Countdown to College Football Kickoff 2015, Day 34: Run Herschel, Run

By Michael Collins | Jul 26, 2015

The 2015 college football kickoff is only 34 days away, bringing us to one of the greatest players in the history of the game, Georgia Bulldog great, Herschel Walker.

ALSO READ: Countdown to Kickoff Day 35, Jared Goff Not a Passing Fancy

When the discussion opens up about who the greatest player in the history of college football is to date, you’ll inevitably hear Herschel Walker’s name at or right next to the top of that list. Contemporaries and current players alike marvel at this physical specimen who proudly wore number 34 at Georgia.

More from Georgia Bulldogs

From the time he literally burst on the scene in 1980, barreling over Tennessee safety Bill Bates, and prompting the loquacious Larry Munson to exclaim, “My God, a freshman”, the name Herschel Walker became synonymous with speed, power and an unparallelled training regimen (which he still keeps to this day).

Walker helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1980 national championship, and became Georgia’s all-time leading rusher in just three seasons, amassing 5,259 yards and 49 rushing touchdowns at a clip of 5.3 yards per carry.

The great number 34 is the only player in NCAA history to finish in the top three in Heisman voting in all three of his collegiate seasons (winning it in his third and final season in 1982), and the only NCAA player who played only three years to finish in the top ten in rushing yards.

When freshman running backs get off to incredibly fast starts at Georgia — or any other school for that matter — Herschel Walker is the measuring stick to which they are held, and so far, none have been able to live up to the standard.

Next: Top 10 Must-See Freshman for 2015

More from Saturday Blitz

Home/Georgia Bulldogs