White RBs and 100-yard games

[Van_Slyke_CF]

With Peyton Hillis starting in Cleveland, and with some of our other RBs hopefully getting more chances from this year and beyond, here's a separate thread to keep track of how they are doing now, and reference information for the past decade.

2010- ): Peyton Hillis: 1 (2nd overall)

2000-2009:

1) Mike Alstott: 4 (with 3 others in the late '90s)
2) Brock Forsey: 1
3) Peyton Hillis: 1
4) Brian Leonard: 1
5) Brad Hoover: 1
Edited by: Van_Slyke_CF

 

[speedster]

That list is kind of small,eh.Since Alstott had 3 in the late'90s why not include some other RB from that decade.Merrill Hoge had 4(two in the playoffs)although all but one occured in the late'80s.Close enough.Gil Fenerty had 2 and Brad Muster,Tommy Vardell and Scott Lockwood one a piece.Rick Fenney,Jamie Mueller and Tom Rathman were close but no cigar.

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

2010- ): Peyton Hillis: 1 (2nd overall)

2000-2009:

1) Mike Alstott: 4 (with 3 others in the late '90s)
2) Brock Forsey: 1
3) Peyton Hillis: 1
4) Brian Leonard: 1
5) Brad Hoover: 1

1990-1999:

1) Mike Alstott: 3 (with 4 more in the next decade)
2) Merrill Hoge: 1 (with 3 others in the '80s)
3) Gil Fenerty: 2
4) Brad Muster: 1
5) Tommy Vardell: 1
6) Scott Lockwood: 1

So obviously things have not been good for white RBs for more than 2 decades in the NFL, which makes sense when you consider they've been pretty much excluded from the college game, let alone the NFL, for even longer.

Thanks for the information, speedster. Edited by: Van_Slyke_CF

 

[Electric Slide]

9 100-yard rushing games by white players in the '90s, 8 in the '00s, and one so far in the '10s, we are actually ahead of pace for this decade, and it's only been 3 games so far! Let's hope for some century mark games by Danny Woodhead and John Kuhn as well!

 

[alln2]

How many times were White RBs given the opportunity to go over 100-yard in the last decade?
How many times were they given 20+ carries per game?

Woodhead with 20+ carries would had easily gone over 100 yards Sunday. He was 3 carries for 42 yards.
<table ="bgBdr" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><t><tr ="bgHdr1Home"><td colspan="10">RUSHING</td></tr>
<tr ="bgHdr3" align="center">
<td></td>
<td>
</td>
<td>ATT</td>
<td>YDS</td>
<td>AVG</td>
<td>TD</td></tr>
<tr ="bgC" align="center">
<td align="left">
B. Green-Ellis</span></td>
<td>
</span></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>98</td>
<td>6.1</td>
<td>1</td></tr>
<tr ="bgC" align="center">
<td align="left">
D. Woodhead</span></td>
<td>
</span></td>
<td>3</td>
<td>42</td>
<td>14.0</td>
<td>1</td></tr>
<tr ="bgC" align="center">
<td align="left">
S. Morris</span></td>
<td>
</span></td>
<td>6</td>
<td>19</td>
<td>3.2</td>
<td>0</td></tr>
<tr ="bgC" align="center">
<td align="left">
F. Taylor</span></td>
<td>
</span></td>
<td>6</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>2.7</td>
<td>0</td></tr></t></table>
This table shows clearly who was the best RB for the Pats last game. Numbers dont lie. Affletes with pitiful average numbers compared with Woodhead.

 

[TwentyTwo]

I can't thank you enough for the research VanSlykeCF &amp; Super Speed! Bringing back some memories for sure!

We have been saying on here if Hillis gets the carries(20+) he should easily rush for a 100 in most games! Is he weighing235, 240, or 250??...he looks swole in those pics. Now FFL owners are scrambling get him off waiver wire...I have him and if had known he would get 20 + carries would have started him...will be starting him vs Bengals!

Woodhead is electric...the Patriots were lickin' their chops when the NYJets released him! He's got "it" like Hillis! Crazy thing is when he was with Jets a few weeks ago; TJR and I compared him to Kevin Faulk with Patriots..and now he's on the team! CRAZY!

In 1990 Blake Ezor(Colts) in his only "career"starthad 82 yards on 19 carries...he just sort of faded away as the season wore on...not sure why??

Mike Alstott was truly a tailback in a fullback's body...one of my favorite runningbacks of all time!

I like how Gil Fenerty came under-the-radar out of nowhere to become the Saints leading rusher that one year in early 90's.

