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We all know who the best running backs in Oregon Ducks football history are. Over the years, we’ve taken a hard look at the all-time career rushing list in Eugene and determined which players stand above the rest as far as a legacy left behind.
Heck, we even determined which rushing duos were the best in Oregon history earlier this year, looking at standout seasons from tandems in the Ducks’ backfield, looking at which 1-2 punch had the most power in Eugene.
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However, where do these Oregon legends stand when it comes to the history of college football as a whole? Recently, ESPN did some work to figure that out, ranking the best 100 running backs in the game. Fortunately for the Ducks, a pair of Oregon alums made the cut.
Those guys are Royce Freeman and LaMichael James.
Freeman, who is currently the No. 1 player on Oregon’s rushing list, was listed a little bit lower than we expected, coming in at No. 63 on the list. He finished his career in Eugene with 5,621 yards and 60 touchdowns in four seasons.
James, on the other hand, got some nice recognition from ESPN, coming in at No. 30 on the list. Here is what they had to say:
Chip Kelly’s Ducks went 34-6 from 2009-11, finishing in the top five twice and nearly winning the 2010 national title. James was the face of those teams, rushing for at least 1,500 yards each year and scoring 24 times during that blessed 2010 run. An underrated superstar.
In his career, LaMichael had 5,082 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns, finishing No. 2 on Oregon’s all-time rushing list. He was also playing alongside Kenjon Barner — No. 3 on the rushing list — making them the undisputed top RB tandem in Oregon history.
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