30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time
Career Statistics
- Games: 33
- Carries: 994
- Rushing Yards: 5,259
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 159.4
- Rushing Yards Per Season: 1,753.0
- Rushing Touchdowns: 49
- Yards Per Carry: 5.3
- Receptions: 26
- Receiving Yards: 243
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Notable: Heisman Trophy Winner, 1982; All-American 1980, 1981, 1982
Had he not been lured to the USFL after his junior season at Georgia, Herschel Walker would have undoubtedly become the greatest college running back of all-time. However, his three-year stint with the Bulldogs was so impressive, he’s worthy of the No. 2 spot on our list.
With 5,259 career rushing yards, Walker ranks No. 12 on the Division I all-time list and he ranks first among players that only played three seasons. He exploded onto the college football scene as a true freshman in 1980 first by running through Tennessee defensive back Bill Bates in the season opener, and then by leading Georgia to the national championship with 1,616 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
As a sophomore, Walker took one step closer to the Heisman and finished as the runner-up after rushing for a career-high 1,891 yards and 18 TDs and by leading the Bulldogs to a 10-1 regular season record. He finally captured the hardware in 1982 with 1,752 rushing yards and 16 scores – which makes him the only player ever to finish in the top three of the Heisman vote in all three of his college seasons.
Walker was such a gifted athlete that he was a two-time All-American sprinter at Georgia, was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics in the two-man bobsled (while he was in the middle of a 16-year professional football career), and fought professionally in two MMA bouts in 2010-11.
Next: Ron Dayne