Merrill Hoge came up big time in those playoff games!Edited by: TwentyTwo

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

Peyton Hillis with his 3rd 100-yard game today!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Hillis now has more 100 yard games in one season (3) than any White back since Craig James in 1985. James had 4 in the '85 regular season and 2 in the playoffs.

 

[backrow]

Hillis can more than match that! Who was the last white RB to run for 184 yards or more, btw? (Blackberry is too slow to research)

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Hillis can more than match that! Who was the last white RB to run for 184 yards or more, btw? (Blackberry is too slow to research)

As far as I can tell, it was John Riggins in a 1982 playoff game. He got 185 yards and a TD on 37 carries. Riggins best games other than that were 166 (Super Bowl XVII) and 165 yards (regular season game in 1972). Mark van Eeghan never had a game with more yards than Hillis did yesterday, neither did Larry Csonka. Craig James never cracked 150 yards rushing in a game in his short career.

 

[sport historian]

Hillis can more than match that! Who was the last white RB to run for 184 yards or more, btw? (Blackberry is too slow to research)

Jim Taylor gained 186 yards in 27 carries against the Giants on December 3, 1961. Billy Cannon went 25-216 against the New York Titans in an AFL game a week later. The Giants were one of the best defensive teams, the Titans very weak.

All you have to do is go to Pro Football Reference and run some names.

 

[white is right]

Only John David Crowe and Billy Cannon have broken the 200 yard barrier since 1960. I am nearly certain that a White legend like Steve Van Buren did it in his career too, but the search engine only goes back to 60'. I know he had the playoff record for many years with 196 yards. Edited by: white is right

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Billy Cannon's amazing game on December 10, 1961 included not just 25 runs for 216 yards and 3 TDs, but 5 catches for 114 yards and 2 TDs as well as 2 KR for 43 yards! Amazing game, pathetic defense or not.

John David Crow had 24 carries for 203 yards and 2 catches for 30 yards on December 18, 1960.

Its kind of interesting that all these great White RBs of the past that we've mentioned here were born in Louisiana (Crow and Taylor) and Mississippi (Cannon). Hillis was born in Arkansas. Pretty cool stuff!

 

[Wristshot]

On January 5, 1964 Keith Lincoln in the AFL Championship game against the Boston Patriots, rushed 13 times for 206 yards, caught seven passes for 123 yards, and completed a 20 yard pass.

In all, he accounted for 349 total yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers captured the league championship by defeating the Patriots 51-10. Holy cow!

Edited by: Wristshot

 

[white is right]

Billy Cannon's amazing game on December 10, 1961 included not just 25 runs for 216 yards and 3 TDs, but 5 catches for 114 yards and 2 TDs as well as 2 KR for 43 yards! Amazing game, pathetic defense or not. John David Crow had 24 carries for 203 yards and 2 catches for 30 yards on December 18, 1960. Its kind of interesting that all these great White RBs of the past that we've mentioned here were born in Louisiana (Crow and Taylor) and Mississippi (Cannon). Hillis was born in Arkansas. Pretty cool stuff!

Back when the NFL was majority White the segregated SEC and SWC sent many speed position players to the NFL. I wonder if schools that barely to never look at White speed position players, still earnestly recruited White players would we have half a dozen Hillis clones and would northern Big 10 and Big East schools still look for White players too.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

On January 5, 1964 Keith Lincoln in the AFL Championship game against the Boston Patriots, rushed 13 times for 206 yards, caught seven passes for 123 yards, and completed a 20 yard pass.



In all, he accounted for 349 total yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers captured the league championship by defeating the Patriots 51-10. Holy cow!

Great find, Wristshot! Hopefully Peyton Hillis will have a chance to pass 200 yards in a game very soon and we can add a (long overdue) new name to the list of White backs who have broken that barrier.

 

[Wristshot]

Three other white guys had 200+ yards in a regular season game up until 1972 the year of a NFL book I have, they are; Cliff Battles Bos.v.NY., 16 attempts for 215 yards, 1933; Steve Van Buren Phil.v.Pitt 26-218, 1949 (he ran like a 1920's running back

); and Gene Roberts N.Y. Giants v. Chi. Cards. 26-218, 1950. Roberts is the only player to lead both the NFL and CFL in scoring. Bye the way the most yards in a CFL game is 275 by Canadian Ron Stewart of the Ottawa Rough Riders in about 1962.
.
.
We will not flag, or fail. We shall go to the end!... Alcoholic psychopath who helped destroy the white race.Edited by: Wristshot

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I'm updating the original posts to reflect Peyton Hillis' 4-100+ yard
games so far this season. I'd like for us to get a complete list of all
100 yard games from the Caste era. I'm thinking we should start with
1980 and try to provide a complete list to the present.

