View Full Version : best runningback in OU's history?
TheGodfather889
6/27/2006, 01:36 AM
You know with the great tradition Oklahoma has with runningbacks it is up there in consideration with Tailback U. You had guys like Billy Vessels,Steve Owens,Greg Pruitt,Joe Washington,Billy Sims,Kenny King,Marcus Dupree,Spencer Tillman,Leon Perry,Mike Gaddis and De'mond Parker and Quentin Griffin. And even with all those great names in the past I think the best one is at OU right now. When it's all said and done and for many years Adrian Peterson will be the greatest runningback in the history of Oklahoma football. Who do you all think is OU's greatest runningback?
AlabamaSooner
6/27/2006, 10:44 AM
I have to agree with you about AD. It's easy sometimes to look at your current running back and say "he's the best I've ever seen", but I really think it applies here. He's a freak of nature. Will he end up with the best numbers of all-time at OU? That remains to be seen. If he's here for four years, it's a no-brainer. So my vote is a definite yes. My favorite, however, is De'mond Parker though simply because that's when I started getting into OU football. Which was basically in the 7th grade when I knew I was already coming to OU. :)
Snrfn4ever08
6/27/2006, 11:15 AM
i'd have to agree on ad. i've never seen a runner like him before. he's got that perfect blend of speed and power. he doesn't need agility to juke defenders out because he'll just run through them
Jason White's Third Knee
6/27/2006, 01:35 PM
Dupree was great, but too shot lived to call the greatest.
It's between Sims, Washington, and AMFD.
http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72055
oumartin
6/27/2006, 02:47 PM
Gerald Moore!
Spencer Tillman
James Allen
TheGodfather889
6/27/2006, 03:46 PM
I have to agree with you about AD. It's easy sometimes to look at your current running back and say "he's the best I've ever seen", but I really think it applies here. He's a freak of nature. Will he end up with the best numbers of all-time at OU? That remains to be seen. If he's here for four years, it's a no-brainer. So my vote is a definite yes. My favorite, however, is De'mond Parker though simply because that's when I started getting into OU football. Which was basically in the 7th grade when I knew I was already coming to OU. :)
I liked De'Mond Parker too. When I went to some of the home games. I knew we sucked. So I went to watch De'Mond play. He would've been one of the elite backs at OU if he had a better supporting cast.
freshchris05
6/27/2006, 05:04 PM
I liked De'Mond Parker too. When I went to some of the home games. I knew we sucked. So I went to watch De'Mond play. He would've been one of the elite backs at OU if he had a better supporting cast.
i still wonder what would of happened if he stayed till '99 and that high octane passing game had the explosivness of parker runnin the ball...
101sooner
6/27/2006, 05:09 PM
i still wonder what would of happened if he stayed till '99 and that high octane passing game had the explosivness of parker runnin the ball...
Excactly. Also Q would have been able to RS in '99 making him a Sr. in '03. Perhaps Q would have been helpful in the Sugar Bowl?
oumartin
6/27/2006, 05:11 PM
Perhaps Q would have been helpful in the Sugar Bowl
why would he have called the plays?
:D
freshchris05
6/27/2006, 05:21 PM
i still get sick thinking about that game.... i remember mo dancing on the bench, everyone getting pumped, us driving down the field and then it gets blurry...
Scott D
6/27/2006, 06:12 PM
Jerald Moore!
:)
SoonerMooner
6/27/2006, 06:16 PM
1. Joe Washington
2. Billy Sims
3. AD
4. Steve Owens
Sooner24
6/27/2006, 06:26 PM
24
SouthFortySooner
6/27/2006, 06:31 PM
Billy ran like a gazelle. A powerful one.
King Crimson
6/27/2006, 06:56 PM
you can make the argument Billy should have won the Heisman twice. i still think Charles White was a very good back....but would have struggled for 10 carries a game in the OU bone of 1978 with Billy, Overstreet, and Kenny King....instead of the 30+ per game he got at Student Body right as the feature back.
Little Joe was my first fave Sooner....but Billy probably the best i've seen in person.
AlbqSooner
6/27/2006, 07:28 PM
Joe Washington may not have been the best back to play at OU, but he was the most exciting back to play anywhere.
Dances with Possums
6/28/2006, 12:35 AM
In terms of sheer athletic ability, Joe Washington.
In terms of getting it done on the field aand having a sensational career, Billy Sims.
