ALWAYS ON THE RUN: THE BAKER'S DOZEN OF UT RB'S

by Larry Carlson  ( lc13@txstate.edu )

If you're honest, even though you're burnt orange-blooded, you can't really contend that UT is RBU.

There's a case for Southern Cal.  Five Heisman winners among the Trojan hosses at running back.

So what if one ended up more famous for a Ford Bronco chase and another was stripped of the honor and now stars in Wendy's commercials.  Let's call USC the closest thing to an inarguable RBU.  Bama hasn't been too shabby, especially of late.  And Penn State has a pretty good menu of ground chuck.

But the Longhorns are definitely in the mix, up in the high-end neighborhood to stake a claim to top tier.

Actually, to say that the University of Texas has had a wealth of talent at running the ball over the years, might be considered mild understatement.  The modern DKR era onward got rolling with the flip-flop, transitioned to the grinding, clock-killing, three yards and a cloud of dust focus, then shifted to the ultra-successful wishbone for two natties and six straight Southwest Conference titles.  And that was all ancient BC...before Campbell, usually known just as Earl.

And ol' Earl played his last game in burnt orange more than 45 years ago.  

There have been more than a few stud running backs -- speedsters, bruisers and hybrids -- since then.

For many Longhorn football fanatics and historians, it might seem simple enough to get a consensus on a top three ballcarriers in the 1957-onward time frame.

I'm gonna say right off, this list wasn't easy for me to decide on.  There are former UT stars who achieved more in the NFL than in college ball (think Priest Holmes as exhibit A), there are guys who had their college days shortened by injuries, there are all kinds of variables.  And I'm not going by stats alone.  

I'm gonna go back to the early '90s and dedicate Lenny Kravitz's funk/rock classic, "Always On The Run," to anybody and everybody who has ever carried the ball for the Horns.  Here's my best Baker's Dozen.

It's just an opinion, a list, nothing more.

Somebody had to do it.  But go ahead, play the home version of the game and compile your own list, too.

Have fun.  It was a treat to watch the gents listed below, and many more runnin' Horns.

13   TOMMY FORD, San Angelo Central Bobcats (1961-63) # 24

"Thunderbird" Ford wasn't big (5-10,182), nor did he possess great speed.  But if you wanted four yards, and Darrell always did, he was the guy.  Sometimes three yards, sometimes five.  It all added up to lots of first downs and touchdowns and a 30-2-1 record, three Cotton Bowls and a national championship as a senior.

The most memorable moment of Tommy's career came when he punched in the winning TD to beat Arkansas, 7-3, with 36 seconds left in the epic Austin showdown in '62.  Ford's Longhorns went 3-0 against the highly-ranked Porkers, 3-0 against OU and 3-0 against A&M.  He was an All-American in '63.

12   ERIC METCALF, Arlington (VA) Bishop O'Connell Knights (1985-88) # 2

Metcalf was Fred Akers' last super blue chip recruit and ended up playing on sub-par UT teams that went 

24-22.  But Metcalf was still a star, a threat to take it all the way any time he touched the pigskin.

Son of a former NFL great, Eric outdid his dad, Terry.  Eric was a first round pick and starred for the Cleveland Browns.  He is considered one of the first prototype "all purpose" NFL backs and excelled as a return man and special teams all-star.  Last I checked, Metcalf still holds the UT long jump record.

11   JIM BERTELSEN, Hudson (WI) Raiders  (1969-71)  # 35

Bertelsen is long remembered not just for his football prowess at Texas but for his laconic ways.

He had less to say than Clint Eastwood's rugged characters in the old spaghetti westerns.  The Wisconsin product let his standout play do the talking for him.  Bertelsen had a trademarked gliding style as a wishbone halfback, and besides possessing good speed and power, regularly delivered textbook blocks.  Jim's biggest TD was the short plunge that tied up the 1969 Big Shootout against Arkansas, paving the way for Happy Feller's winning kick in the legendary 15-14 triumph.  He left the Forty Acres with two national titles and ranked second in UT career rushing records.  A second round pick of the LA Rams, Bertelsen played five seasons at halfback and as a kick returner, making one Pro Bowl team.

