3 Greatest Running Backs in Tennessee History

3 Greatest Running Backs in Tennessee History

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When ranking all-time Tennessee Volunteer rushers, there are almost two separate categories to dive into; the more modern day running back, and the single-wing triple-threats of a forgotten era.

Some lean towards the older greats when ranking, but with the evolution of the game, the two groups cannot be accurately compared. Despite that, the stars of the past deserve recognition. Johnny Majors, Hank Lauricella and Gene McEver were Volunteers legends at the position from the late-20's to the mid -0's, even if their statistics don't live up to modern standards.

With that in mind, here the three most dominant Tennessee running backs since those days of yore.

3. Arian Foster (2005-08)

Arian Foster actually the most total yards from scrimmage of any running back in Tennessee history, reaching 3,706 across four seasons.. He is also the second all-time Volunteers rusher. He did not receive many accolades in college, despite his consistency, and is better known for his career in the NFL, which included two First Team All-Pros and an NFL leading rusher title in 2010.

2. Jamal Lewis (1997-99)

Despite totaling less than Foster and other Volunteers running backs like James Stewart, Jamal Lewis' total was incredibly impressive considering he only played three seasons for Tennessee (all of which were shared with Travis Henry). He averaged 892 rush yards per season (higher than anyone else on this list), and 1,050 total scrimmage yards per season. Lewis was SEC Freshman of the Year in 1997 and a BCS National Champion in 1998. Later, he was a Super Bowl Champion with the Baltimore Ravens.

1. Travis Henry (1997-2000)

The all-time leader in Tennessee rushing yards with 3,078, Travis Henry did it while competing with Jamal Lewis for touches. Although he averaged fewer yards per season than Lewis, the overall yardage total in the extra year gives him the nod in Volunteers history. Henry made First Team All-SEC in 2000 after helping win the National Championship with Lewis. He had less NFL success than he saw in college, but he did make one Pro Bowl in 2002.

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Michael Obermuller is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Michael also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username king_mizzard. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.