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 3:19 PM ^
I always thought Tim was better than Wheatley. YPA wise, they're basically indistinguishable.
Of course, as a Giants fan, I carry a large amount of umbrage towards Wheatley.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:23 PM ^
Based on the name, Biakabutuka wins hands down!
Don't shoot me but I used (of course) Net Yards to distinguish amongst those with indistinguishable YPA.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:29 PM ^
Purely objectively, it's hard not to say Wheatley, I'll give you that. I let my subjective opinion of Wheatley color my answer.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:21 PM ^
From an iconic standpoint, Hart was our greatest back, but it had more to do with what he stood for and what he meant to the team than his on-field production.
No question in my mind, though, that Tyrone Wheatley (pre-injury, of course) was our best back ever sheerly from his overall ability. Dude was a beast.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:22 PM ^
Tshimanga!
January 14th, 2009 at 3:22 PM ^
Underwood. Without question.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:23 PM ^
But I would throw Tom Harmon in there too. Two time All American and a Heisman Trophy winner. Plus this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bCB_v-toNw
January 14th, 2009 at 3:26 PM ^
He won a National Championship.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:28 PM ^
If you multiply the two together, which should show more of who had a bigger impact on the program in their career, the new list is:
Wheatley 4178 (6.1 YPA) 25485.8
Hart 5040 (5.0 YPA) 25200
Morris 4392 (5.5 YPA) 24156
Thomas 4472 (4.8 YPA) 21465.6
Woolfolk 3850 (5.4 YPA) 20790
Lytle 3307 (5.9 YPA) 19511.3
Perry 3696 (4.6 YPA) 17001.6
Biakabutuka 2810 (6.0 YPA) 16860
Taylor 3072 (5.2 YPA) 15974.4
Bell 2902 (5.4 YPA) 15670.8
Huckleby 5.3 (2624 Yds) 13907.2
Boles 5.7 (2247 Yds) 12807.9
Hoard 5.4 (1706 Yds) 9212.4
Smith 5.3 (1736 Yds) 9200.8
January 14th, 2009 at 3:34 PM ^
I said NO FORMULAS!!!!
But, now you've gone and done it.
Simple multiplication obviously gives an advantage to the player that merely played more.
Wheatley did play all 4 years but had only 86 attempts as a Frosh. Hart had 282.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
he did point out that multiplying shows who had more of an impact on the program. The fact that Hart got 282 carries as a frosh is quite an achievement in itself and he should be rewarded for that, no?
January 14th, 2009 at 3:42 PM ^
Multiplication doesn't work. I used addition.
It didn't change the order much, though.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:17 PM ^
You forgot to divide by pi
January 14th, 2009 at 3:29 PM ^
Wheatley, hands down.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
Tyrone was the best. I'd put Morris or Harmon second.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:34 PM ^
Sam McGuffie:
Actually, I'm feeling Morris or Biakabutuka
January 14th, 2009 at 3:42 PM ^
I did find old 98s stats:
http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fballam/aaharmon.htm
Net Yards: 2338 (24 games)
TPA: 5.36
233 Pass Attempts
CMP%: 43
Yds: 1354
Kick Returns: 296 Yds
Punt Returns: 255 Yds
Punts: 38 Yard average
PAT: 33 of 51
INT: 8 with 144 return yards
Damn, this guy was good!!!!!!!
January 14th, 2009 at 3:46 PM ^
Dude was a beast and Tim's OSU performance not withstanding, Tyrone was always my favorite UMich back
January 14th, 2009 at 3:51 PM ^
Just kidding...he went to my high school, and supposedly ran a 4.2 something when the Michigan coaches came to see him. I don't believe it.
It has to be Wheatley for me.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:52 PM ^
Wheatley - the best combination of speed and size to play at UM, though I will always remember Biakabutuka absolutely destroying OSU and the greatest performance I've ever seen out of a running back in my life.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:56 PM ^
Probably the loudest game I've ever attended.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:00 PM ^
What about 2003
Chris Perry, 31 carries, 157 yards: M 35 osu 21
That was totally awesome, dude!!!!!
January 14th, 2009 at 4:07 PM ^
I was thinking more about his game against MSU (51 carries) as being his nadir, but the OSU game was great as well. That said, 313 yards against an undefeated OSU may never be topped again in this rivalry.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:08 PM ^
"nadir"?
I'm not sure you know what that word means?
January 14th, 2009 at 4:09 PM ^
What a dick
January 14th, 2009 at 4:41 PM ^
Come on, if somebody can't be mocked for thinking a word means the exact opposite of what it really means, what can we mock them for?