2010-2019: Total of 4 so far
1) Peyton Hillis: 4 (with one other in the late 00s)



2000-2009:
Total of 8
1) Mike Alstott: 4 (with 3 others in the late 90s)

2) Brock Forsey: 1

3) Peyton Hillis: 1
(with 4 others in the 10s)
4) Brian Leonard: 1

5) Brad Hoover: 1



1990-1999:
Total of 9
1) Mike Alstott: 3 (with 4 others in the early 00s)
2) Merrill Hoge: 1 (with 3 others in the late 80s)

3) Gil Fenerty: 2

4) Brad Muster: 1

5) Tommy Vardell: 1

6) Scott Lockwood: 1


1980-1989: Total of 37
1) John Cappelletti: 1 (with 3 others in the 70s)
2) Merrill Hoge: 3 (with 1 other in the early 90s)

3) Craig James: 9
4) John Riggins: 19 (with 15 others in the 70s)
5) Matt Suhey: 3
6) Mark van Eeghen: 2 (with 7 others in the 70s)
Edited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[Electric Slide]

Nice list so far Col. Reb! What's crazy is that if this pace continues, this decade will have the most white RBs with 100 yard rushing games since the 1970s (depending on the 80s totals). Danny Woodhead is due for a 100 yard game, and Gerhart can have one at any moment. It's possible that this decade could produce more white 100 yard rushers since the Caste Era began. It's always darkest before the dawn, and the first glimmers of light are floating above the horizon!

 

[foobar75]

Good to have you back Electric Slide! I remember from your previous posts that you're always one of the optimists, so we can certainly use that positive energy around here.

I suspect Hillis will have at least 2 more 100 yard games, quite possibly 3 to finish the year with 6-7. Edited by: foobar75

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I feel a 100 yard rushing game coming for Woodhead before the season ends. Maybe BB will give Woody more work against his old team this Monday night- as part of his head games against division rivals. I suspect Gerhart will have a whole bunch this decade and maybe even Leonard will get one or two. And we know Hillis will have a LARGE amount. Expect guys like McGuffie, Burkhead and maybe even Wegher, Cam McDaniel or Brandon Bourbon to make it to the NFL and get pt as well. And more white RBs should appear in the FBS ranks and enter the NFL in the latter part of the decade. I'm not going to stop fighting for Jake Sharp, Cory McCaffrey and Nile Knapp on message boards until it is clear they are done playing football. I'm going to say over 100 white 100 yard performances this decade! I think I might have just out optimistized ES!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

It is good to see Electric Slide posting. I hope y'all are right and that this year is a sign of better things to come. The decade is certainly starting off with more White RB activity than we've seen in quite some time. If anyone knows of more White backs who had 100 yard games in the 80s, please post them so I can add them to the list. It would be awesome if this decade produces more 100+ yard games than the 80s! There are certainly enough talented White runners around to do it. The question remains as to whether they will get the opportunity to do so.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Hear ye, Hear ye: sport historian, or someone with knowledge of names to google, help find 1980s white 100 yard rushers for Colonel Reb and CF. Thanks for the research Colonel!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

sport historian pm'd me and said I probably have all of them covered. He said that Paul Hofer, former Ole Miss RB, had 3 100+ yard games for the 49'ers in the late 70s, but none in the 80s. The Caste System had kicked in to a great degree by that time in regards to college recruiting and the NFL draft. White backs were no longer taken as often in the first rounds and they weren't viewed as the main ball carrier, with a couple of exceptions. I suspect if we created a list of all the White backs who ran for over 100 yards in games in the 70s, the list would be very long compared to even the 1980s list. The changes are hard to miss when you look at these kinds of stats. Maybe we could come up with a 1970s list just for comparison purposes. I think I'll work on that some this weekend.
Edited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[sport historian]

sport historian pm'd me and said I probably have all of them covered. He said that Paul Hofer, former Ole Miss RB, had 3 100+ yard games for the 49'ers in the late 70s, but none in the 80s. The Caste System had kicked in to a great degree by that time in regards to college recruiting and the NFL draft. White backs were no longer taken as often in the first rounds and they weren't viewed as the main ball carrier, with a couple of exceptions. I suspect if we created a list of all the White backs who ran for over 100 yards in games in the 70s, the list would be very long compared to even the 1980s list. The changes are hard to miss when you look at these kinds of stats. Maybe we could come up with a 1970s list just for comparison purposes.  I think I'll work on that some this weekend.

There will be a lot of them in the 1970s compared to the 80s. I have a hunch there may have been more 100 yard games in the 70s by white players than in the 60s. This would be because the run was more prevelant in that decade.Edited by: sport historian