5 Greatest Running Backs in Miami Hurricanes History

Most lists of the greatest Miami Hurricanes football players ever pick from guys who played in the last 45 years.

Our list of the best running backs doesn’t divert from that, either. Well, much. At least one of the five you’ll find here played with the Hurricanes before they became The U. He made it easily, too.

As for the other four, yes, they played for one of the sport’s greatest villains. But if you’re a Miami fan, they’re sure enough heroes.

Honorable Mentions

• Jim Dooley (1949-1951)
• Stephen McGuire (1989-1992)
• James Jackson (1996-2000)
• Frank Gore (2001-2004)
• Duke Johnson (2012-2014)

5. Alonzo Highsmith (1983-1986)

If you judge Highsmith by sheer numbers, you might be loath to put him on this list. You’d be wrong.

He was supposed to be a linebacker when he got to Miami out of high school, but he was immediately converted to fullback and helped the Hurricanes to the national championship in 1983.

The next year, he’d lead the team in rushing and then continue to garner carries even as he went back to a blocking role in 1985 and ‘86 and he was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

4. Clinton Portis (1999-2001)

When Portis lined up in the backfield for his first game at Miami, he became only the second true freshman to start at running back for the Hurricanes in 1975. It was the start of something special.

He ran for 838 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman before injuries limited him to just eight games as a sophomore.

Portis returned with a vengeance in 2001, going for 1,200 yards and 10 scores on the ground as Miami won the national championship. It was his last season with the ‘Canes and had he stayed healthy or stayed longer, he’d almost certainly rank higher.

3. Ottis Anderson (1975-1978)

Only Duke Johnson has more career yards rushing in a Miami uniform than Anderson and Anderson’s college career ended in 1978. That’s rather incredible considering the number of great backs the school has had since.

He was the first player in school history to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season when he did so his senior season of 1978.

It earned him honorable mention All-American honors and the No. 7 overall selection in the NFL draft. He’d go on to make two All-Pro teams, win two Super Bowls and earn Super Bowl Most Valuable honors in the professional ranks.

2. Willis McGahee (2000-2002)

If you were a football fan when it happened, you remember it. The knee injury McGahee suffered in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl remains one of the most devastating to witness in the history of the game.

Had it not happened, it’s possible McGahee goes down as one of the best running backs in history. As it stands, we have just that season, his sophomore season, to really go on.

He ran for 314 yards in a backup role in 2001, picking up a national title, but it was the 2002 season that made him a legend. McGahee ran for 1,753 yards and 28 touchdowns en route to a fourth-place Heisman Trophy finish. We’ll never forget it, certainly.

1. Edgerrin James (1996-1998)

James ranks third in Miami history in yards rushing and second in career rushing touchdowns. But for our money, he was an easy choice as the top pick.

Part of the reason is because of the, at best, mediocre quarterback play Miami was getting at the time. Teams could load the box against James and force some combination of Ryan Clement or Scott Covington to beat them. James still came through.

He was the first back in school history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and his 14 100-yard games still rank first in school history. And while Miami didn’t have the team success to which it had become accustomed in the era before him, that wasn’t because of Edge.

The Best of Miami Hurricanes Football

• 10 Greatest Football Players in Miami Hurricanes History
• 5 Greatest Quarterbacks in Miami Hurricanes History
• 5 Greatest Running Backs in Miami Hurricanes History
• 5 Greatest Wide Receivers in Miami Hurricanes History
• 5 Greatest Defensive Players in Miami Hurricanes History