THE FREAK SHOW: WHO IS GREATEST COLLEGE RUNNING BACK OF ALL-TIME?

by DCScrap, Our Book of Scrap

freak definition
n.
1. A thing or occurrence that is markedly unusual or irregular: A freak of nature produced the midsummer snow.

So why is this called "The Freak Show" you may be asking yourself? The reason is that every week or so the authors of Epic Carnival will be asked to pick 5 people or things that were so awesome, strange, or cool, that those people or things were just plain freaks. (Plus this is a Carnival themed site, so deal with it.)

This week the question that was posed was, "Name the Top Five Running Backs in College Football History."

With all the amazing running backs playing this year, from Darren McFadden to Ray Rice to Mike Hart among others, this just seemed to be an appropriate topic. Will any of the backs currently running wild ever be on this list? It's possible, but they're going to have to be pretty damn good. Some might even say the guys on this list are "freaks."

Rank) Player, Points (1st Place Votes)
1) Barry Sanders 40 (6)
Have you seen his college stats? You could make a pretty good case he was the most dominant college athelete of all time. (WCT)

In what has been called the greatest season in college football history, Sanders led the nation by averaging 7.6 yards per carry and over 200 yards per game, including rushing for over 300 yards in four games. He set college football season records with 2,628 yards rushing, 3,249 total yards, most points (234), 39 touchdowns, of which 37 were rushing (also a record), 5 consecutive 200 yard games, scored at least 2 touchdowns in 11 consecutive games, and 9 times he scored at least 3 touchdowns.

2) Archie Griffin 18 (2)
I never saw him play but he won the Heisman twice and I guess that should count for something. (The Prophet)

He rushed for 1,428 yards in the regular season as a sophomore, 1,620 as a junior university), 1,357 as a senior. Griffin is the only back to lead the Big Ten Conference in rushing for three straight years. Overall, Griffin rushed for 5,589 yards on 924 carries in his four seasons with the Buckeyes (1972-1975), then an NCAA record.

3) Herschel Walker 14
It was a tossup for me between Sanders and Walker, but Walker only played three years before joining the USFL. (DCScrap)

In its list of the 100 greatest college football players ever, CollegeFootballNews.com ranked Walker #2; ESPN ranked him #1.

4) Reggie Bush 12
Maybe I am biased because he was so recent, but he was a threat to take the ball the distance everytime he touched the ball, no matter where on the field his team was. (WCT)

In 39 games at Southern California, Bush started only fifteen times. However, he finished tenth in NCAA Division 1-A history with 6,551 all-purpose yards. He finished with 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns on 433 carries (7.3 avg) and 1,301 yards with thirteen scores on 95 catches (13.7 avg).

5) Jim Brown 11
His season rushing total in 1956 was 986, third in the nation, and he was unanimous for All-America halfback. He was [also] a place kicker, and this added to his scoring. Against Colgate in 1956 he made six touchdowns and seven extra points. That was a total of 43 points in a 61-7 game.

6) LaDainian Tomlinson 9
In his senior season in 2000, Tomlinson led the NCAA for the second time with 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns while piling on 354 yards receiving. He completed his college career with 5,263 rushing yards, ranking sixth in NCAA Division I history.

T7) Ron Dayne 7
Dayne has sick career numbers--7000+ career yards. That and the money he made for me gets him on the list. (The Prophet)

Over his four seasons, Dayne chased the NCAA Division I-A rushing record for total yards in a career. He gained 1,863 yards as a freshman, 1,421 as a sophomore, 1,325 as a junior, and 1,834 as a senior. He finally broke the record in the final game of the 1999 season against Iowa. Dayne ended his career with 6,443 rushing yards, eclipsing the record set the previous year by Ricky Williams of Texas.

T7) Walter Payton 7
As a member of Jackson State Tigers, Payton amassed 3,500 yards, while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He also broke the NCAA’s scoring record by rushing for 65 touchdowns during his college career.

T9) Tony Dorsett 5
Led Pitt to a national title almost single handedly, was just as good (if not better) in the pros. (The Prophet)

He was a four-time All-American, and he finished his college career with an 6,082 total rushing yards, then an NCAA record. This would stand as the record until it was surpassed by Ricky Williams in 1998.

T9) Lawrence Phillips 5 (1)
He was a beast for those Nebraska teams in the 1990's. (Brian P. Foley)

In his sophomore season, Phillips ran for 1,722 yards, still a Nebraska record for a sophomore. Dick Vermeil was one of Phillips' supporters and even called him "potentially the greatest running back I (he) ever coached".

T9) Earl Campbell 5 (1)
As a player at the University of Texas, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1977. He was selected as the Southwest Conference running back of the year in each of his college seasons and finished with 4,444 career rushing yards.

T9) Ricky Williams 5Williams holds or shares 20 NCAA records, and became the NCAA career rushing leader in 1998 with 6,279 yards (broken one year later by Ron Dayne). He also broke the NCAA Division 1A career rushing touchdowns and career scoring records in 1998 with 73 and 452 respectively (topped one year later by Miami University's Travis Prentice), and rushed for 200 or more yards in twelve different games (an NCAA record he shares with Dayne and USC's Marcus Allen).

13) O.J. Simpson 4
At San Francisco City College in 1965-66, Simpson established himself as the all-time junior college rushing leader with 2,552 yards and 54 touchdowns. In 1967, he led the country in rushing with 1451 yards on 266 carries and 11 touchdowns, and also won Back of the Year honors from United Press International, as all selectors gave him first team All-America recognition. In 1968, he carried the ball 355 times for 1709 yards and 22 touchdowns.

14) Marcus Allen 3
He ran for 2,342 yards in his senior season. 2,342 yards! (DCScrap)

He led his team in both receiving and rushing [his] last two years. In 1980 he rushed for 1,563 yards, second in the nation. In 1981 he rushed for 2,342. He led the nation in scoring, 12.5 points per game; rushing, 219.9 yards per game; and all-purpose running, 232.6 yards per game.

15) Red Grange 2
In seven games as a sophomore he ran for 723 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Look it up people this guy is a LEGEND! He played for the New York Yankees in the NFL!! (Brian P. Foley)

Grange vaulted to national prominence as a result of his performance in the October 18, 1924, game against Michigan. This was the grand opening game for the new Memorial Stadium, built as a memorial to University of Illinois students and alumni that served in World War I. He returned the opening kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown, and scored three more touchdowns on runs of 67, 56 and 45 yards in the first twelve minutes. This four-touchdown first quarter outburst equaled the number of touchdowns allowed by Michigan in the previous two seasons. After sitting out the second quarter, Grange returned in the third, adding a fifth touchdown.

Others receiving votes: Marshall Faulk 1, Emmitt Smith 1.

So how would you rank 'em? Are we missing anyone? Bo Jackson? Charles White? Let us know in the comments.

Bios: Wikipedia and The College Football Hall of Fame