatile fullbacks of their era. Anderson is one of the more underrated backs of the past 20 years. All he did after establishing the Gator rushing mark in 1985 was fill the shoes of legendary Walter Payton in Chicago by playing in four straight Pro Bowls.
10. Texas A&M
The Flag-Bearer – Curtis Dickey
The Ensemble – Johnny Hector, Roger Vick, Greg Hill, Rod Bernstine, Dante Hall, Bubba Bean, Anthony Toney, Earnest Jackson, Darren Lewis, Rodney Thomas, Leeland McElroy, Larry Stegent, Keith Woodside, Jamar Toombs, Courtney Lewis and Thomas Sanders
A&M has won a ton of games since the mid-1970s, and it was rarely on the arm of one of its quarterbacks. The Aggies success came from the Wrecking Crew defense and a running game that was incapable of going two straight seasons without an all-conference back. The NFL was obviously paying attention; Stegent, Bean, Dickey, Vick, Bernstine and Hill were all first round picks. Hector and McElroy went in the second round, and Darren Lewis is second to just Texas’ Ricky Williams in all-time rushing in the Big XII. Last fall, redshirt freshman Courtney Lewis became the first Aggie to rush for 1,000 yards since current Pro Bowl kick returner Hall did it in 1998.
Honorable U.
Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame
Yes, Ohio State is ranked even higher than all the others when it comes to Runningbacks !!! :) GT not even mentioned.
This was taken from college football.com/football database/ RB U
for full version:
http://www.cfbnews.com/2004/Columnists/HistoricalDebate_RBURC.htm
For this highly subjective exercise, only college players from the past 35 years have been considered. Keep that in mind while you’re feverishly searching for Ernie Davis or Billy Cannon. The timeframe could have easily been, oh, 30 or 40 years, but either way, the objective was to draw a distinct line of demarcation between the modern era of college football and a time when the game, the players and the schools were dramatically different than they are today. Something about apples and oranges comes to mind. Go deep enough into the annals and you might be compelled to champion schools, which are no longer relevant to this conversation. Raise your hand if you’re ready to debate the virtues of backs such as George McAfee, Glenn Davis or Ollie Matson, former first round draft choices from Duke, Army and San Francisco, respectively.
While the emphasis here is on collegiate results, pro performance has clearly been factored into the inexact equation. As it should be. Leaving it out would be to suggest Priest Holmes and Terrell Davis have no relevance to the discussion because they didn’t blossom into stars until they reached the NFL. Huh? That’s like saying the Wharton School of Business sucks because most graduates don’t get a corner office until they reach their 30s.
Like most opinion-based responses, there is no right answer to the question of who truly deserves to be dubbed Running Back U. Just plenty of different answers, which makes the subject so deliciously appetizing.
1. Ohio State
The Flag-Bearer – Eddie George
The Ensemble – Archie Griffin, Keith Byars, Pete Johnson, Robert Smith, Jim Otis, John Brockington, Tim Spencer, Pepe Pearson, Raymont Harris, Michael Wiley, Calvin Murray, Maurice Clarett, Leo Hayden, Ron Springs, Vince Workman and Jonathan Wells
Consistency, dotted with periodic episodes of brilliance, is what separates the Buckeyes from every other NCAA program seeking the title of Running Back U. And unlike most other schools, Ohio State backs haven’t endured any serious dry spells. In the 1970s, there was two-time Heisman winner Griffin and pile-driving fullbacks Otis, Brockington and Johnson. The 1980s gave us Spencer and Heisman runner-up Byars. The 1990s were highlighted by Eddie George and his 1,927-yard Heisman season. After a stellar rookie season, Clarett looked poised to carry the torch early in the 21<SUP>st</SUP> century torch before his life spun out of control.
Since 1969, 16 different Buckeyes have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a college season. Six hit the milestone in the NFL. Again, a model of consistency. From 1969-1981, no one was better than USC. Not even close. However, since that time, the Trojans have slipped and the Buckeyes have stayed the course, passing them at some point in the late 1990s. With both teams recruiting so well these days, expect them to jockey for the pole position for the foreseeable future.