It's so freaking funny, hearing you young guys say things like "i'd have to agree on ad. i've never seen a runner like him before. he's got that perfect blend of speed and power."
You are just too young to remember Billy. That dude was a badass and a half. As a Texas fan, I hated it when he played for ya'll.
soonerjoker
6/28/2006, 10:02 AM
don't forget pruitt & his 9.4 ypc. over 1600 yds on about 175 carries.
nobody has matched that.
i kinda think billy was best. he didn't have joe's moves, but joe didn't have
his speed & power.
RiddlerOK
6/28/2006, 10:34 AM
I put three of them up there in terms of sheer talent, explosiveness, elusiveness and style:
Billy Sims
Joe Washington
Adrian Peterson
It's a toss-up right now. Adrian may ultimately get the nod due to greater career numbers, if he has a breakout junior season and a Heisman to go with it. Having seen all three, I dont think Adrian is any much better in relationship to other players in his era than Billy and Joe were to theirs. Simply put, all three were considered either the top or one of the top 2-3 runners in college football during their times at OU.
I can't make the same argument for any other running backs because, during their time at OU, they weren't THE top running back in college football in the eyes of the media or pollsters.
I know some may disagree with my putting Joe Washington there because he was playing at the same time as Archie Griffin but, OU had a dearth of media coverage which severely hampered Joe's marketing. He would have been a two-timer in my opinion instead of Griffin if he had better visibility.
I really liked what I saw from Demond Parker, Greg Pruitt, Steve Owens and imagine Billy Vessels was just as good in his era (he won the Heisman for crying our loud!) but, none of them held a candle in talent and charisma, to the three mentioned above.
RedstickSooner
6/28/2006, 12:29 PM
why would he (Q) have called the plays?
:D
...because nobody else could?
;)
Partial Qualifier
6/28/2006, 02:08 PM
I put three of them up there in terms of sheer talent, explosiveness, elusiveness and style:
Billy Sims
Joe Washington
Adrian Peterson
It's a toss-up right now. Adrian may ultimately get the nod due to greater career numbers, if he has a breakout junior season and a Heisman to go with it. Having seen all three, I dont think Adrian is any much better in relationship to other players in his era than Billy and Joe were to theirs. Simply put, all three were considered either the top or one of the top 2-3 runners in college football during their times at OU.
I can't make the same argument for any other running backs because, during their time at OU, they weren't THE top running back in college football in the eyes of the media or pollsters.
I know some may disagree with my putting Joe Washington there because he was playing at the same time as Archie Griffin but, OU had a dearth of media coverage which severely hampered Joe's marketing. He would have been a two-timer in my opinion instead of Griffin if he had better visibility.
I really liked what I saw from Demond Parker, Greg Pruitt, Steve Owens and imagine Billy Vessels was just as good in his era (he won the Heisman for crying our loud!) but, none of them held a candle in talent and charisma, to the three mentioned above.
That pretty much sums up my feelings on this. A total toss-up and I definitely have Joe Washington up there.
swardboy
6/28/2006, 04:17 PM
I think a significant factor to remember is that wishbone era ball carriers had two other backs to share the carries with. The fullback dive got monotonous at times because Barry used it ad nauseum to set up defenses with the option....they HAD to share the wealth in a way that AD will never have to....no disrespect to Mr. Peterson, who is a phenomenal back....but Billy and Joe's numbers are WACK when you consider the sharing of duties. I vote Joe.....he missed a lot of second half action because of blow-outs.
CrimsonPirate
6/28/2006, 04:35 PM
Hadn't visited here in a while and this thread caught my eye. I was a 10-year old boy in Alabama when Vessels won the Heisman. I saw him play on TV and thought he must be the best football player that ever lived. I believe he played around the same time as Howard "Hopalong" Cassady at Ohio State. Talk about two great backs. I don't know now if Vessels is the best OU RB of all-time, but fellas, he was something to behold.
Btw, reckon OU and Bama will hook up again in the near future? That last home-and-home series was outstanding, even if we did lose both.
#1-Erin-Higgins-Fan
6/28/2006, 04:52 PM
JOE WASHINGTON!!! Hook 'em
Jason White's Third Knee
6/28/2006, 06:32 PM
I think a significant factor to remember is that wishbone era ball carriers had two other backs to share the carries with. The fullback dive got monotonous at times because Barry used it ad nauseum to set up defenses with the option....they HAD to share the wealth in a way that AD will never have to....no disrespect to Mr. Peterson, who is a phenomenal back....but Billy and Joe's numbers are WACK when you consider the sharing of duties. I vote Joe.....he missed a lot of second half action because of blow-outs.
