I contend Tyrone Wheatley is the best overall UM running back in the last...

[maelfan]

45 years. I mention him because I wonder why UM has had so much trouble over the years finding a guy like Wheatley, big or small at this position? A true burner; real, football, gameday breakaway speed.

Bo Jackson, Garrison Hearst. Ezekiel Elliott, the list could go on for miles of players even from smaller schools.

I'm not sure every team needs one to be great. Maybe see Alabama under Saban althought the speed and power like Wheatley, maybe a tad slower always seems to be there. But having it sure can help.

 

[tarun262]

Mike Hart would be in the arguement about the best back for Michigan. A bunch had some great single years - Anthony Thomas, Biakabatuka, Perry, etc but Wheatley and Hart were able to sustain being great for such a long period.

 

[Reality Man]

Here is my list...of guys I truly remember and watched play. Only factoring in college. It's a close call with some of these guys.

1. Timmy B. Elusive. Great vision. Smooth.
2. Wheatley. Nice burst and speed with more power than given credit for.
3. Hoard. Way way underrated. Powerful and ran well against the best. Good vision. NFL career only validates.
4. Hart. Durable and cagey. Very good vision.
5. Morris. Forgotten but effective. Not a big gainer but moved the chains. Hard to tackle because so small.

Other fine backs that people probably don't remember like Tony Boles before he got injured. Vaguely remember guys like Huckleby and Bell. Wasn't around for Johnson...not Jesse but Ron. A-Train..overrated although had a very good senior year.

Perry very good. How about Bunch? Very good but fb. How about Chris Howard...grinding out yards. He was a better Deveon Smith.

RM

 

[Reality Man]

https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Leroy+Hoard&fr=yfp-t-150&fr2=p:fp,m:sb

For those who want to see some hard nosed running.

 

[tarun262]

One major player left out - Denard Robinson. The dude pretty much owns Top 2 or 3 records for rushing at Michigan. Imagine if he had not gotten hurt? That dude was unstoppable!

 

[renohightower1977]

I can't say I'm old enough to remember much before the '88 season, but I don't know if there was anyone that embodied the blend of speed and power to the extent of Wheatley. It seamed we always had such a plethora
of backs in the late 80's and early 90's. Leroy Hoard, Tony Boles, Jarrod Bunch, Jon Vaughn, Ricky Powers, Jesse Johnson, Ed Davis, Biakabutuka...eventually though, it seemed the stables became harder and harder to fill. Dont get me wrong, we've had some great performers afterwards as well, such as Thomas, Perry, and Hart, but just not an abundance of dependable backs as we did during the aforementioned era. I'd love to experience that piece of former Michigan lore implemented back into the program, and under Harbaugh's tutelage.

 

[maelfan]

I guess I'm just waiting for a back with true breakaway speed to actually be good enough overall to be the man in the backfield.

 

[BlueCoral]

I agree Wheatley was the best.
I would say Mike Hart then Biakabatuka

 

[detroitjohn]

45 years. I mention him because I wonder why UM has had so much trouble over the years finding a guy like Wheatley, big or small at this position? A true burner; real, football, gameday breakaway speed.

Bo Jackson, Garrison Hearst. Ezekiel Elliott, the list could go on for miles of players even from smaller schools.

I'm not sure every team needs one to be great. Maybe see Alabama under Saban althought the speed and power like Wheatley, maybe a tad slower always seems to be there. But having it sure can help.

I'm not sure what you're talking about until 2008 UM had wave after wave of great backs...Biakabatuka, Anthony Thomas, Chris Perry, Mike Hart all of whom put their stamp of greatness in the history of great UM RBs. Any top 10-12 list of UM all-time great RBs would be incomplete without them. And then there is the de facto RB Denard Robinson.