BEST RUNNING BACKS IN TSSAA HISTORY

[75 coach]

I'm I the only person who saw Jeffery Vughn from Dickson County in the early 90's. Mr Football and could he punish people when he ran the ball. I saw him against Whites Creek take Sheldon Quarles helment off with a crushing hit while covering a punt return by Whites Creek. Most awesome hit I have ever seen.

[Big D.]

Rickey Blake from Lincoln County back in the mid 80s just punished anyone who tried to tackle him!

[CoachBray]

I agree that Fleming would be #1. I would also like to throw Radale Pearson of Ridgeway into the mix. He was absolutely phenomenal. I have NEVER seen a more complete back like that.

[TennesseeGator]

Briarcrest Saints All-Time Team:

 

Offense

 

Jason McCommon (87-89) - QB

Bobby Toland (92-94) - RB

Graham Laster (95-97) - FB

Antionne Scott (94-96) - TE

Felix Jones (94) - WR

Jeff Fite (84-86) - WR

Matt Saunders (95-97) - WR

Garrett Vaughn (00-02) - C

Davis Carpenter (96-98) - OL

Michael Oher (2003-Present) - OL

Charles "Chuckie" Pemberton (97-99) - OL

Jeremy Walley (2001-Present) - OL

Cole Hoppe (98-2000) - Ath

 

Defense

 

Joe John Reams (92-94) - Nose/DL

Justin Currie (99-2002) - DL

Jim(?) Mabry (?) - DL

Michael Oher (2003-Present) - DL

Cotton O'Neal (98-2000) - LB

Will Rote (93-95) - LB

Trey Lampkin (2001-Present) - LB

Cole Hoppe (98-2000) - DB

Steve Bolton (78-80) - DB

Paul Lawler (2001-Present) - SS

Robert Towns (99-2002) - FS

Josh Schmidt (98-2000) - Ath

 

STATE CHAMPS 2002

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Wow seeing Joe John Reams on your list is pretty cool. He was one of my old neighborhood running buddies. Played many of backyard football games with him, did many other crazy things with him as well, I remember he was with me one time when we were being stupid and got caught with a pistol I snuck from my Grandpa. Got many good stories about that dude. I wonder what he is up to these days.

 

Bobby Toland lived in the same neighborhood but I never hung out with him much, I do remember Joe John borrowed a motor scooter from him and told us he bought it from him, man we took that thing through some mud and tore the he!! out of it.

 

I remember playing against Bobby in a few scrimmages when he played at ECS before going to BHS. He was good but nowhere near the best ever in the state, he wasn't even in the top 10 in Memphis, although I did move away in 10th grade.

 

 

Didn't Jeff Fite Punt, return punts, and play WR for Memphis(Memphis State at the time)?

[TennesseeGator]

Agreed about Al Wilson, but just to clarify, MBA lost to BA in the '95 semis two weeks after beating Central-Merry (without Wilson) in the second round.  It was '94 that Al Wilson and C-M beat MBA 42-0 in the second round of the playoffs (MBA didn't play BA that year).  That was (and still is) MBA's most lopsided loss since 1976.

 

Nevertheless, Al Wilson was, and still is, a hoss, and a heckuva leader.  But thanks for the unpleasant reminder about the '94 game!

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In my opinion Al Wilson wasn't the best back on the team. He was the best player but not the best back. Wesley Barlow was the best back

 

 

Al played QB early in his HS career.

[TennesseeGator]

what's the matter with you people?

AL WILSON was the most dominant tailback in the history of tn high school football. in 95 jackson central mary(do they even have a football team any more?) beat mba 45-0 b/c al wilson could not be tackled. the mba team was very good and gave the eventual state champion ba squad a heck of a fight in the 5A semi's(althought the score makes it appear that ba ran away with it) first play of the mba jcm game al wilson takes a fullback dive 85 yards to the house. that was pretty much what happened the rest of the game.

second to wilson i TRAVIS STEPHENS out of clarksville NE. he is why clarksville NE beat the 96 mba team by three touchdowns. that mba team went on to lose to a ba team team that was perhaps the 2nd or 3rd greatest tn team ever in double overtime in what was perhaps the greatest high school football games of all time.

