Trying to avoid recency bias here, but my memory is poor and my football knowledge is … lacking. Still, I’ll start with the two obvious picks, AT and ARE.
Lay it on me, fellas.
Lay it on me, fellas.
Top 5/10 IU FB players, all time, any era, any position.
- Thread starter Radio Zero
- Start date
Tevin Coleman
Trent Green
AT
ARE
Joe Norman
Tracy Porter
Earl Faison
George Taliaferro
...still revising and extending my remarks..
Others worthy of consideration, if just looking college careers, Vaughn Dunbar, Van Waiters, Mike Dumas, Ernie Jones, James Hardy, Dan Feeney, Dave Schnell, Adawale Ogunleye and McFadden. Think with a great year Mullen can slide into the discussion
Ernie Jones..., don't forget Ernie Jones... If you look at his stats..., his were better than the highly decorated WR up at ND...
Don't forget either that Anthony Thompson got screwed out of the Hiesman by our very own Lee Corso also (he was still holding a serious grudge against IU for canning him and got even, big time, by panning AT's last game efforts just based on his stats...)...
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A.T.(far & away #1), Hillenbrand, Ravensburg, Coleman, Dunbar, Randle El, Pihos, Talliafero, McFadden, &...I'm saying Dan Feeney. Honorable mention to James Hardy.
Just in my years of following and in no particular order:
AT
ARE
Joe Norman
Tim Wilbur
Tim Clifford
Honorable mention from the heart:
Mike Harkrider
AT
ARE
Joe Norman
Tim Wilbur
Tim Clifford
Honorable mention from the heart:
Mike Harkrider
throwing out a dark horse pick: Marcus Thigpen. He was productive as it was, would have been stellar on better teams.
In no particular order: Tim Clifford, Mike Harkrader, AT, Joe Norman, Micah McFadden, Trent Green, Ernie Jones, George Taliafaro (never saw him play, but he should be on everyone's list), Pete Stoyanovich
Rodger Saffold and Tom Nowatzke should be mentioned
yes. the BIG offense! those are the guys, ( along with george mcginnis ), that made me an iu fan.
George Taliaferro has the statue in front of the stadium and Pete Pilos
Quinn Buckner played safety (all big ten) for two years … and got drafted
Harry Gonzo … ran the speed option for the ‘68 team other candidates
Gary Cassells, 1967 first team All-American offensive guard
1967 All-American linebacker Ken Kaczmarek
Doug Crusan, All American, DT and team captain.
Six Indiana players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, including Zora Clevinger, Bill Ingram, Pete Pihos, George Taliaferro, John Tavener, and Anthony Thompson,
Interesting list endorsed by the NFL
https://www.nfl.com/photos/top-10-a...00206774#49097af7-b7e6-46db-b414-7582af4df197
suggests the following additions
Kirk Dielman
Bob DeMarco
Adewale Ogunleye
Bob Skoronski
Bob Hoernschemeyer
ARE
AT
Tevin Coleman
Hardy
Dunbar
Mullen
Feeney
Porter
Doss
McFadden
That's my list from 1989 to present.
AT
Tevin Coleman
Hardy
Dunbar
Mullen
Feeney
Porter
Doss
McFadden
That's my list from 1989 to present.
I saw Jade Butcher on only one list. He has to be included. I don't have exact numbers in front of Me but I remember looking them up several years ago. In an era where the number of passes thrown in a game were no where near what they are today. He caught 123 passes in a 3 year career. On those passes He scored 30 career touchdowns - strangely enough 30 TD's in each of the three years. That means He found the end zone once in every 4 Catches.. I don't know anyone Who has come close to that ratio of Catches to td's.
Billy Hillenbrand
Pete Pihos
George Taliaferro
Tom Nowatske
Jade Butcher
Joe Norman
Antwan Randle EL
Anthony Thompson
Trent Green
Roger Saffold
Pete Pihos
George Taliaferro
Tom Nowatske
Jade Butcher
Joe Norman
Antwan Randle EL
Anthony Thompson
Trent Green
Roger Saffold
dave schnell & kellen lewis gotta be on that list. wally o & carl barzo were pretty good too.
Which reminds me to add Vaughn Dunbar.
He played for DiNardo … but Ben Jarvis Green Ellis … had a relatively long NFL career.
Green may be IUs best quarterback ever:
“Green won football letters in 1990, 1991 and 1992, and was co-captain in 1992. He was IU's Most Valuable Player in 1992. He was a member of three bowl teams while at IU, the Liberty Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Copper Bowl. Green holds IU record with 2,627 passing yards in 1991 and ranks 4th on career list with 5,400 yards. He set the total offense record in 1991 with 2,829 yards and is 4th on career list with 5,916 yards. Green played quarterback in the NFL for 15 years.”
https://iuhoosiers.com/honors/indiana-university-athletics-hall-of-fame/trent-green/22
He was good, not great--he was better in the NFL. Definitely not in the top 10 IU players all-time, but it's an opinion.
Those numbers aren't accurate as far as being single season leader with 2,627 yds, that's a weird mistake for the SIO to make.
A quick search shows Chappell & Lewis having better single season & career numbers.
Again, Trent was before my time. His numbers (particularly TD/INT ratio) just seem mediocre.
Lots of good names here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Hoosiers_football_statistical_leaders
Defensive leaders too
All American Donnie Thomas
Tim Wilber
Eric Allen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Hoosiers_football_statistical_leaders
Defensive leaders too
All American Donnie Thomas
Tim Wilber
Eric Allen
Maybe just referring to it being a record at the time?
Non skill position since they are obvious: Joe Norman, Mike Dumas, Dan Feeney. Micah McFadden and Van Waiters pop to mind. One I would not have on my list was Barzo mentioned above. I was in school at that time and to me his only qualification was being really big at a time that not many were. Obviously the Jets or whoever drafted him quite high disagreed with my astute opinion!
I’ll never forget watching the Mallory show the day after we beat Michigan. “They couldn’t cover Ernie”
You have the wrong impression. Think Peyton Ramsey with a bigger arm. Of course, he also had a better supporting cast.
I thought about adding Barzo. I'd also like to commend him for Barzo's Blitz, aka The Peanut Barrell.
Mallory's teams were running teams. He also was a running QB and pretty effective.
He also proved his worth once he got to the NFL.
I'm not saying he's in the top 10 but Levron Williams is another who was better than maybe he gets credit for.
He was an absolutely stellar fit in that backfield with ARE & Jeremi Johnson running the triple option! Basically a track guy who could burn down the sideline after taking the pitch.
ARE was the best college FB player I have ever seen. AT would have won the Heisman on any top 25 program but ARE might have won it twice. He was that good.
Levron was a good back but you have to remember that defenses had to focus so much on ARE that Levron got some space...and he made the most of it.
100%.
I don't think Levron would have excelled like he did on any old IU team. But he sure was perfect for that specific offense with ARE running it.
ARE would fake a pass then run around the end with four guys in pursuit. The secondary would meet him the pile would be going down and ARE's arm would pop out of the descending pile and flip the ball to Lev. It was beautiful to watch.
A.T. was the best IU football player I've ever seen, easily. A.R.E....was spectacular, & in the perfect offense to showcase his skills/offer him the freedom to improvise as he chose, which few players are afforded. Not saying he wasn't great, but those things are factors on my list.
Both should have been Heisman winners
