Greatest Michigan Running Back Ever
So, who's the best M running back since 1949? (That is all the further back the MGoBlue archive goes, sorry).
Looks like it is Tyrone Wheatley (Formula, what formula, we don't need no stinkin' formula!!!!!)
Top 10 in order Based on Net Yards:
Hart 5040 (5.0 YPA)
Thomas 4472 (4.8 YPA)
Morris 4392 (5.5 YPA)
Wheatley 4178 (6.1 YPA)
Woolfolk 3850 (5.4 YPA)
Perry 3696 (4.6 YPA)
Lytle 3307 (5.9 YPA)
Taylor 3072 (5.2 YPA)
Bell 2902 (5.4 YPA)
Biakabutuka 2810 (6.0 YPA)
Top 10 in order Based on Yards Per Attempt (minimum of 300 attempts):
Wheatley 6.1 (4178 Yds)
Biakabutuka 6.0 (2810 Yds)
Lytle 5.9 (3307 Yds)
Boles 5.7 (2247 Yds)
Morris 5.5 (4392 Yds)
Hoard 5.4 (1706 Yds)
Bell 5.4 (2902 Yds)
Woolfolk 5.4 (3850 Yds)
Smith 5.3 (1736 Yds)
Huckleby 5.3 (2624 Yds)
January 14th, 2009 at 4:38 PM ^
Come on, let's be serious.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:40 PM ^
I'm super-cereal.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:42 PM ^
Pound for pound the toughest running back ever to don the wing helmet...with Ty following a close second.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:49 PM ^
Pound for pound, Mike Milano was tougher than Jamie Morris.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:53 PM ^
I'll bite...who the hell is Milano?
January 14th, 2009 at 5:07 PM ^
http://www.mgoblue.com/football/playerbio.aspx?id=69062
Also, he killed a guy.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:23 PM ^
I have to admit...your one of my favorite posters. Defly done...
January 14th, 2009 at 5:25 PM ^
Gracias.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:53 PM ^
Based on the question: "Pound for pound who is the toughest running back ever to don the wing helmet" it must be.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:09 PM ^
I dont necessarily think hart is the best running back in UM history, but i think his ypc is skewed b/c hart was not a homerun type runner. He didnt have those 60 yard runs the jack up his avg., but theres not doubt that he had consistency and reliability with the football. and those two things are pretty priceless when a team runs the ball as often as we did. he rarely got brought down on first contact, rarely got tackled for a loss, and rarely dropped the football.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:17 PM ^
Hart was the Sam Crawford of Michigan football.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:47 PM ^
kevin grady, the 5 star beer truck
January 14th, 2009 at 9:21 PM ^
If you're talking all-time, the discussion begins and ends with Tom Harmon.
If you're talking modern-era (say, 1969-present), I think it breaks down this way: Mike Hart and Jamie Morris had the best careers; Tyrone Wheatley had the freakiest talent (size and speed), followed closely by Biakabutuka; Chris Perry had one of the great single seasons; and Butch Woolfolk is also worthy of consideration. Oh and Harlan Huckleby wins for best name
January 14th, 2009 at 9:57 PM ^
Or he'd be higher up the list. Or so my 11-year-old possibly delusional self thought in 1977.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:53 AM ^
Huck's Cass Tech team vs a highly ranked Detroit Mackenzie team played in 1976. His rep had already preceded him,highly ranked,the best player in the state and certainly the toast of the PSL...and he didn't disappoint neither. One helluva performance I witness that cold,overcast day.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:08 PM ^
Were great backs, but their success was a product of Michigan's monstrous lines destroying a weak, weak Big Ten.
Leroy Hoard was a freakin' monster, Tony Boles as slick a back as we've ever had. Loved Jon Vaughn, too.
Best? Wheatley, of course.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:45 PM ^
these backs in person.
Not trying to be disparaging, but of the "good backs" the worse was Huckleby and Lytle (and throw in Lawrence Ricks). They were all very, very dependable, but none would come close to winning a game on their own.
Bell was one of the shiftiest, but rarely broke a tackle. Vaughn, Boles and Woolfolk were amongst the fastest. If they got into the secondary, they likely scored. But, in short yardage, they couldn't be depended upon to get that 1 yard.
Like Mike Hart, Jamie Morris was a smerf who would wait his opportunity behind the O-line. Morris was OK at breaking tackles but not near as good as Hart.
This may be an indictment against the Carr regime, but, in the past 30 years of Michigan football, I do not recall a time when a single back was so damn important to the success of the team as it was from 1999-2007 (Thomas, Perry and Hart).
The drop-off to the 2nd back was usually pretty significant. I think this was a combination of the back but also of the O-line. Jake Long not withstanding, I do not think the Michigan O-lines have been as good the past 10 years as the prior 20.
I am stunned by my assessment, but when considering the relative quality of the O-lines, Mike Hart was the best back I ever saw in a Michigan uniform.
Hart didn't make that ESPN highlight of a flashy 80 yard run, but damn it, when Michigan had to get 1 yard, with crappy blocking, Hart would avoid a guy or two in the backfield and get that yard.
We all know that. But Hart also is the career leader in attempts, yards, 3rd in TD's, with just under 5 yards per attempt (when all defenses were keying on him).
January 14th, 2009 at 10:50 PM ^
I somewhat disagree about the quality of the offensive line in the last 10 years compared to the previous 20. But you can't take away Jake Long if you don't disregard the best lineman from the previous era, and that would be dumb. So let's leave Jake Long in there.
