This is the first of a new weekly story by Dawn of the Dawg where we are counting down 10 of the best of a certain category relative to Georgia Football and other sports.
Related Story: How the Bulldog Nation should and will remember J.J. Frazier
Georgia Football has long been referred to as one of college football’s “running back U’s”. And for good reason too because some of the best running backs in the college game have played for the Georgia Bulldogs throughout the decades.
So this was not an easy list to compile besides who number one is. We’re looking at running backs from over 10 decades. Comparing their accomplishments, impact on the team they played on and their legacy.
So without further adieu, here are the top 10 running backs in Georgia football history according to Dawn of the Dawg. Also, current players are exempt from this list so no Nick Chubb or Sony Michel.
Honorable Mentions
Robert Edwards
Who knows what Edwards could have accomplished had it not been for injuries. Edwards actually began his Georgia football career as a defensive back, but he was moved to running back and quickly became the starter in 1995.
His impact was felt immediately. After only a game and a half, with just 45 carries he had accumulated 325 yards with six touchdowns. And he was running all over Tennessee until a leg injury ended his season. Georgia finished the year 6-6 without Edwards on the field.
Edwards played in all 11 games in 1996 and rushed for 800 yards with nine touchdowns. His last year he only played in 10 of Georgia’s 12 games and finished with 908 yards with 12 touchdowns. He finished his career with 2033 rushing yards and added 455 receiving yards with 27 touchdowns on the ground and three more receiving.
It’s my belief that if Edwards had stayed healthy his entire career, he would definitely be in the top 10.
Honorable Mentions
Musa Smith
Since Vince Dooley retired from coaching Georgia football, the Bulldogs have only gotten close to the National Championship three times. Each of those three teams had great running games and two of them have running backs in the top 10.
But Musa Smith still deserves to be mentioned for his performance in the 2002 season. As a back-up in 2000 and 2001, Smith only had a career total of 878 yards with 11 touchdowns. But in 2002, Smith rushed for 1,324 yards with eight touchdowns and he didn’t even play in every game that year.
As we all know, the Bulldogs finished the year 13-1, blewout Arkansas to win Georgia’s first SEC Championship game and defeated Florida State in Georgia’s first Sugar Bowl appearance since 1982.
10. Lars Tate
The group of running backs that played for Georgia football in the mid-1980’s is probably the best in school history. So it was hard to choose just one player. But someone had to be on this list and I chose Lars Tate over Tim Worley and Keith Henderson.
In my mind, he was the best of the group and he’s the only one of them to play four years. In 1984 he was just a back-up but still rushed for 421 yards with three touchdowns. In 1985 he had less carries as Worley and Henderson joined him. Each of them had around 100 carries that year. Henderson actually led that group with 731 yards. Worley had 627 yards and Tate had 626.
But in 1986, Lars Tate took over. Worley only appeared in four games that year and Henderson only played in nine. Tate stepped up and rushed for 954 yards with 16 touchdowns. Plus he had his best receiving season with 22 catches for 214 yards.
Neither Henderson or Worley played in 1987 so Tate (and someone we’ll talk about later) shinned rushing for 1,016 yards with 14 touchdowns, which is actually second in school history for a senior.
He left Athens second in school history with 3,017 rushing yards. He’s now ranked fifth. His 36 career touchdowns is tied for second with Todd Gurley.
9. Kevin McLee
Nowadays Georgia fans hear running back U, and they begin to think of Herschel Walker, Garrison Hearst, Todd Gurley, or the aforementioned Lars Tate. But when did Georgia football become running back U?
To answer that, look no further than five years before Walker arrived in Athens at a player named Kevin McLee.
Before McLee, Georgia had some great running backs. Glynn Harrison was the returning starter when McLee became a sophomore in 1975. He was coming off a 959 yards season in 1974. Before that, Jimmy Poulos rushed for 702 yards in 1973. And one could argue that Andy Johnson got Georgia’s running game going on the trajectory they are now with an 870-yard year in 1971.
But one thing Georgia had lacked was a 1,000 yards rusher. Back in those days, stats from bowl games didn’t count towards season or career stats and you only played 10 or 11 regular season games a year. So rushing for 1,000 yards in the 1970’s and 1980’s meant a lot more than it does now.
In 1975, McLee split time with Glynn Harrison. Harrison led the team with 894 yards, but McLee wasn’t far behind with 806 yards. McLee actually had more touchdowns (10) than Harrison (5).
But in 1976, McLee took over as the lone star in Georgia’s backfield and he finally accomplished what so many other great Bulldogs before him could not, rush for 1,000 yards. 1,058 to be exact with six touchdowns.
His 218 carries was also the most for a Georgia Bulldog running back at that point. Before him, no one had ever had more than 200 carries in a season as a Bulldog
Mclee also led Georgia to their best season of the 1970’s. The Bulldogs finished 10-2 and won the SEC Championship.
McLee would not repeat however. In 1977, Willie McClendon became a junior and split carries with McLee. They both rushed for over 700 yards that year, McLee had 717 yards with five touchdowns.
