The Alabama Crimson Tide might as well be Running Back University. Long before legends like Derrick Henry and Mark Ingram etched their names in program lore, guys like Johnny Musso and Bobby Humphrey were doing the same.
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Carrying the ball in Tuscaloosa isn't something to be taken lightly, and when a player is deemed RB1 there, he's got a pretty great chance of becoming a first-round draft pick and potentially winning the Heisman Trophy. It also helps to have five-star offensive linemen blocking for you.
From Nick Saban to Bear Bryant, Alabama coaches have had it made trusting some of the best running backs in college football history with the rock. Auburn may have Bo Jackson, Georgia may have Herschel Walker and Florida may have Emmitt Smith, but how many schools can say they had multiple Heisman Trophy winners who were also running backs?
We know Alabama is the king of running backs, but we wanted to find out who the very best were. We asked followers on Facebook and tallied up the comments and reactions to determine our list, and the results may or may not surprise you.
Alabama football has been loaded with talented rushers in the backfield throughout history, and these are the 15 best according to Alabama fans.
15. Kenyan Drake
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Votes: 1
Even during Drake's best season in 2013, he shared a running backs room with Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon. That's just tough to get touches in. Still, he finished his four-year career with nearly 1,500 rushing yards and has had a pretty solid NFL career with teams like the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. He's still in the league, too, with the Green Bay Packers.
14. Major Ogilvie
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Votes: 1
Major Ogilvie may not have the best resume, but he has the best name on this list. He helped Bear Bryant win three SEC Championships from 1977-79 as well as two national championships in '78 and '79. Ogilvie also had an instrumental tackle before Alabama's goal-line stand against Penn State in the 1979 Sugar Bowl.
13. David Palmer
Alabama legend David Palmer. In 1993 he was a consensus All-American and finished third in the Heisman voting behind FSU's Charlie Ward and Tennessee's Heath Shuler. Nicknamed the “Duece” @AlabamaFTBL @TideTalkSports #RollTide @UA_Athletics @AlabamaDieHards pic.twitter.com/VJmoGQDcBI
— RobSoundsGood (@RobSoundsGood) January 18, 2021
Votes: 1
David Palmer won a national championship at Alabama in 1992 and was an All-American halfback. "The Deuce" once gashed Vanderbilt for 217 yards and placed third in the 1993 Heisman Trophy voting. He then became a second-round pick for the Minnesota Vikings.
12. Josh Jacobs
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Votes: 4
From homeless in middle school to a first-round pick, Jacobs is the embodiment of the Alabama standard. He played alongside backs like Damien Jacobs and Bo Scarbrough, but that didn't stop him from showcasing his incredible athleticism. He's now one of the best young running backs in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders.
11. Eddie Lacy
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Votes: 8
Eddie Lacy probably doesn't get enough respect when it comes to former Alabama running backs. As a junior, he rushed for more than 1,300 yards and added another 189 receiving yards, scoring 19 total touchdowns. The three-time national champ (!!!) also gave fans this nasty spin move versus Notre Dame.
10. Kerry Goode
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce that Kerry Goode will be recognized as a 2024 Distinguished Alabama Sportsman at the ASHOF Induction Ceremony on May 4, 2024 at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.
To purchase tickets, please contact the ASHOF at (205) 323-6665. pic.twitter.com/zrbFMY8mIf
— Kerry Goode (@KerryGoode) December 8, 2023
Votes: 15
Kerry Goode played at Alabama during the '80s, and his best season came as a freshman in 1983, when he totaled 736 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. His shining accomplishment was winning the SEC Freshman of the Year that same season. Goode was diagnosed with ALS in 2015 and continues to fight the disease.
9. Wilbur Jackson
Votes: 15
Wilbur Jackson owns the very important distinction as the first black player ever offered a scholarship to the University of Alabama. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry in T-Town, which ain't too shabby.
8. Tony Nathan
RB Tony Nathan receives his college diploma last weekend at the University of Alabama.
READ: http://t.co/jjGpwV4Xcp pic.twitter.com/dcYPX6EvTe
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 7, 2015
Votes: 16
Tony Nathan actually had a movie made about him called "Woodlawn," which told the story of how he was one of the first black football players at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama. From 1975-78, he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. He went to have a pretty decent NFL career with the Miami Dolphins.
7. Trent Richardson
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
RELATED: Trent Richardson's NFL Career Failed, But Where Is He Now?
Votes: 20
Richardson's NFL career may have been a bit of a bust, but his college career sure wasn't. He damn near won the 2011 Heisman Trophy (if it weren't for Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck) after rushing for 1,679 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns. Trent also won two national titles, but then again, who didn't while playing at 'Bama?
6. Bobby Humphrey
Votes: 23
Fans that were around to watch Bobby Humphrey were lucky. He once ran for 284 yards against Mississippi State in 1986 and 220 yards against Penn State the following year. By the time he was finished steamrolling linebackers, Humphrey had more 100-yard rushing performances than anyone in Alabama history — no one had more than his 16.
5. Mark Ingram
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Image
Votes: 24
What? A Heisman Trophy isn't enough to put Mark Ingram higher? College football's best player from the 2009 season rushed for 1,658 yards that season and played a key role in the team's BCS National Championship win over Texas. Maybe recency bias is at play here.
4. Najee Harris
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Votes: 30
To be honest, I'm shocked Najee is not in the top three here. He won two national championships and was a unanimous All-American in a pandemic-riddled 2020 season under Nick Saban. Thanks to coming back his senior season, he's the program record holder for career rushing yards (3,843) and career rushing touchdowns (46).
3. Johnny Musso
Votes: 36
"The Italian Stallion" punished opposing defenses under legendary Crimson Tide head coach Bear Bryant. In 1971, he was an All-American and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting after rushing for 1,088 yards. Musso was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame, further solidifying his legacy.
2. Shaun Alexander
Elsa Hasch /Allsport/Getty Images
Votes: 38
No one has rushed for more yards in a single game wearing the Crimson and White than Shaun Alexander, when he torched LSU for 291 yards and four touchdowns in 1996. He finished his collegiate career with 3,565 rushing yards, which ranks third all-time. He wasn't half bad in the NFL, either.
1. Derrick Henry
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Votes: 186
No surprise here. There's a reason his nickname is King Henry. Derrick Henry stiff-armed and bullied defenders right into the record books in Tuscaloosa. By the time he left Alabama, he held school records for career rushing yards (3,591), single-season rushing yards (2,219) and single-season rushing touchdowns (28). Najee Harris may have bested the career mark from Henry, but Derrick can forever say he was the best in college football after winning the 2015 Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Awards.
Derrick Henry will always be a legend to Alabama fans, and I'm sure the Tennessee Titans are thrilled they took him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, because he's the most powerful back in football.
Honorable Mentions
- Damien Harris
- Brian Robinson Jr.
- Siran Stacy
- Cotton Clark
- Shaud Williams
- Kenneth Darby
- Glen Coffee
- Sherman Williams
- T.J. Yeldon
- Jahmyr Gibbs
