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Greatest Buckeye Running Back

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Greatest Buckeye Running Back

  • Maurice Clarett

    Votes: 7 4.5%

  • Eddie George

    Votes: 19 12.3%

  • Archie Griffin

    Votes: 117 76.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 11 7.1%
  • Total voters
    154
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I was thinking of this topic lately. The above post is just for single seasons, and the thread is for entire careers.

Based on careers, I'm going with:

1. Archie Griffin (2)
2. Chic Harley (House, he built)
3. Eddie George (1)
4. Hopalong Cassady (1)
5. Vic Janowicz (1)
6. Ezekiel Elliott
7. J.K. Dobbins
8. Keith Byars
9. Bob Ferguson (2nd in '61 Heisman, won the Maxwell)
10. Beanie Wells
11. Bob White (4th in '58 Heisman)

With apologies to Tim Spencer, Maurice Clarett, Carlos Hyde, Bobby Watkins, Antonio Pittman, Jonathan Wells, Jim Otis, and others. Considering Horvath a QB.
 
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Somewhat tangential, but it's funny looking at this now when you remember there was some negative recruiting or something when Urban got here that he'd never coached a 1,000 yard rusher at that point. Now, 5 of the top 10 leading rushers in Ohio State history played at least half their career under Urban (JK, Zeke, Braxton, JT, and Hyde).
 
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Again, very tough question for those of us who are 40 and under. Like, I know how good Archie, Keith, Chic, Hopalong were, but I never watched them. So they don't affect me the same way as those who have seen them live. Eddie George was the 1st OSU/college RB that made my mouth drop when I moved to OH(1993) as a kid. My nostalgia begins with him and not Archie. The RBs who I watched live and made me glued to the TV were:
Eddie
Zeke
Beanie
Maurice
JK

No disrespect the guys who came before them, but watching on youtube doesn't have the same affect.
 
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I'd say, if you go roughly by decade, I'd have the following. I was born in 1970, so I'll stick with the time frame of my life

70s Archie Griffin. Pretty obvious selection even though I didn't see him play college football live
80s Keith Byars. Not really close, although there were some other really good backs in the early 80s late 70s such as Tim Spencer and Calvin Murray
90s Eddie George. Again, not really hard to pick Eddie here, but Robert Smith, Quiet Storm, Mike Wiley and the like don't have Heismans.
00s Maurice Clarett may have been the best had he not had his career go sideways as it did. But, it did. So I take Beanie Wells
10s This, to me, is actually the hardest selection. It's either Zeke or JK and I am not sure I can pick between the two. Zeke help win the NC, so I guess if I had to make a choice, that would probably be the determining factor... but it's hard to overlook what JK did in 3 seasons, including a 2000 yard season as a Junior.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
I'd say, if you go roughly by decade, I'd have the following. I was born in 1970, so I'll stick with the time frame of my life

70s Archie Griffin. Pretty obvious selection even though I didn't see him play college football live
80s Keith Byars. Not really close, although there were some other really good backs in the early 80s late 70s such as Tim Spencer and Calvin Murray
90s Eddie George. Again, not really hard to pick Eddie here, but Robert Smith, Quiet Storm, Mike Wiley and the like don't have Heismans.
00s Maurice Clarett may have been the best had he not had his career go sideways as it did. But, it did. So I take Beanie Wells
10s This, to me, is actually the hardest selection. It's either Zeke or JK and I am not sure I can pick between the two. Zeke help win the NC, so I guess if I had to make a choice, that would probably be the determining factor... but it's hard to overlook what JK did in 3 seasons, including a 2000 yard season as a Junior.
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I completely agree, but of course I do for obvious reasons.

I especially agree on the Zeke / JK issue. Stats wise, clearly, I give it to JK… but not think that the NC team — and Zeke was a huge part of that run — did more to grow the foundation of the program we see today.

Either way, it’s been a good time to be a Buckeye for a long while now.

Across the decades, 2010s win hands down for me, regardless of individual hardware…
 
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sparcboxbuck said:
I completely agree, but of course I do for obvious reasons.

I especially agree on the Zeke / JK issue. Stats wise, clearly, I give it to JK… but not think that the NC team — and Zeke was a huge part of that run — did more to grow the foundation of the program we see today.

Either way, it’s been a good time to be a Buckeye for a long while now.

Across the decades, 2010s win hands down for me, regardless of individual hardware…
Click to expand...

I think Zeke and that NC team has set up OSU to be the juggernaut of the B1G that they are now. And that team, and specifically guys like Zeke, Bosa, JT/Cardale and Mike Thomas are the ones who the recruits now look up to and name as one of the reasons why OSU is the place they choose. And it helps that they all have had NFL success.
 
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charlohiottean said:
A lot of great opinions and insights on the history of the position at OSU. Nevertheless, Braxton Miller was the best my favorite runner during his years in college football who happened to have a pretty darn good throwing arm. I know it’s the wrong answer. I don’t care.

Because:

Click to expand...

I don't even think that's close to his best run, the stutter step against Miami is my favorite run by Braxton.
 
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