Worship The Runningback

I've been watching college football pretty religiously now for about 25 years. granted there have been stretches where i paid little or no attention to the sport outside of what Auburn was doing (especially the years when i was too busy being grunge and discovering teen aged girls), but in general i watched enough games and kept up with enough sportscenter highlights to know who was who, what was what, and what the fuck was going on.

now growing up in the South with the long shadow of SEC football looming over everything i have learned two important rules.
1) You Must Run The Football!
2) You Must Run The Football!
Steve Spurrier be damned, but SEC football is all about the runningback. The following list are my top 10 all time favorite college runningbacks of my lifetime.

1. BO JACKSON- probably the entire reason i grew up an Auburn fan instead of Alabama or Georgia.


2. Herschel Walker- when i moved to Georgia as a kid all i knew was the greatest athlete in college history was some guy named Herschel. it's kinda hard to argue with that logic.


3. Reggie Bush- if he ever becomes a great pro or not is irrelevant. if he got paid by an agent while at school also doesn't matter. all you need to know is that Reggie Bush put up over 500 all purpose yards in a game against Fresno State and it was fucking awesome. it's the single greatest performance by an athlete i have ever seen. and it gave us this play.


4. Barry Sanders- so fucking sick. the original Reggie Bush. too bad he played for a shitty team that i never got to watch.


5. Adrian Peterson- seriously, how the fuck did he not win a Heisman? oh yeah, he got hurt too damn much.


6. Marshall Faulk- i couldn't find any good college highlights of him on youtube, but he was fucking sick. another crime against the Heisman trophy is that he never won one.


7. Darren McFadden- i don't think i have ever wished a player had gone to Auburn more than Run DMC. probably the greatest SEC runningback since Bo. a fucking demon. i still can't belive Auburn was able to shut him down this year. it's a shame he's gonna end up in Oakland.


8. Cadillac Williams- my second favorite Auburn runningback ever. if he'd ever stay healthy he could be an all-pro. i'd like to see him end up with the Falcons some day. the leader of the greatest Auburn team of my lifetime. War Fucking Eagle.


9. Lawrence Phillips- when i think about wasted talent i immediately think of Phillips. he was so fucking sick at Nebraska. too bad he was a fucking idiot in life.


10. Garrison Hearst- whenever i hear Georgia fans talk about how fucking awesome Knowshon Moreno is and how he's the best Georgia back since Walker i get pissed and remind them of Garrison Hearst (who unfortunately is more remembered for starting the Madden curse and less for being an awesome college back). i couldn't find any youtube highlights of him either. but take my word for it, he was amazing.


and just for the hell of it. a video of Emmitt Smith crying after never beating Auburn during his college career.