After three years, McLee graduated with the most rushing yards in school history with 2,581. He also had 21 career touchdowns. He wasn’t the first great Georgia running back, but the tradition of Georgia always having a great running back on the team began with Kevin Mclee.
8. Willie McClendon
If Kevin Mclee was the man who opened “Running Back U” in Athens, McClendon was its first student. He had a quiet season as a sophomore in 1976 while McLee was running the show. McClendon only had 211 yards on 40 carries with five touchdowns.
But as a junior in 1977, he was ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with McLee. His 705 rushing yards that year actually came on less carries (116) than McLee’s 717 yards (178 carries). McClendon also added four touchdowns that year.
1977 was a rough year for Georgia football though. Without Matt Robinson and Ray Goff at quarterback, the Bulldogs could only rely on Mclee and McClendon on offense. While the two delivered, they couldn’t make up for the lack of a passing game and Georgia finished the year 5-6.
Of course, McClendon was alone to lead the Bulldogs rushing attack in 1978 and he had no problem doing so as he broke the school record for rushing yards with 1,312. Plus he tied the school record for rushing touchdowns with 13.
He had more help from the passing game that year as well. Georgia finished the 1978 season 9-2-1. Had they beaten Auburn instead of tying, Georgia would have won the SEC and may have been able to at least split the National Title with Alabama and Southern California.
McClendon graduated with 2,228 yards with 22 touchdowns. After four years with Kevin McLee and Willie McClendon, Georgia was officially one of college football’s “running back universities”.
7. Rodney Hampton
Going back to the group of running backs Georgia had in the 1980’s. We already mentioned Lars Tate (no. 10 on this list), Tim Worley and Keith Henderson as they were the core group in 1985-86.
But in 1987 that group was joined by Rodney Hampton and he was needed immediately since Worley and Henderson both missed the entire season. While Tate led the team as a senior, Hampton did not allow himself to be overshadowed.
He contributed 890 yards and four touchdowns that season which is great considering he was a freshman playing with a senior and filling the shoes of two juniors.
Worley and Henderson returned in 1988. Henderson played a more traditional fullback role, and Hampton remained a back-up to Worley. Worley had the second best season for a senior running back in school history with 1,216 yards.
But just like in 1987, Hampton did not allow himself to get overshadowed in 1988. He rushed for 719 yards with six touchdowns as a sophomore.
In 1989 though, it was just Hampton. No more Worley, Henderson or Tate. With a full load throughout the year, Hampton had 1,059 yards with 12 touchdowns.
He left after his junior year with 2,668 rushing yards which is fourth most in school history for a player who only played three years. He added 22 rushing touchdowns, 438 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
6. Knowshon Moreno
From 1976-1992, Georgia had nine seasons where a running back ran for 1,000 yards. But after 1992, Georgia only had one thousand-yard rusher in the following 15 years.
Then along came Knowshon Moreno. The running back position prior to 2007 was held by the group of Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware and the three of them were slated to be seniors in 2007 while Moreno was a redshirt freshman.
Then Ware left early to go to the NFL. Lumpkin got injured early in the season. All of the sudden, Moreno was the backup to Thomas Brown. Moreno had a great start to the year as a backup however, he even had a 100-yard game in the 16-12 loss to South Carolina.
But when Brown fell to an injury against Tennessee and Moreno was thrown into the spotlight, the season looked to be lost after a 6-2 start. Then Moreno ran for 157 yards in the close win over Vanderbilt.
However, Moreno’s real coming out party came two weeks later against Florida. He carried the ball 33 times for 188 yards that day and Georgia won 42-30. Moreno rushed for 100 yards five times in Georgia’s final six regular season games. He finished the season with 1,334 yards and 14 touchdowns. His rushing yards was second in school history for a freshman and is still fourth all-time.
In 2008, Moreno became the first Georgia Bulldog since Herschel Walker to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons making him only the second player in school history to do so.
He rushed for 1,400 yards with 30 touchdowns that year before leaving to go to the NFL after his redshirt sophomore season. His 1,400 yards is second behind only Walker for a sophomore in Georgia football history.
He ended his career in Athens with 2,734 yards and 30 touchdowns, both are sixth in school history. His career stats were amazing considering he only played two seasons of Georgia football.
5. Garrison Hearst
Georgia has two Heisman winners and two others who came really close. One of whom is Garrison Hearst in 1992.
After rushing for 1,594 yards with a school record 19 touchdowns in 1992, Hearst finished third in the Heisman voting behind Marshall Faulk and winner Gino Torretta. Georgia also had their best season since 1983, the Bulldogs went 10-2 and were just one-win away from playing in the first SEC Championship Game.
But Hearst wasn’t a one-hit wonder for Georgia football. He’s actually one of only two players in school history to lead Georgia in rushing for three consecutive seasons. The other of course being Herschel Walker.
As a sophomore in 1991, he rushed for 968 yards with nine touchdowns as Georgia finished 9-3, a big jump after a disappointing start to Ray Goff’s head coaching tenure. Hearst’s 968 yards that year was second for a sophomore in Georgia football history.