An excellent point. Still, as a frosh, hitting over 1900 yds at a d-1 school like OU. It's tough to discount any of those 3.
And I know the talent level is different here, but look at Q's all purpose yardage. That kid did a lot of damage for a midget that really shouldn't even mentioned with these boys. He sure racked 'em up though.
The Ensuing Kickoff
6/28/2006, 08:36 PM
Billy Sims.
Great balance, great quickness, great power, great patience.
Great fro.
AUPOPS9
6/29/2006, 04:31 AM
Ya'll have had a lot of great ones. I'd say Billy Sims,but Peterson is right there.
Jason White's Third Knee
6/29/2006, 11:46 AM
Ya'll have had a lot of great ones. I'd say Billy Sims,but Peterson is right there.
Check out soonerscooter.com and look at some of the old Joe Washington footage. It's in the same vein as Reggie Bush and Barry Sanders. He wasn't on TV much because of the NCAA violations. He was a freak. Archie Griffin owes little Joe a trophy.
shavedmarmoset
6/29/2006, 04:50 PM
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
spek
soonerjoker
6/30/2006, 08:37 AM
Pruitt should've won the trophy in 71.
9.4 ypc.
arenateam
6/30/2006, 12:43 PM
Our 1990s running backs could have been college national studs with a supporting cast. Jerald Moore (went to the NFL), Demond Parker (went to the NFL), James Allen (went to the NFL).
Big Red Ron
7/1/2006, 03:14 PM
Our 1990s running backs could have been college national studs with a supporting cast. Jerald Moore (went to the NFL), Demond Parker (went to the NFL), James Allen (went to the NFL).Gumbo Fazande was drafted higher than all three of them.
Boston Sooner
7/1/2006, 05:35 PM
Obviously there is no way to prove this, but IMO Dupree and AD were the only 2 backs that had the goods physically and ability wise to go pro without even going to college. I don't know if this qualifies them for the best RB in OU's history, but they deserve something for having this distinction IMO.
They were men among boys, but both could have put up better numbers. Dupree for obvious reasons, and AD for the weird fact that KJ was our 3 down and short + goal line back for some reason. I love KJ and went to the same HS (I'm a couple of years older), but I never understood why they would give him the ball on the 1 after AD did all of the work getting us down field. He definitely was a more sure-handed RB, so it probably was the right move. Still though, AD could have had even crazier numbers if not for KJ. JMO
Since71ASooner4Life
7/1/2006, 05:45 PM
I think Billy Simms accomplishments at the pro level pretty well makes his case as the best ever. He was the most exciting to watch too, especially when he broke into the end zone and would run in an arc with one hand reaching for the ground.
soonerjoker
7/3/2006, 09:56 AM
please note also; Billy got most of his yards in his only two COMPLETE
seasons.
SoonerMachine
7/3/2006, 11:41 PM
I'd put a healthy Gaddis up against any of 'em...
Texas Golfer
7/4/2006, 10:52 PM
We've been fortunate to have many excellent running backs. We had 3.5 of them win Heismans (I'm giving AD half of Leinert's trophy since AD had to split votes with Jason).
I can't really decide one over another because they each had their unique talents. I'd sure like to be able to clone each of their best qualities into one great back that we could have for four years.
soonerjoker
7/5/2006, 10:26 AM
give 1/2 of pat sullivan's tropy to Greg Pruitt. the running back vote was split
between Pruitt & that ivy-league guy that was on "hill street blues".
he had nearly 200 ypg. only 9 games tho.
PDTsooner
7/7/2006, 10:53 AM
Not the best, but being from Enid I have always been fond of Lydell Carr.
OU4LIFE
7/7/2006, 11:21 AM
without the injury, IMO Gaddis would have EASILY been the best back OU ever had.
RooseveltRoughRider
7/7/2006, 01:01 PM
That fine young man from Hooks, Texas is my pick.
The best I recall playing against in H.S. would be Quentin Griffin (Houston Aldine) and Jerlad Moore (Houston Yates)
soonerjoker
7/7/2006, 01:46 PM
last i heard, Lydell Carr was working @ Friendly Chevrolet, in dallas.
DeMond Parker was exciting as hell on a team that was anything but.
That said I have to rank 'em:
1) Little Joe
2) Billy Sims
3) AD
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