Athlon: Top 10 I-Backs in Husker History

[Atbone95]

Rex and Helu should probably switch spots imo

Nah, Rex never had a game like Helu did against top 10 Mizzou. One of my favorite Husker memories.

[Landlord]

 

Rex and Helu should probably switch spots imo

Nah, Rex never had a game like Helu did against top 10 Mizzou. One of my favorite Husker memories.

 

 

 

 

He would have if he had the holes Helu had to run through and was given 30 carries, imo. But even if not, Rex Burkhead was the glue that held a few years of Husker teams together. He was essentially our backup quarterback in 2010 and 2012 for crying out loud.

[fb30]

If Rex wouldn't have got hurt senior year. Think he would be moved up a few spots.

[fb30]

Pretty good list though.

[Atbone95]

 

 

Rex and Helu should probably switch spots imo

Nah, Rex never had a game like Helu did against top 10 Mizzou. One of my favorite Husker memories.

 

 

 

 

He would have if he had the holes Helu had to run through and was given 30 carries, imo. But even if not, Rex Burkhead was the glue that held a few years of Husker teams together. He was essentially our backup quarterback in 2010 and 2012 for crying out loud.

 

Fair

[knapplc]

Rozier belongs above Phillips. I could see an argument for 1A/1B, but Rozier should always be 1A if they split it.

[TGHusker]

Ever go back and look at the RBs backfield talent we had on the 1982 roster? We had Roger Craig, Mike Rozier, Irving Fryer, Turner Gill, and Tom Rathman. Heck, our 3rd (4th?) string I-back Jeff Smith would have started for most teams in the nation. Just an amazing collection of talent to have on the roster at the same time.

That team was better than the 83 team in my opinion. Better D that complimented that great O. That 1 yard out of bounds catch by PSU spoiled the season. The 83 team was probably the best O to never had won the NC.

[zoogs]

Helu (08-10) to

Burkhead (10-12)

Abdullah (12-14)

 

The Pelini years were blessed at RB. These three guys all belong on a Top Ten list of I-backs in school history. At Nebraska. Pretty cool

[Count 'Bility]

this list basically lists every running back era dating back to the seventies, minus the Callahan years and the Buckhalter/Alexander years.

[Mavric]

Helu (08-10) to

Burkhead (10-12)

Abdullah (12-14)

 

The Pelini years were blessed at RB. These three guys all belong on a Top Ten list of I-backs in school history. At Nebraska. Pretty cool

 

#5 Career Rushing Yards

#6 Career Rushing Yards

#2 Career Rushing Yards

 

And they were sharing the backfield with the #9 guy (Martinez)

[TGHusker]

In Husker Lore, you cannot forget this guy. He should be ranked in the top 10 easily. Without him there is no win in the game of the century, no back to back for the Bobfather who knows if the OC would have been named HC thereafter. Ok, maybe I'm over playing my hand, but for us old timers, you cannot mention the great RBs at NU wtout listing Jeff Kinney. He didn't have the big stats but he pounded out the yards as needed - esp in that Oklahoma game.

 

 

35 Jeff Kinney

Player Profile:

Position: Halfback Height: 6'2" Weight: 210 Year: Senior City/State: McCook, Neb.

• Drafted in 1^st Round by the Kansas City Chiefs
• 1971 First-Team All-American (Time Magazine)
• 1971 Third-Team All-American (AP, UPI)
• 1971 Academic All-American
• 1971 First-Team All-Big 8 (AP, UPI)
• 1971 Nebraska Player-of-the-Week (Oregon, Kansas, Oklahoma)
• 1970 Nebraska Player-of-the-Week (Minnesota)
• 1969 Big 8 Sophomore-of-the-Year (AP)
• 1969 Honorable Mention All-Big 8 (AP)
• 1969 Nebraska Player-of-the-Week (Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma)

1971 (Senior)
A strong senior season propelled Kinney to set the Husker career rushing record with 2,420 yards and Husker career touchdown record with 35. Kinney earned First-Team All-America honors from Time Magazine, an Academic All-American and a First-Team All-Big 8 choice. Kinney’s success made him a first round NFL draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kinney returned to his sophomore form from the beginning of the ’71 season. Against Oregon in the season open Kinney ran for 124 yards and one touchdown as he completely overshadowed Duck ace Bobby Moore in a 34-7 Nebraska win. In a 36-0 rout of Missouri Kinney rushed for 88 yards and two more touchdowns to continue his senior dominance.

Kinney’s finest game as a Husker may have come against Oklahoma in the “Game of the Century”. Most people remember Johnny Rodgers electrifying 72-yard punt return, but forget that Kinney carried the Huskers offensively. Kinney ran for a season best 171 yards and four touchdowns.

With Kinney’s help the Husker continued onto the Orange Bowl to meet Alabama. Kinney rushed for 99 yards and one touchdown as the Huskers defeated Alabama 38-6 to win their second straight National Championship.