10   D'ONTA FOREMAN, Texas City Stingarees (2014-16)  # 33

Was the first Longhorn since Ricky Williams to win the Doak Walker Award and is the only Longhorn besides Williams to top 2,000 yards in a season.  Foreman, as a junior, had freakishly great success in '16, including an 81-yard run in the win against OU.  But it was for a bad team that set the table for the firing of Charlie Strong.  After three straight losing seasons, Strong was gone.  So, too, was Foreman, but for hefty paydays in the NFL.  The big, strong, fast Foreman enjoyed his best pro year last season in Carolina, rushing for almost 1,000 yards, and recently signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.  His 2016 season at UT is not diminished by his team's last of luster.

9     JIMMY SAXTON, Palestine Wildcats (1959-61)  # 10

The Longhorns' first All-America running back, Saxton finished third in the Heisman voting as a senior, leading Texas to a 10-1 season.  His career stats might not look like much on paper in this era because the skinny speedster averaged fewer than eight carries in his 30 games.

But check these stats:  in '61, he averaged 7.9 yards per carry and was college football's premier home run threat.  The "jackrabbit" had runs of 80, 79, 66,56, 49 and 45 yards.  in a word, he was electrifying.

The College Football Hall of Fame member even set a Cotton Bowl record with a 73-yard quick kick in his final game, the win over Ole Miss that was DKR's first Cotton Bowl victory.  

8    JAMAAL CHARLES, Port Arthur Memorial Titans, (2005-07)  # 25

One of the fastest humans to ever don a burnt orange jersey, Charles was named a four-time All-American in track at Texas.  He was no slouch in football, either, with a career total of 3,328 yards in three years.

An instant success as a freshman, he became an integral part of the '05 national champs.

Charles' swiftness made him a danger to every opponent and he starred for three fine UT teams along with the likes of Vince Young and Colt McCoy.  Jamaal skipped his senior season for the NFL and became a 

four-time Pro Bowl selection with the Kansas City Chiefs.

7    CHRIS GILBERT, Houston Spring Branch Bears (1966-68)  # 25

His moves were described as "lizard-like" and Gilbert darted and dashed his way to All-America honors at Texas.  He didn't even start his first game but still chalked up more than 100 yards in that debut against USC.  Gilbert is the answer to what was long an oft-asked trivia question, back when college players had only three years of eligibility.  Who was the first college running back to gain 1,000 yards in three seasons?

Answer:  Chris Gilbert of Texas.

Steady, quick, dependable and durable, Gilbert could go long ( 96 yards against TCU ) or get the tough yards.  He was the first 1,000-yard wishbone halfback as a senior for the third-ranked Cotton Bowl champs.

6    ROOSEVELT LEAKS, Brenham Cubs  (1972-74)  # 46

A runaway steamroller, Leaks -- as a soph and junior -- led Texas to DKR's last two Southwest Conference championships and Cotton Bowl teams.  His 1415 yards in '73 set a new single-season standard for UT.

Memorably, he rambled for 342 yards one afternoon in Dallas.  Those who watched that day will never forget it.  SMU led the Horns, 14-0 while Leaks was getting warmed up en route to a 42-14 beatdown of the Ponies.  He was destined for more greatness but suffered a severe knee injury in spring practices in '74.  Having finished third in the '73 Heisman voting, he was already the favorite to win as a senior

Undaunted, Rosey rehabbed and miraculously recovered enough to pound for more than 400 yards that fall while he mentored the young Earl Campbell.  The knee injury pushed Leaks' NFL draft status down to the fifth round,  Again undeterred, Leaks played nine seasons for the Colts and Bills.

Reflection Point about Rosy-by Jim Raup

Great article on running backs! I think Leaks was better than #6, but I admit to a strong personal bias for him. I coached him in baseball in Brenham. He played LF on my 1970 State Championship team, which a recent book opined was the 14th-best HS baseball team in history.

There is no doubt in my mind Leaks would have won the Heisman Trophy as a senior if he had not wrecked his knee in a full-speed contact goal-line drill in spring training. I read a DKR quote saying having Leaks in that drill was the biggest mistake he made as a coach.