At least as far as people who have gone on to the NFL, you could make a pretty stellar offensive line from Michigan players who have played in the last decade.
January 15th, 2009 at 10:36 AM ^
I could not agree more with your thought on the single RB the last 10 years.
I am a big fan of Lloyd, but that was one of my main gripes....why just milk one RB over and over again?
At the height of the Bo era, UM always had several guys getting regular carries. Same thing with the MO era and even the start of the Lloyd era---look at the national title team.
Maybe the depth has not been there (we sure saw some evidence of that this year), but Lloyd sure did shorten his bench the tail end of his career, and I did not like that.
I'd like to think we're getting back to the multiple RB look...we'll see.
January 15th, 2009 at 10:45 AM ^
I love RB combos - Williams + Stewart for the Panthers, Rice + McGahee in Baltimore, the Patriots backfield for pretty much their whole run, The Giants, etc.
I think the last few years was a combination of depth and really good RBs. Thomas was almost too good to take out, Perry was out of his mind in 03, and then Hart came in and just refused to fumble or go down easy. Combined with the attrition (Max Martin and Kelly Baraka notably), general mediocrity (Pierre Rembert, David Underwood), and the failure of Kevin Grady to materialize as a real threat, there wasn't a lot of benefit to taking the feature runner out.
January 15th, 2009 at 5:25 PM ^
I would like to see change of pace type runners. Maybe the starter is a "slasher type" and the 2nd guy a bruiser, and the 3rd a guy who breaks tackles and picks his holes. Against different defenses, one may have more success than the others, and the offense doesn't become too dependant upon one guy (other than the QB, that is).
January 15th, 2009 at 1:33 PM ^
Wheatley. Just loved a game called by Keith Jackson with his signature "Tyroooooone Wheatley". A big ol' hoss with hands.
Touchdown Tim a close second. Does anyone else remember the game at the Big House when he first got carries as the new tailback, and every time the PA guy said his name, the crowd, loving the name, would roar in approval? Classic.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:37 PM ^
This could go on for ever. Personally I like Mike Hart but that's only because I'm young and never saw the old guys. By the way the all-time best tackle is Jake Long and Braylon Edwards is Michigan's all-time best receiver. While I'm at it, Zoltan is the best Punter ever.
January 15th, 2009 at 10:23 AM ^
.....goes to Thomas Wilcher
January 15th, 2009 at 11:01 AM ^
...no need to keep sucking up. Unless, you're concerned with Dior Mathis, in which case, carry on.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:15 AM ^
Alright, Alright, Alright...
Let's kick it up a notch. Outside of Mr. Brady, who is the most successful NFL player to come out of Meechigan?
Charles Woodson would be my pick.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:50 AM ^
Dan Dierdorf is in thePro Football Hall of Fame. Charles Woodson is not. I vote for Dierdorf.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:55 AM ^
Desmond Howard is a Super Bowl MVP...
January 15th, 2009 at 11:59 AM ^
Howard does not belong in the discussion of best Michigan product in the NFL. He bounced around the league - and out of the league - and was a below-average receiver.
January 15th, 2009 at 12:05 PM ^
I agree that he definitely did not have the best career, but I just wanted to throw that in there because it is a very, very significant achievement.
I think you could make an argument for Hutchinson over Woodson. He's been the best left guard in the league over the last like 5 years.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:09 PM ^
Yes, but he may be the best NFL return man ever. That's got to be worth something. But the most successful NFL player out of Michigan, no.
January 15th, 2009 at 3:33 PM ^
This is not even close to being true. With the likes of Mel Gray, Gale Sayers, Dante Hall, Eric Metcalf, Brian Mitchell, etc., in the mix, absolutely nobody could seriously claim that Desmond Howard is the best NFL return man ever. Sorry. Feel free to look up the stats. It's just not true.
January 15th, 2009 at 4:48 PM ^
You sir have not been paying attention!
Some (many) prefer to just spout crap, make up shit, and trust their memories!!
(sarcasm?)
January 15th, 2009 at 5:34 PM ^
Whoopsie daisy.
January 15th, 2009 at 5:26 PM ^
Billy "white shoes" Johnson. What the hell is wrong with you, Magnus?
January 15th, 2009 at 9:59 PM ^
The "post-1949" requirement is unfair. It leaves Willie Heston and his 72 career TDs out of the argument.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:20 AM ^
that far.
However, including data prior to 1912 is problematic as the scoring was different, and changed often:
1883-1887: TD-4 points, FG-5 points, PAT-4 points
1888-1897: TD-4 points, FG-5 points, PAT-2 points
1898-1903: TD-5 points, FG-5 points, PAT-1 point
1904-1908: TD-5 points, FG-4 points, PAT-1 point
1909-1911: TD-5 points, FG-3 points, PAT-1 point
1912 and on current scoring (except for the 2 point conversion, instituted in 1958, 2 point defense PAT in 1988)
Your point is well taken, Willie Heston belongs in any conversation of Michigan's all time greats.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:05 AM ^
That dude named Pierre.
January 16th, 2009 at 2:55 PM ^
Best combination of elusiveness and power - Mike Hart
" " " speed and power - Tyrone Wheatley
" " " speed and elusiveness - Biakabutuka/Perry
Most crazy tackle-shedding bundle of kicking mule strength and energy - Leroy Hoard
Most disappointing pro - Perry. He seems to have lost his edge and instincts with all the injuries.. I really thought he was going to be a top tier RB in the NFL, but losing your job to Cedric Benson? Ouch.
Biakabutuka and Perry I believe had the most all around talent of them all.