 

1970 (Junior)
Split time with Joe Orduna in 1970 and had another great year. One of the nation’s finest backs, Kinney was the No. 2 rusher on the team with 684 yards with a 4.3 yards per carry average. Scored 5 TD’s on the ground and caught 20 passes for 206 yards.

Kinney’s biggest game came in a 54-29 win over Iowa State. Kinney rushed for a season best 116 yards and helped the Huskers rush for 342 yards in the game.

 

1969 (Sophomore)
Flashed to stardom as a sophomore in the most impressive Nebraska debut since Bobby Reynolds in 1950. Led the 1969 Huskers in rushing, scoring and receiving to spark the drive to the Big 8 Title and Sun Bowl Victory. Named Big 8 Sophomore of the Year by the AP. Ranked 3^rd in receiving, 7^th in rushing, 5^th in tandem and 5^th in scoring in the Big 8 Conference. Rushed for 590 yards, best since Reynolds, and caught a record 44 passes for 455 yards and two TD’s. Ran for 10 TD’s and wound up with 74 points. In the game against Oklahoma, which wrapped up the co-title, Jeff carried 35 times for 127 yards, scored three TD’s, and passed for another to completely overshadow 1969 Heisman winner Steve Owens.

 

[TGHusker]

I.M Hipp wins the best name for a NU RB - plus he was a great back who's senior season was cut short by injury. Maybe a top 10 guy.

 

Now just think if Gayle Sayers had not broken his commitment to play for NU when he decided to play for Kansas of all places. We might be talking still of him in the top 2 or 3.

That is another one of those "if only' - If only he had played for NU, NU would most likely had won another NC. He was that good.

 

32 I.M. Hipp

Player Profile:

Position: I Back Height: 6'0" Weight: 200 Year: Senior City/State: Chapin, S.C.

• 1995 Inductee, Nebraska Football Hall of Fame
• Fourth-Round Draft Pick, 1980 NFL Draft (Atlanta)
• Honorable-Mention All-Big Eight, 1979
• Honarable-Mention All-American, 1978 and 1977
• Second-Team All-Big Eight, 1978
• First-Team All-Big Eight, 1977
• 1977 Husker Power Lifter of the Year

Senior (1979)
Hipp closed his career as the nation's most famous walkon as Nebraska's all-time leading rusher with 2,940 yards in his career. Hipp gained 585 yards on 128 carries before his final year at NU was cut short by turf toe. The top game in his senior year was a 26-carry, 167-yard effort against Utah State. Hipp played in the Hula Bowl and was the most valuable offensive player in the Japan Bowl immediately following his senior season.

Junior (1978)
Hipp became the first NU running back to have back-to-back 1,000 rushing-yard seasons when he ran for 1,002 yards while splitting time with Richard Berns as Nebraska's top I-back. Both Hipp and Berns (1,032 rushing yard) cleared 1,000 rushing yards in 1978, the first time that a pair of running backs cleared 1,000 yards in the same season. Hipp had three 100-yard games-Cal (154), Indiana (123) and Kansas State (183). For his four-touchdown effort against the Hoosiers, Hipp was named the ABC-TV Chevrolet Offensive Player of the Game.

Sophomore (1977)
A honorable-mention All-American, Hipp burst onto the scene with a 1,353-yard season. Hipp broke the school record for rushing yards in a game with 254 against Indiana, which netted him AP Back of the Week and Big Eight Offensive Player of the Week. Hipp also ran for 200 yards against Kansas. Hipp became just the fourth Husker ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, joining Bobby Reynolds (1,342 in 1950), Jeff Kinney (1,136 in 1971) and Tony Davis (1,114 in 1973).

Redshirt Freshman (1976)
In his second year in the program, Hipp redshirted.

Freshman (1975)
Hipp, a walk-on, and Berns split time at I-back for Nebraska's freshman team.

At Chapin HS
Hipp was an All-American at Chapin High School under coach Cecil Woolbright.

Personal
Isaiah Moses Walter Hipp was born on Feb. 15, 1956. His grandmother is Mrs. Cora Osby.

[Landlord]

 

Helu (08-10) to

Burkhead (10-12)

Abdullah (12-14)

 

The Pelini years were blessed at RB. These three guys all belong on a Top Ten list of I-backs in school history. At Nebraska. Pretty cool

 

#5 Career Rushing Yards

#6 Career Rushing Yards

#2 Career Rushing Yards

 

And they were sharing the backfield with the #9 guy (Martinez)

 

 

 

In 2011 all in the same diamond formation backfield. Truly crazy.

[2ndNnine]

Ever go back and look at the RBs backfield talent we had on the 1982 roster? We had Roger Craig, Mike Rozier, Irving Fryer, Turner Gill, and Tom Rathman. Heck, our 3rd (4th?) string I-back Jeff Smith would have started for most teams in the nation. Just an amazing collection of talent to have on the roster at the same time.

Rathman had zero carries in 1982. Schellen and Wilkening were the FBs. Schellen was a monsta tho.

[huKSer]

Hell, I'm just happy the article called them I backs and not tail backs