He and I have stayed close friends down through the years, and he is the same great guy today as he was in 1970. 

I think UT should make more of a big deal about him than it does. He was UT’s first Black All-American in football, and I think he was a major reason Texas got Campbell. I also think he is as deserving of a statue somewhere as Whittier.

I hope you are well, Billy.

Jim https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/jim-raup-by-horns-sports

5    STEVE WORSTER, Bridge City Cardinals  (1968-70)  # 30

As the number one high school recruit in the nation, expectations for Steve were bigger'n'Texas.

He delivered magnificently, even exceeding wild projections.  All-SWC all three years, All-America his last two years, Worster was the brightest star among many in the Longhorn universe as the Horns won three conference crowns, two national titles and cruised to 30 consecutive victories.  One could argue that UT's wishbone might never have exploded as it did, without the man made to run up the gut and never get tackled head on or by one defender.  Even with defenses stacked to stop him straight up the gut, Woo averaged 5.3 yards per carry in his career.  Darrell Royal tutored some damn good players in twenty years at The Forty Acres.  DKR said Worster played his position better than any other he coached, except for Tommy Nobis.

4    BIJAN ROBINSON, Tucson (AZ) Salpointe Catholic Lancers  # 5

Millions of football fans probably wish they could buy stock in the latest Longhorn great.  The smiling UT ambassador established his own running style at Texas, blending speed, strength, spin moves and a Houdini-like escapability.  Coach Tom Herman used him too sparingly and Steve Sarkisian curiously shorted him on touches in several crucial games.  Still, Bijan lived up to his Lamborghini and cut the mustard -- his own brand -- by winning the 2022 Doak Walker Award.  Ranks fourth on the UT rushing yardage list and tops all Texas running backs with eight career TD receptions.  A generational talent and persona.

3    CEDRIC BENSON, Midland Lee Rebels, (2001-2004)  # 32

Longhorn Nation will collectively always wonder what might have been, had Coach Mack Brown unleashed Benson against OU as a freshman.  With a late start as a starter, he still passed 1,000 yards as a freshman and then bettered his stats in each successive year.  He is the lone Longhorn to have chalked up four one-thousand yard seasons.  Benson was the first high school coverboy for Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine and never faltered as a power runner at UT.  He was a consensus All-American for the Horns' first Rose Bowl champs and was the NFL's fourth pick.  Benson died at 36 in a 2019 motorcycle accident.

2    RICKY WILLIAMS, San Diego (CA) Patrick Henry Patriots, (1995-1998) # 11, #34, # 37*

The best thing to come out of coastal California since the Beach Boys, Ricky Williams, as all Horn fans know, finished his career as college football's all-time leading rusher en route to hoisting the Heisman.

The soft-spoken, dreadlocked runner had it all and showed up big from his debut at Hawaii for what would become a Sugar Bowl team in '95.  He was a vital piece of the last SWC championship team, the first Big XII title team and the '98 Cotton Bowl champs of Mack Brown, and still excelled when others failed in the lost season of '97.  He ran for 1,000 yards four times as a pro, worked as an astute commentator for Longhorn Network and now heads his own "cannabis lifestyle" brand, Highsman.

1    EARL CAMPBELL, Tyler John Tyler Lions (1974-77)  #20

Adoring fans have recorded songs, probably even penned haiku and sonnets and to honor the Tyler Rose.

Maybe the state's best linebacker prospect as a high school junior, he came to The Forty Acres as a grown man who had earned a quick rep as a runner with a better speed/power combo than anybody could recall.  It took four years for his Longhorn squad to catch up and earn a Cotton Bowl berth but for fans, it was all a great ride, watching a swift locomotive bearing a stiff-arm and then a Heisman.  Those of us who saw him run into Bevo, and witnessed Bevo's legs briefly buckle, will never forget it or his masterpiece regular season swansong,  He stampeded the Aggies in College Station, clinching the trophy, the SWC title and immortality.

Earl ran for 224 yards and even took a pass 60 yards for a TD in the 57-28 ass-whipping.

Campbell's career with the "Luv Ya Blue" Earlers cemented his status as a certified Texas Hero.

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