Former Wisconsin running back legend James White considers former UW teammate Melvin Gordon the greatest Badger running back ever, per a recent interview with ESPN Madison.
White, who finished his career No. 4 all-time at Wisconsin with 4,015 rushing yards, shared the field with Gordon, the runner-up for the 2014 Heisman Trophy, from 2011-13.
At the peak of their powers, the two absolutely dominated for UW in 2013. That season, Gordon ranked second in the Big Ten with 1,609 rushing yards, scored 12 rushing touchdowns, and set a UW single-season record at 7.8 yards per attempt. White, who started 12 of those games, ranked No. 17 nationally with an average of 111.1 rushing yards per game, rushed for a career-high 1,444 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.
Here’s what the Super Bowl champion said about his former Badger teammate:
“He has the speed, the power, everything you need,” White said. “After I left, especially during his senior year, he was heavily relied upon. That entire season, teams [were] stacking the box, doing whatever they [could] to slow him down. Still, he ripped off 100-yard games, 200-yard games… it was truly impressive to see the growth from him, his freshman year not playing too much all the way to that point where he was the guy, being up for the Heisman. They made it to the Big Ten Championship too, so it’s not like they were a slouch football team. A big part of that was because of him.”
Who’s the greatest #Badgers running back of All Time? @SweetFeet_White gives his answer. pic.twitter.com/HL9mznQ3NP
— Jim Rutledge (@JimRutledge) October 4, 2024
After White was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft Gordon would go on to have one of the greatest individual seasons by a running back in NCAA Division I football history.
In 2014, Gordon rushed for a staggering 2,587 yards, a Big Ten record and the second-most in FBS history. He also led nation in rushing at 184.8 yards per game, the most since LaDanian Tomlinson averaged 196.2 yards per game with TCU in 2000.
Gordon pocketed the 2014 Doak Walker Award, signifying the nation’s best running back, and was runner-up in the Hesiman voting to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
White, meanwhile, went on to earn three Super Bowl rings with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. It’s hard to imagine how opposing defenses game planned for the duo during heir primes at Wisconsin, but one thing is for certain: it wasn’t easy.