2. USC
The Flag-Bearer – O.J. Simpson
The Ensemble – Marcus Allen, Charles White, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis, Clarence Davis, Sam Cunningham, Mosi Tatupu, Ricky Ervins, Chad Morton, Sultan McCoullough, Reggie Bush and Lynn Cain
It’s been a long time since USC had the kind of dynamic, Heisman-contending back, who enhanced the school’s reputation as Tailback U. To be specific, it’s been 23 years since Marcus Allen lit up the Pac-10 and became the first player in NCAA history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. Of course, Allen was preceded by a parade of all-time greats, like Simpson, Anthony Davis, Bell and White, each of whom was a first-team All-American. However, it was after 1981 that the Trojans began to lose their stranglehold on the top spot. Since then, the school has pinned its hopes on a menagerie of mediocre talent, none of whom ever bridged the gap to yesteryear or came close to being tabbed an All-American. It’ll be up to players like Bush, LenDale White and Hershel Dennis—the newest generation of Trojan horses—to regain the title they believe is rightfully theirs. <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>
3. Penn State
The Flag-Bearer – Curt Warner
The Ensemble – Lydell Mitchell, Franco Harris, John Cappelletti, Matt Suhey, Larry Johnson, Richie Anderson, Ki-Jana Carter, Blair Thomas, Curtis Enis, D.J. Dozier, Sam Gash, Charlie Pittman, Booker Moore, Gary Brown, Steve Smith and Mike Guman
It’s been well-documented that Penn State’s recent history with first round draft choices has been horrid. Dozier, Thomas, Carter, Enis. Flop, flop, flop, flop. Injuries have been a factor, but that makes each no less of a colossal bust. Still, all that can’t diminish what that quartet accomplished in State College. Nor does it take away from the fact that ten Lions have been plucked in the first round draft since 1972, eight were selected to someone’s All-American squad, Cappelletti won the 1973 Heisman Trophy, Harris is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame or Johnson ran for more 2,000 yards in 2002. The point being that despite all the bad press, few programs have spawned more top backs the last 35 years than the Nittany Lions. <O:P></O:P>
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4. Miami
The Flag-Bearer – O.J. Anderson
The Ensemble – Chuck Foreman, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Alonzo Highsmith, Cleveland Gary, James Jackson, Stephen McGuire, Melvin Bratton, Donnell Bennett, Danyell Ferguson, Frank Gore and Najeh Davenport
Quarterback U. Wide Receiver U. Tight End U. Running back U.? Miami has had so much talent at the other skill positions, it’s easy to forget just how effective their backs have been over the years. They’ve had power-speed tailbacks like James, Portis and McGahee, big and nimble fullbacks in the mold of Highsmith and Gary and back-in-the-day stalwarts like Foreman and Anderson, both of whom played in the Super Bowl and multiple Pro Bowls. Portis is currently one of the best pure runners in the NFL, a claim McGahee hopes to make someday, now that his reconstructed knee is getting close to 100% healthy.
5. Auburn
The Flag Bearer – Bo Jackson
The Ensemble – James Brooks, Stephen Davis, Joe Cribbs, William Andrews, Brent Fullwood, Carnell Williams, Rudi Johnson, Lionel James, James Bostic, James Joseph and Ronnie Brown
It’s fitting the Tigers have not one, but two backs that might be taken in the first round of next April’s NFL Draft. Williams is a strong Heisman contender and Brown would start in most I-A backfields. Over the past three decades, Auburn has had little trouble attracting similar quality to the Plains. None was more complete than Jackson, who won the 1985 Heisman Trophy before an ill-fated decision to play professional baseball and a degenerative hip condition kept him from reaching his full potential. Fullwood stepped in for Jackson in 1986 and promptly responded with an All-American season. Brooks, Davis, Cribbs and Andrews have each run for at least 1,000 yards three times and been named to the Pro Bowl team at least twice during their NFL careers. Johnson looks like he has a bright future ahead of himself in Cincinnati.<O:P> </O:P>
6. Nebraska
The Flag-Bearer – Roger Craig
The Ensemble – Ahman Green, Mike Rozier, Tom Rathman, Jeff Kinney, I.M. Hipp, Lawrence Phillips, Calvin Jones, Keith Jones, Rick Berns, Andra Franklin, Jarvis Redwine, Joel Mackovicka, Ken Clark, Cory Schlesinger, Dan Alexander, Correll Buckhalter, Derek Brown, Doug Dubose, Judd Davies and Joe Orduna
Not only can the Huskers boast a plethora of game-breaking I-backs, but they’ve also grown their share of snot-knocking fullbacks as if they were ears of corn. Players like Craig, Green, Rozier and Phillips picked up the yards and the post-season accolades, but it was Rathman, Mackovicka, Franklin and Schlesinger, who were paving the way and epitomizing the punishing Nebraska running game. Rozier won the 1983 Heisman in a walk after running for a school-record 2,148 yards and 29 touchdowns. Hipp, perhaps the best known of Nebraska’s many successful walk-ons, became an overnight celebrity in the 1970s. Craig played in four Pro Bowls, while Green has already received three invites after just six years in the NFL.
