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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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Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

8. I.M. Hipp

Before Kenny Bell hauled in touchdowns for the Big Red, if you wanted to know where to look for a ‘fro, you’d best keep an eye out for Isaiah Moses Walter Hipp.

Originally a walk-on, the 1977 First-Team All-Big Eight running back knew the cardinal rule about how to get into the Nebraska football record books as a guy that totes the rock: Never let pesky defenders stand in your way from running, running and running some more. Hipp would do just that accumulating 2,940 yards and 21 touchdowns over the course of his collegiate career.

Hipp would do just that accumulating 2,940 yards and 21 touchdowns over the course of his collegiate career.

He would start out his tenure with back-to-back seasons breaking the 1,000-yard mark making him the first Husker running back to ever do that. Keep in mind he was splitting time at the No. 1 spot during his junior year with Richard Berns who also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark.

As a sophomore, Hipp ran over, around and through the Indiana Hoosiers to break the school record for rushing yards in a game with 254. He would also tally 200 yards later that year against the Kansas Jayhawks.

A turf toe injury cut his final year short after only 128 carries, 585 yards and four touchdowns. Despite the unfortunate end to his senior year, Hipp managed an impressive 5.5 yards per carry by the time he hung up his cleats as a Cornhusker.

Hipp would be drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 1980 NFL Draft, though his time as a dirty bird would be short-lived as he was released due to player cutbacks.

Despite that, Hipp will always be one of the best walk-on stories in all of Nebraska athletics and we’ll never, ever forget that hair.

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