The 2018 Georgia football season begins in 36 days.
The discussion about why Georgia is considered “Running Back U” typically revolves around the post Herschel Walker years in Athens, up to today. Rodney Hampton, Tim Worley, Garrison Hearst, Knowshon Moreno, Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are the backs who the discussions gravitate towards.
But the Dawgs had a claim to the “Running Back U” moniker long before Walker arrived. In fact, one of the best pre-Walker running backs in Georgia football history played just two years before Walker. That of course, was #36 Willie McClendon.
In many ways, McClendon is a forgotten superstar, overshadowed by the legend who came after him. But he was honored as such in 1978 by receiving the SEC Player of the Year Award. That was McClendon’s swan song in Athens, and his only year as the main man in the backfield.
He rushed for 1,312 yards with 13 touchdowns to lead Georgia to a 9-2-1 record and a 5-0-1 record in the SEC. That one tie is the only thing that kept Georgia from winning the SEC. McClendon did his part, but Georgia could overcome the issues at quarterback.
Prior to his superstar year in 1978, McClendon shared the backfield with Kevin McLee, another one of the best pre-Walker running backs in Athens. The duo rushed for 1,422 yards with McClendon gaining 705 yards with four touchdowns. He was Al Pollard’s understudy on the 1976 SEC Championship team. In limited work, McClendon rushed for 211 yards on 40 carries with five touchdowns.
McClendon never became a star in the NFL, but his legacy in Athens continued through his son Bryan McClendon. The younger McClendon, like his father, had a breakout year as a senior. Bryan McClendon caught 35 passes for 529 yards with five touchdowns in 2005 to help lead the Dawgs to a SEC Championship.
He later joined the Georgia football coaching staff as a running backs coach, a receivers coach, and in the end, as co-head coach. He even coached the Dawgs to victory in the 2015 Gator Bowl against Penn State.
The 2018 Georgia football season begins in just 36 days. Just like today, when #36 Willie McClendon roamed the backfield in Athens, Georgia was Running Back U. There aren’t any senior backs on Georgia’s roster to have a great final year. But there are a few who may have a breakout season, similar to the one McClendon had in 1978.