7. Georgia
The Flag-Bearer – Herschel Walker
The Ensemble – Garrison Hearst, Rodney Hampton, Terrell Davis, Tim Worley, Lars Tate, Robert Edwards, Musa Smith, Willie McClendon, Mack Strong, Olandis Gary and Larry Bowie
The Dawgs’ excellence here can be explained from three different angles: Walker was simply one of the most dominant backs in the history of college football. In 1980, he redefined the limits for a freshman, and when he was done in 1982, he held one Heisman, 11 NCAA records, 16 SEC records and 41 school marks. Tate, Worley, Hampton and Hearst parlayed 1,000-yard seasons into being high NFL draft choices. Hearst, in particular, had a terrific career in Athens, which was capped in 1992 with the Doak Walker Award. And Davis, Strong and Gary went from lightly-regarded pro prospects to prominent NFL contributors. No one was better than Davis from 1996-1998. Edwards appeared headed for similar glory before a freak 1999 injury required major reconstructive surgery and tragically halted a promising career.
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8. Oklahoma
The Flag-Bearer – Billy Sims
The Ensemble – Greg Pruitt, Joe Washington, Steve Owens, Quentin Griffin, Elvis Peacock, Kenny King, Stanley Wilson, De’Mond Parker, Spencer Tillman, Steve Sewell, Mike Gaddis, Lydell Carr, Marcus Dupree and Jerald Moore
From 1969-1979, no program east of Los Angeles had more electrifying backs than the Sooners. Owens, Pruitt, Washington and Sims picked up a pair of Heisman Trophies and seven All-American honors between them. All four had productive NFL careers, Sims’ ending prematurely in 1984 from a serious knee injury. Griffin’s the closest thing OU’s had to a return to those glory days. In 2002, he fell just 12 yards short of Sims’ single-season rushing record of 1,896 yards, usually saving his best efforts for the Sooners’ biggest games. Dupree had a breathtaking combination of size and speed, but wound up being just a peculiar footnote in the school’s storied history. After whetting appetites as a freshman, he transferred to Southern Miss before imploding with the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers.
9. Florida
The Flag-Bearer – Emmitt Smith
The Ensemble – Neal Anderson, Errict Rhett, Fred Taylor, John L. Williams, James Jones, Larry Smith, Jimmy Dubose, Lorenzo Hampton, Earnest Graham and Terry Jackson
For a school that’s been synonymous with the passing game for so many years, Florida has done a pretty good job of recruiting and developing big-time backs. Emmitt Smith had a brilliant three-year career in Gainesville before going on to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. He, Larry Smith and Rhett were named All-American in their final seasons. Eight of the aforementioned Gators have been chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft, including Jones and Williams, two of the most versatile fullbacks of their era. Anderson is one of the more underrated backs of the past 20 years. All he did after establishing the Gator rushing mark in 1985 was fill the shoes of legendary Walter Payton in Chicago by playing in four straight Pro Bowls.
10. Texas A&M
The Flag-Bearer – Curtis Dickey
The Ensemble – Johnny Hector, Roger Vick, Greg Hill, Rod Bernstine, Dante Hall, Bubba Bean, Anthony Toney, Earnest Jackson, Darren Lewis, Rodney Thomas, Leeland McElroy, Larry Stegent, Keith Woodside, Jamar Toombs, Courtney Lewis and Thomas Sanders
A&M has won a ton of games since the mid-1970s, and it was rarely on the arm of one of its quarterbacks. The Aggies success came from the Wrecking Crew defense and a running game that was incapable of going two straight seasons without an all-conference back. The NFL was obviously paying attention; Stegent, Bean, Dickey, Vick, Bernstine and Hill were all first round picks. Hector and McElroy went in the second round, and Darren Lewis is second to just Texas’ Ricky Williams in all-time rushing in the Big XII. Last fall, redshirt freshman Courtney Lewis became the first Aggie to rush for 1,000 yards since current Pro Bowl kick returner Hall did it in 1998.
Honorable U.
Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame
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