Favorite Friday = Who is Your favorite Gophers running back?

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LesBolstad said:
Marion Barber Jr.

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The picture of Marion in action was the last home game of the 1978 season and Cal Stoll’s last home game. Paul Giel would fire Cal after the Wisconsin game. I remember it was a cold, grey day after an overnight snow fall and my dad commenting the 30,000 or so people in Memorial Stadium were the die-hard fans of Minnesota football.
 

Gary Couch: with all tailbacks injured by the fourth quarter of the season finale against Iowa, Holtz insets his true frosh flanker into the game as a tailback and he scores the winning touchdown on a Foggie pitch-out—and he’s from Davenport! The fan mix must have been about 40,000 to 20,000 but that was the loudest I heard in the Metrodome for a given play.
 



I really liked Thompson and Maroney, but I thought both of them started tiptoeing around in their final seasons when first round money was beckoning from the NFL. I’d go MB3, Mo and Cobb in no particular order.
 


Gopherchase said:
I really liked Thompson and Maroney, but I thought both of them started tiptoeing around in their final seasons when first round money was beckoning from the NFL. I’d go MB3, Mo and Cobb in no particular order.
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I remember telling at Maroney through my tv a lot for that
 

BleedGopher said:
So. Many. Legends.

1. Maroney
2. MB3
3. DT
4. Russell (if only for that run against Michigan to set up the game winning FG)
5. Darkins

Go Gophers RB
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Russell, from the tailback position, he might do it, and he does! Russell down the sideline!
 

David Cobb didn't have as illustrious of a career as others mentioned but he really helped carry the 2013 and 2014 teams and deserves credit for getting the Gopher rushing attack going again.
 

Always have a soft spot for Nugget, but obviously wasn't the best of the bunch. I just missed coming to college in time for Maroney and Barber, but they were legendary.

During my Fandom, probably Ibrahim and then Cobb as a runner up.
 



This thread is just a good reminder of how good the running back room has been since 2000. Six of the top 10 rushers have been since 2000, ditto for rushing touchdowns.
  • Thomas Tapeh, 2000-2003, 1,958 yards, 24 rushing touchdowns (No. 8 in RT)
  • Marion Barber III, 2001-2004, 3,276 yards, 35 touchdowns (No. 6 in RY, No. 3 in RT)
  • Laurence Maroney, 2003-2005, 3,933 yards, 32 touchdowns (No. 4 in RY, No. 6 in RT)
  • Amir Pinnix, 2004-2007, 2,439 yards, 18 touchdowns (No. 10 in RY)
  • David Cobb, 2011-2014, 2,896 yards, 20 touchdowns, (No. 9 in RY)
  • Rodney Smith, 2015-2019, 4,125 yards, 29 touchdowns, (No. 3 in RY, No. 7 in RT)
  • Mohamed Ibrahim, 2018-2022, 4,668 yards, 53 touchdowns (No. 1 in RY, No. 1 in RT)
Plus good backs outside the top 10
  • Gary Russell, 2004-2005, 1,274 yards, 18 touchdowns
  • Donnell Kirkwood, 2010-2014, 1,474 yards, 11 touchdowns
  • Rodrick Williams, 2012-2015, 815 yards, 9 touchdowns
  • Kobe McCrary, 2016-2017, 738 yards, 11 touchdowns
  • Shannon Brooks, 2015-2019, 2,290 yards, 20 touchdowns
  • Darius Taylor, 2023-present, 1,785 yards, 15 touchdowns
Not surprising the years with a lot of overlap (2003, 2014, 2016, 2019) ended up producing a lot of wins.
 

IceBoxGopher said:
This thread is just a good reminder of how good the running back room has been since 2000. Six of the top 10 rushers have been since 2000, ditto for rushing touchdowns.
  • Thomas Tapeh, 2000-2003, 1,958 yards, 24 rushing touchdowns (No. 8 in RT)
  • Marion Barber III, 2001-2004, 3,276 yards, 35 touchdowns (No. 6 in RY, No. 3 in RT)
  • Laurence Maroney, 2003-2005, 3,933 yards, 32 touchdowns (No. 4 in RY, No. 6 in RT)
  • Amir Pinnix, 2004-2007, 2,439 yards, 18 touchdowns (No. 10 in RY)
  • David Cobb, 2011-2014, 2,896 yards, 20 touchdowns, (No. 9 in RY)
  • Rodney Smith, 2015-2019, 4,125 yards, 29 touchdowns, (No. 3 in RY, No. 7 in RT)
  • Mohamed Ibrahim, 2018-2022, 4,668 yards, 53 touchdowns (No. 1 in RY, No. 1 in RT)
Plus good backs outside the top 10
  • Gary Russell, 2004-2005, 1,274 yards, 18 touchdowns
  • Donnell Kirkwood, 2010-2014, 1,474 yards, 11 touchdowns
  • Rodrick Williams, 2012-2015, 815 yards, 9 touchdowns
  • Kobe McCrary, 2016-2017, 738 yards, 11 touchdowns
  • Shannon Brooks, 2015-2019, 2,290 yards, 20 touchdowns
  • Darius Taylor, 2023-present, 1,785 yards, 15 touchdowns
Not surprising the years with a lot of overlap (2003, 2014, 2016, 2019) ended up producing a lot of wins.
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Literally an embarrassment of riches! Thanks for putting this together
 