In his freshman year, Hearst finished with 717 yards with five touchdowns.
Hearst’s career total of 3,232 yards was second in school history when he left Georgia and is now fourth all-time. His 33 touchdowns was third, now fourth. The 19 touchdowns in 1992 is still a school record, and he has one of the five 1,500-yards rushing seasons in Georgia football history.
There’s a reason why after Garrison Hearst, people compared other running backs to him before they even thought to compare them to Herschel Walker. At least they used to…
4. Todd Gurley
For 20 years, before a running back could be compared to Hershel Walker, they had to pass Garrison Hearst. Knowshon came close, but leaving after his sophomore year and never having a season like Hearst’s 1992-season, shot that argument down for many.
But then came Todd Gurley in 2012. As a freshman, Gurley had 1,385 yards with 17 touchdowns which is second best in Georgia football for a freshman. But he also played alongside Keith Marshall that year and they were seen as one of the best running back duos in the country.
He was well on his way to another amazing season in 2013 before he was injured in the second quarter against LSU. In his first 14 quarters of the season, Gurley rushed for 450 yards with four touchdowns.
Gurley missed the next three games and returned against Florida. But he never looked 100 percent for the rest of the season. Yet, he still accumulated 539 yards in six games to finish the year with 989 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns.
But with season ending injuries for receivers Malcolm Mitchell, Justin Scott-Wesley, and fellow running back Keith Marshall, Gurley saw his role in the passing game increase. He actually finished 2013 with 411 yards on 37 catches with six touchdowns.
2014 could have been even better though. Gurley only played six games that year, but in those six games he rushed for 911 yards with nine touchdowns. 773 of those yards came in Georgia’s first five games of the year.
Then he was suspended by the NCAA for four games and he tore his ACL in his return game against Auburn.
Some players have their careers marred by injuries and fans are left to ask what could have been. But not with Todd Gurley, fans know exactly what he could have been.
3. Frank Sinkwich
Of course a Heisman winner is going to be high on this list. Looking at his rushing yardage today, they don’t look that impressive for Heisman winner, but it was a different era. In his Heisman season he had 795 yards with 17 touchdowns. The 17 rushing touchdowns actually stood as the school record for almost 40 years.
But more importantly than the stats or the Heisman, Sinkwich led Georgia to an SEC Championship, Rose Bowl appearance and Georgia’s first consensus national title.
To really show the different era of football however, Sinkwich in 1942 passed for 1,456 yards with 10 touchdowns. Georgia, like most teams of that era, ran the single-wing, a formation in which either the fullback or halfback took the snap and the quarterback was a blocking back.
So both running backs could be the primary rushers and passers. Sinkwich actually played mainly fullback in 1942 making him the only non halfback on this list.
2. Charley Trippi
You have to be special to top a Heisman winner and Trippi was special. Just like with Sinkwich , you can’t really bring stats into the argument because the sport was so different. There were less total games and plays, a totally different style of play and numerous rule changes that help the offense.
But two stats that still holds up is 3,903 yards of total offense and 42 touchdowns in two and a half years.
In 1942, he helped lead Georgia to a National title with 787 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, 602 passing yards and five passing touchdowns.
Trippi then left Georgia to join the military in World War II. He returned for the last half of the 1945 season and in six games had 321 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 576 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.
During his stint in the Air Force, Georgia football coach Wally Butts switched the offense from a single-wing to a T-formation so when Trippi returned, Georgia was running a very different offense than what he was used to.
He finished his career at Georgia, leading the Bulldogs to an 11-0 season and a win in the Sugar Bowl. Trippi rushed for 800 yards that year with nine touchdowns. He added 692 passing yards with six more touchdowns. He even had 120 receiving yards with another four touchdowns.
Trippi was that years runner-up to the Heisman trophy, but he did win the Maxwell Award which is awarded to the MVP of the college football season.
1. Herschel Walker
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Of course Herschel Walker is number one on this list. He’s the greatest running back in college football history. He might even be the best player in college football history. You’d definitely get no argument from me.
Walker is one of only two Bulldogs to be named an All-American three times and the only offensive player to do so. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1982 after finishing second in 1981 and third in 1980.
His 1,616 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 1980 are still a Georgia football freshman record. His 1,891 yards in 1981 is still the overall school record and his 18 touchdowns was a record that stood until 1992. He ended his time at Georgia with 1,752 yards and 16 touchdowns in his Heisman season.
Overall, Walker left Athens with 5,259 rushing yards with 49 touchdowns. Both of which are still school records.
He has the most 1,000-yard seasons (3), 1,500-yard seasons (3), 100-yard games (28), 200-yard games (9), 200-yard games as a freshman (4), average yards per carry for a career (5.29), average yards per game in a career (159.4), most yards in a game (283 vs. Vanderbilt in 1980) in Georgia football history, and that’s not even all of his records.
In his three years playing Georgia football, the Bulldogs won three SEC Titles, only lost a total of three games, and won the 1980 National Championship. What more can you say about Walker’s time as a Georgia Bulldog?
He is truly the greatest to ever play Georgia football.