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The Michigan Wolverines greatest running backs

By Ash Thompson

Michigan's Mike Hart (20) runs the ball past the Nebraska defense during the 2005 MasterCard Alamo Bowl game game between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, December 28, 2005, at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas. Nebraska won 32 - 28. (Photo by Darren Abate/Getty Images)
Michigan's Mike Hart (20) runs the ball past the Nebraska defense during the 2005 MasterCard Alamo Bowl game game between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, December 28, 2005, at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas. Nebraska won 32 - 28. (Photo by Darren Abate/Getty Images) /
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Michigan Football
ANN ARBOR, MI – OCTOBER 17: The Michigan Wolverines student section and marching band during the college football game against the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium on October 17, 2015, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Michigan Wolverines have had a plethora of great running backs over the years. Here are my top five.

The Michigan Wolverines have a history of great running backs. Some were tanks in human form, others were hummingbirds. Some were track stars, while others loved only football. The common thread between them though is that each of these men left their mark on the Michigan Wolverines program. While the gifts that made them successful may not have always translated to their NFL teams, during their college careers they were the best of the best.

5: Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson was a 6’1″ 205lb running back in the late 1960s. The Detroit native’s career statistics were almost all Michigan records when he graduated. He ran for  2491 yards during his career. The previous record at Michigan was 1585. In 1967 he set the Big Ten Conference record for rushing yards in a single game with 270 against Navy. He did that on 26 carries. He was the team’s MVP for the year.

The 1968 season, however, was where Johnson left his greatest mark on Wolverines history. The team was not predicted to be particularly good. Johnson carried them to an 8-2 record and a number 12 ranking on the final AP poll. He ran for 1391 yards in 10 games. During the second game of the year, he hit 200 yards for the second time in his career. On November 16, 1968, Johnson set the NCAA record for rushing yards in a single game. His 31 carry, 347-yard performance against Wisconsin is the sort of gaudy number you would expect if you were to take Saquon Barkley and drop him into the 1960s college football world.

He was the Football Writers Association of America and Football News first-team All-American. He was unanimously elected team MVP by his teammates. Johnson won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Big Ten MVP. He also earned the Big Ten Medal as the most outstanding scholar-athlete at the University of Michigan.

The most important impact of Johnson’s 1968 season goes beyond his lengthy and impressive list of accomplishments on the field. Johnson was the first African American to serve as the team captain of the Michigan Wolverines football team. This was just one year after the infamous 1967 12th street riot and only months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Johnson graduated with a business degree and played in the NFL for seven seasons. He was the first running back in New York Giants history to run for 1000 yards in a season. Johnson was an All-Pro once and made two Pro Bowl rosters. As with most players at the running back position before the late 1980s, his career was cut short by injuries. He put his degree to good use after football, however. Rackson, his foodservice company, eventually owned and operated 13 Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises in Michigan and New Jersey.

Johnson was inducted into the College football hall of fame in 1992. He became the Chairman of the National Football Foundation in 1992.

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