January 14th, 2009 at 4:48 PM ^
That's probably one of the top 5 least dickish posts I've ever made.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:55 PM ^
he knows exactly it means. He just didn't spell it right. He was referring to Nader Furrha. "That was his 'Nader Furrha' game."
I had a 'Nader Furhha' moment here at work a little while ago, when they told me I could leave early because 23 looks pretty bad.
January 14th, 2009 at 6:29 PM ^
I had a smile on face when I posted that. Like, ha ha what a dick you are.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:00 AM ^
I just think it is funny that my mistake led to the longest thread on this post. As I stated above, thanks for the catch - not a dick move on your part, since it was pretty clear that, in the context, I used that word absolutely incorrectly. See above for my explanation, and my rapidly-shrinking vocabulary.
January 16th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
You're right. I was trying to find the exact opposite of nadir using thesaurus.com, and unfortunately didn't copy the right text. Good catch. The correct word I was trying to think of was zenith.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:56 PM ^
Jamie Morris was a hell of a lot of fun to watch. But how do you go against guys with nicknames like "touchdown Tim" of Leroy "The Turtle" Hoard.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:59 PM ^
Gotta be Tashunga. One of the most ypg. Wasnt he a walk on or something too?
Plus he put up 313 va OSU, i think undefeated OSU too?
January 14th, 2009 at 4:13 PM ^
Tashunga.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:48 PM ^
Tashunga, who in the hell is that???
Tshimanga Biakabutuka
January 14th, 2009 at 4:06 PM ^
for sure.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:11 PM ^
T-Wheat was the best (since the early/mid 1980s), and I honestly don't think its very close. In my opinion, I would put Biakabatuka at the head of the next group which would include Morris, Thomas, Perry and Hart bringing up the end of the group.
Also, Wheatley was behind Ricky Powers on the depth chart as a freshman and was never used exclusively like Perry, Hart and Thomas (his final year) were.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:15 PM ^
with Wheatley a close second.
I just feel like Morris typified the Schembecler Era (which is what any era/team will be measured against even though we won the championship in '97) by being such a tough little sonofabitch. Running over safeties even though he was like 5'8" and had better speed than Hart.
Wheatley was an absolute beast in that Rose Bowl against Washington though...
January 14th, 2009 at 4:16 PM ^
wheatley certainly had the most talent, but he never really had the monster year everyone expected from him - he was always a just a little disappointing. especially since his best year (and signature game) came as a soph
January 14th, 2009 at 4:23 PM ^
I feel like Wheatley was always a little beat up or hurt. He was like a finely tuned sports car, that runs exceptionally well when all tuned up, but is just kinda average if anything is slightly wrong.
Also, his running style was pretty upright and I feel like he took a ton of shots that dinged him up all the time.
January 15th, 2009 at 3:37 AM ^
Wheatley got hurt once, on punt coverage his senior year. He was not a finely tuned sports car, he was a beast -- fast and with a willingness to put his should down and bust a DB or LB. I wouldn't say that he took hits, he delivered them.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:52 AM ^
Clarification: The guys was amazing.
My point: Maybe I'm letting his NFL career blend in with his time at Michigan, but I thought he had a hurt shoulder and some other injuries too. This is from his senior year:
From: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG100554…
"Injuries kept him out of two games and limited him in two others, but he gained 1,129 yards last season;"
"against Washington in the '93 Rose Bowl, Wheatley produced a 235-yard, three-touchdown performance on just 15 carries despite back spasms so troublesome that he could barely stand afterward."
"Against Ohio State last season Wheatley piled up 105 yards in less than a half, then suffered a concussion."
This is from here: http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jan/25/sports/sp-57486
"Raider running back Tyrone Wheatley knew he had a reputation as an injury-prone malcontent during his days with the Giants."
January 14th, 2009 at 4:19 PM ^
Brandon Minor.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:25 PM ^
+1 billion.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:29 PM ^
Mike Cox's the greatest ever.
Edit: According to my wife.
January 14th, 2009 at 6:33 PM ^
What the fuck ChrisGo? Can I get a "that's what she said"? Or did the edit fuck it all up?
January 14th, 2009 at 4:27 PM ^
Wheatley was the best, Hart the most valuable IMO. If that makes any sense.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
Jon Vaughn was maybe the most talented but never had his head on right.
I would probably take Biakabatuka over Wheatley because of the OSU game.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
I agree...Mike Cox, because he was a two star and Pat White was a two star therefore Mike Cox will be super awesome, because, you know, they're both two stars and stuff.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:35 PM ^
Mister Simpson