ESPN recent put together a ranking of the top 100 college running backs in the last 60 years, and although Cal is represented by two players on the list, one former Golden Bears star is conspicuous by his absence.
ESPN used the 60-year span because in 1965 the NCAA repealed the rules enforcing the use of one-platoon football, ie, players required to play both offense and defense. Two-platoon football took over and the running backs began to shine, being the prime offensive weapon until quarterbacks gradually took over.
Two Cal players made the top 100, but the Cal running back who made the biggest impact in the NFL is not on the list. We will disclose that player as well as the player who is No. 1 on the list after we cite the two Cal players ranked among the top 100:
No. 89 — J.J. Arrington, Cal (2003-04)
Arrington is one of four players listed under the heading of “One-Year Wonders,” along with No. 87 Kevin Smith of Ventral Florida, No. 88 Bryce Love of Stanford and No. 90 Andre Williams of Boston College.
For some reason, we tend to forget about JJ Arrington, even though he holds the Cal record for rushing yardage in a single season (2,018 in 2004) and is one of 33 players to rush for 2,000 yards or more in a season (Jonathan Taylor , Ron Dayne and Troy Davis each did it twice). Arrington gets overshadowed because he played alongside Aaron Rodgers, who got most of the accolades in that 2004 season when the Bears finished 10-2 (10-1 in the regular season when it had an AP ranking of No. 4). However, Arrington was a first-team All-American in 2004, Rodgers was not, and Arrington finished higher in the Heisman Trophy voting than Rodgers, who placed ninth while Arrington came in eighth in 2004.
Arrington had only one outstanding season. A junior college transfer, Arrington played two seasons at Cal and was not even the Bears’ leading rusher in 2003, gaining 607 yards while teammate and primary starter Adimchinobe Echemandu rushed for 1,195 yards in 2003. Arrington also had some fumble issues in 2003, which I have cured the next season.
No. 36. Chuck Muncie, Cal (1973-75)
Here is what ESPN said about Muncie
Career stats: 3,052 rushing yards (5.6), 1,085 receiving yards (11.2), 38 TDs
Another great dual-threat back, Muncie put together a season for the ages in 1975, rushing for 1,460 yards (6.4 per carry) and catching 39 balls for 392 more. Cal recorded his first top-15 finish in 25 years, and Muncie finished behind only Archie Griffin in the Heisman voting.
Muncie’s 1,460 yards in 1975 was not only a school record but it broke the previous Cal record by 380 yards, topping the 1,080 yards Jackie Jensen recorded in 1948. Muncie’s mark stood until Arrington broke it in 2004. Muncie’s season is now the fourth-best in school history behind Arrington, behind Jahvid Best (1,580 in 2008) and Justin Forsett (1,546 in 2007).
In 1975, Muncie ran for more yards than Heisman winner Archie Griffin, who gained 1,450 yards that year, but Muncie was not the leading rusher in the Pac-8 that year, finishing behind USC’s Ricky Bell, who ran for 1,957 yards in 1975 but finished only third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Who is No. 1?
ESPN ranked Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders as the best running back of the past 60 years. His 2,628 rushing yards in 1988 still stand as the Division I record, a mark that is even more amazing when you consider that postseason stats were not included then as they have been since 2002. Sanders rushed for 222 yards and five touchdowns in a Holiday Bowl win over BYU that season, but those 222 yards don’t count in his single-season stats.
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But the big question for Cal fans is this: Where is Marshawn Lynch?
Arrington never did much in the pros, and Muncie was named to the Pro Bowl three times, but never rushed for more than 1,200 yards in an NFL season and finished with 6,702 career rushing yards.
As a pro, Lynch was named to the Pro Bowl five times, was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2012, rushed for more than 1,200 yards four times and had 10,413 career rushing yards, one of 31 players to rush for more than 10,000 yads in a career. He also rushed for more than 100 yards four times in the postseason and more than 130 yards four times.
He is clearly the best NFL running back to come out of Cal.
However, Lynch’s numbers at Cal, though impressive, were not as good as the other players in the top 100. He was Arrington’s backup as a freshman in 2004 when he rushed for 628 yards and an 8.8-yards-per-carry average, then rushed for 1,246 as a sophomore and 1,356 in his final college season as a junior. Despite playing just three college seasons, Lynch still ranks second in career rushing at Cal behind only Russell White, who played four seasons.
Good numbers, but not good enough to make the list.
Lynch continues to get exposure in TV commercials, and this week the Seattle Kraken of the NHL announced that Lynch has become part owner of that team.
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Cover photo of Chuck Muncie courtesy of Cal Athletics
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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