 

of course, fleming's stats are great. look at his competition! GARBAGE! i don't care what anybody says it was garbage.

in order to find the best backs ever you have to first look how they played against mba.

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Al was at UT in 95, his last football season at JCM was 94. And heck yes JCM still has a football team, ever heard of Daniel Brooks a LB at UT? He is compared to Al. Ever heard of one of the nations top Punters from Ole Miss Cody Ridgeway he is also a JCM alum.

[TennesseeGator]

Of all the backs I've seen mentioned on this thread Santonio Beard has to be the most overrated.  Someone should ask Super recruiter Carlton Flatt about Jermiah Ligon in 95.  He might give him a vote

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Then why did Santino have a pretty descent college career compared to over half of the players people are listing? Even better than Troy Fleming(probably always the 4th best at best on UT's roster every year). How is he overrated?

[TennesseeGator]

My list from the past 20 years or so.

 

 

Marlon Barnes- Millington. Played at Colorado and later for the Bears.

 

Santino Beard- Pearl Cohn. Great high school player and pretty descent college player at Bama.

 

Rod Smith- Milan. Will make some noise as a DB for Memphis before it is all said and done.

 

Alvin Duke- Riverdale. Just couldn't get it going at Vandy.

 

Terrence Ball- Huntingdon.

 

Earnest Williams- Crockett County. Will be a teammate of Rod Smith at U of M.

 

Travis Stephens- Clarksville NE. Great HS and college back.

 

Gerard Arnold- Lexington. Great HS RB and did good at U of M in Rip's boring offense.

 

Robby Locklear- Hardin County. 1994 Mr. Tennessee Football. Didn't like sharing the pigskin with Arnold and Teofilo Riley at U of M and quit and wasted his football talent.

 

X-Man Crawford- Trezevant. He had grade problems early and later some injuries while at U of M, also remember about 5 years or so ago he got busted in a conterfiet sting.

 

Troy Fleming- MBA. Yeah he played against some garbage teams but still put up some awesome numbers. Had a ok career at UT, hopes he makes the Titans.

 

Tripp Tucker- USJ. Like Fleming he played against a lot of garbage teams but still impressive. Went to the worst place for anyone to go to play football, UT Martin. If I have Tripp on this list I should have Franklin Payne(now a WR at Illinois), he is probably the best back to play at USJ but I could name a ton of players who are better than him. Tripps grandfather has my vote as best HS coach in Tennessee.

 

What kind of HS career did Fred Lane have? I remember when he played for Lane College and later had a good short career for the Panthers Sure hated hearing tragic murder about him.

[CHS2005]

Kevin Cobb (Cleveland)

Demeatris Fields (Cleveland)

BRandon Fields (Cleveland)

Lavonte Barber (Cleveland)

[75 coach]

Then why did Santino have a pretty descent college career compared to over half of the players people are listing? Even better than Troy Fleming(probably always the 4th best at best on UT's roster every year). How is he overrated?

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You've got to be kidding right? If Brandon Myree had not left Alabama and went to Pittsburgh, where he started Beard would have never seen the field. Also, Fleming played a different position in college and was one of the best in the natiion at that position. Fullback if you don't understand what I'm talking about.

[rlh]

Does anyone remember Jimmy Wigfall or Eddie Brown?  I think Wigfall may have been the best.

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Wigfall is the reason the '69 Pirates ran for 21 1st downs in the State Championship game against TPS, a record that still stands. They were both 2 of the greatest high school backs to every play TN high school football.

[rlh]

You've got to be kidding right?  If Brandon Myree had not left Alabama and went to Pittsburgh, where he started Beard would have never seen the field.  Also, Fleming played a different position in college and was one of the best in the natiion at that position.  Fullback if you don't understand what I'm talking about.

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High School and college are 2 different questions. I personally think Shawn Bryson was the best full back that UT ever had.

Edited August 16, 2004 by rlh