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Nebraska Football: 10 Best Running Backs of All-Time

By Brandon Cavanaugh

Jan 24, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; North squad running back Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska (28) runs past the tackle attempt of South squad defensive end Trey Flowers of Arkansas (86) in the first quarter of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; North squad running back Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska (28) runs past the tackle attempt of South squad defensive end Trey Flowers of Arkansas (86) in the first quarter of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports /
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1. Lawrence Phillips

A controversial number one pick? You bet, but despite Phillips‘ off-the-field problems, he was a one-of-a-kind athlete that no Husker fan had ever seen since Rozier and have yet to see again as of this writing.

In only 27 games, he would rush for 2,777 yards and 30 touchdowns. Keep in mind he played all of five games during the 1995 season during a very tumultuous time for both him and Nebraska football as a program.

It wasn’t just that he was able to average 6.2 yards per carry over his career including an insane 7.7 yards per tote in 1995, but how he went about it.

Phillips had a mentality of “I’m getting yardage, you’re just in the way.” He had tremendous vision beyond the line of scrimmage and once he got into the open field, it was up to some poor sucker to try to take the beast man down.

What properly defines Phillips as Nebraska’s best all-time back isn’t that he was the sixth overall of the 1996 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams.

Despite his character issues and flaws, he was given chance after chance in the hopes that maybe he’d finally find a home where he could excel and be content.

He played for three NFL franchises (St. Louis, Miami and San Francisco) before eventually finding his way North to Canada. The only stay that lasted more than one year was his time with the Rams.

Next: Throwback Thursday – McNeese Learned to Fear Ameer Abdullah

If Phillips was able to get his demons under control, he’s likely another Nebraska Heisman Trophy winner and has a long career in the NFL.

Unfortunately, we’ll never know what could’ve been.

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