Mo Ibrahim. But I wish we had been able to see more of Gary Russell, I don’t think people remember how awesome he was. Also wish we got to see more of Bucky.
 


Recency bias: Mo Ibrahim- really carried the offense his last season. Felt terrible for him that it seemed like he was literally too tired to hold on to the football on that crucial fumble against Iowa. That just showed we trusted literally no one else on the offense that season.

Childhood favorite: Chris Darkins- I was at the Dome for one of his big games and was sure he'd make a great pro.

Special mention: Laurence Maroney- I don't think anyone made me jump out of my seat more than Maroney did. It felt like we always had a chance when he was on the roster because of his potential to just take it 80 yards himself.
 

Some guy said:
Maroney is the only person with two of the top 10 single season rushing yards records

Terry Jackson is the only guy with two of the top 10 single game rushing yards records


That being said I have to go with Ibrahim
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And Jackson is the only Gopher with a pair of 200-yard games in the same season... and he did it in consecutive games! 238 yards vs. Northwestern (while Tapeh ran for 176) and then 239 the next week at Michigan State.
 

mngg11 said:
That run against Purdue...by God
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Yes! He abused a Purdue db once 10 yards downfield and then did it again when the same kid got up and tried to tackle him at the goal line. Just a remarkable, Marshawn Lynch kind of run.
 

STPGopher said:
Absolutely love that statement. Marion Barber the II was great.

I have to say though I think my all-time favorite single game effort was Tellis Redmon in the Micron PC bowl.

Edit: 246 yards in 42 carries.
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Yup- And on that steamy, sticky, Miami night the holes were still there for him in the 4th quarter but he was just too tired to hit them! Blowing a 24-0 lead to a team led by some freshman quarterback named Phillip Rivers was painful. When the Gophers gave up a touchdown on a blocked punt and a 2-point conversion just before halftime, I had a bad feeling about the2nd half.
 

This is just from my memory/fandom:

1. Darrell Thompson- game against MI (and Bo surprised he got 100 yards against us) and his running style with the big shoulder pads
2. Laurence Maroney- TD run against WI and his electric “home run” TD rushing abilility
3. Shannon Brooks- punish defenders mentality and his Purdue game followed by multiple TD runs against IL. So tragic about his injuries.
4. Gary Russel- run against MI and long streak of no runs behind line of scrimmage
T5- Cobb and Mo- both seemed to get positive yards out of nothing

*. Gary Couch- just remember him being so fast on TV
*. Terry Jackson- felt bad for him after a 1000 yard season to get benched for MBIII and Maroney
*. Chris Darkins- still remember his great games but scarred memories of that hideous Wacker uniform with stripes over chest/shoulder pads
 
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EG#9 said:
Special mention: Laurence Maroney- I don't think anyone made me jump out of my seat more than Maroney did. It felt like we always had a chance when he was on the roster because of his potential to just take it 80 yards himself.
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It may have been a short dash, but his run on 4th down Vs. Oregon to get in field goal range in the Sun Bowl was just brilliant. Showed his vision and burst.
 




corcorangopher said:
Darrell Thompson -MN grown, outstanding as a player, and Mr Gopher since.
Imagine if he hadn’t torn up his legs on terrible Metrodome turf.
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I lived across the street from DT as a little kid in Rochester. Super nice family. Had all kinds of posters up in my room. Watching him play for JM back in the HS was astonishing. Truly a man playing boys. The other teams knew exactly what was coming on every play. I think he could’ve been one of the few that could’ve skipped college and played in the NFL, like Adrian Peterson.
 

Pdub said:
I lived across the street from DT as a little kid in Rochester. Super nice family. Had all kinds of posters up in my room. Watching him play for JM back in the HS was astonishing. Truly a man playing boys. The other teams knew exactly what was coming on every play. I think he could’ve been one of the few that could’ve skipped college and played in the NFL, like Adrian Peterson.
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I was in college so couldn’t watch the game but my brother (LB) played against DT in HS talked to my dad after said my brother had a boat load of tackles but the yards after contact were significant. I did see him play HS hoops live he was an amazing athlete.
 

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