TSL Poll: Your Favorite Running Back Of The Beamer Bowl Era

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1. Shyrone Stith and Suggs!

2. #22 Lee Suggs stands out among that lust of greats. What perplexes me still was why we never saw more two-back sets when we had the studs to drive opposing DC’s insane. We rarely saw Suggs and Jones together. Ditto for Williams and Evans. Poor offensive creativity if you ask me.

3. Ryan Williams was the most exciting, but Suggs’s incredible nose for the goal line pushes him to #1 on my list. Probably not up there with some of these others in terms of pure athletic talent, but he always seemed to find a way to get that extra yard when it really mattered.

4. Suggs. NCAA FBS record 27 consecutive games with a rushing TD (57 scored during streak)

   Want to be the best? Never stop scoring.

   Also, unlike RMFW, Evans, and DW, Suggs stayed for his SR season.

5. I’ve always felt Suggs was the best back pound for pound until his injuries

6. That was a hard choice, but I chose RMFW because he was an all around great back for one year and was exciting to watch. He could set people up and make them miss. He also had something that made you believe. Although all of them had that to an extent.

   Can we do superlatives for each one?

   David Wilson – Most Freakish Athleticism
   Lee Suggs – Blast That Hole
   Brandon Ore – Follow the Leader (Best at following blockers)
   Kevin Jones – Probably Better Than My Pick Best All Around
   Darren Evans – Blue Collar Award
   Ken Oxendine – Perfect Fit For Beamerball
   Dwayne Thomas – Somebody Help Me (I remeber him, but not much about his running style).

   I’m sure most of you can make better superlatives than I can.

7. Suggs and Imoh

8. John Riggins

9. How can KJ not be tops on this list?! The guy was the best natural runner ever on this team and I would argue top 20 college football all time. Had he played for a more innovative offense he would have put up 2000 or so yards. He probably would have been a Todd Gurley type in the NFL had she stayed healthy.

10. No way he’s #1, but shout out to Branden Ore (on the field, not off). Basically our whole offense in a season where our offense struggled (2006 I think?). I remember watching one run that season after he made 3 guys miss in the backfield and then went for a 1st down and thinking how glad I was we had him! I won’t mention a certain bowl game that he would’ve won for us if used in 2nd half.

    1. if he wasn’t such a bonehead, honestly he had the talent to be one of the all time greats. Watching him set up and follow his blockers was a thing of beauty, I don’t think I’ve ever seen another running back do that as well as he did. If only he had had a better head on his shoulders….

11. Suggs…30 TDs in one season…was a national record at the time. Need I say more?

    IIRC Suggs scored a TD in every game he played in his career.

12. Hard to choose from that group. You can also look at them as to:

    Who had the best career
    Who was most talented
    Who was the most productive
    etc.

    For me, and I have been watching the Hokies since the late 1960’s, the most talented I saw at VT was Ryan Williams. He just had the whole package. Great vision, great acceleration or burst, great determination, and nose for the endzone (inside the 10, you could not keep him out), and above average speed. A close second, talent wise, was Kevin Jones. Bigger and Faster than RW, but not quite as shifty and not quite the vision. Its close between those two. Lee Suggs was an all around great back and had great determination and strength. He probably had the best career of any VT RB. David Wilson was the best athlete to ever play the position at VT. If he had RW’s vision, he would have been unstoppable. He was the fastest RB we have ever had and maybe had the best balance of any RB too. Lots to like with all of those guys. If I had to take one guys for one big game it would be RW.

    1. Evidence suggests David Wilson was very stoppable inside the Redzone. Something like 8 TDs? IMHO I don’t care who is more talented. The more important question should be who produced when it mattered. That means points and TDs. Suggs was the man.

13. One of my favs was Darren Evans. Evans was a blue collar running back. I still remember the night he embarrassed the maryland db by trucking him. I also want to give a shout out for Brandon Ore, just think of the potential he had, especially the thursday night he made clemson look stupid at Lane.

    1. Yep, I put him as my favorite because of the ESPN Maryland game. Wilson had the most talent but drove me crazy when he would gain 20 yards on a play and then run backwards 5 yards on the next. Still – I loved those plays where his balance was incredible and he would run backwards for yards.

14. Lee Suggs – always hit the hole hard and was always running downhill.

    1. Went immediately to that name without any hesitation. The others do warrant serious consideration but It’s TD LEE all the way.

       1. Would be interesting to see how many – yard runs Suggs had. My memory doesn’t recall any.

    2. “always hit the hole hard” says it all about why Suggs was my favorite.

    3. I voted Suggs over all others because he put the ball in the end zone!

15. Can’t believe KJ is that far down.

16. Before B. Bowl era, but # 2, Roscoe Coles was fun to watch and was a fine ball carrier!

17. Name not on here that I loved, Andre Kendrick. As for the best, I loved Suggs and KJ was certainly special, but Ryan Williams honestly was something to behold. In terms of all around package he is #1 to me. Home run hitter would be KJ or DW

18. Really tough choice(s), however, I went with KJ. Just remember watching those games where he would hit the corner and me and my buddy would just look at each other and say, “good-bye:)…”

19. My heart wants me to vote for Dwayne Thomas. My head says Lee Suggs. The short yardage/goal line performance and the lack of fumbles does it for me.

20. I was too drunk to remember Suggs games well, but I loved him from the stands. I had to vote RW, he just sticks out as the one I loved watching run the most.

21. RW’s 2009 season was unbelievable. Especially considering our OL troubles and QB play / lack of throwing offense.

22. KJ’s physical ability is unsurpassed on this list. But the best pure running back, IMO, was TD Lee. He was lightning quick to the hole, even if he wasn’t a blazer in the open field, he was smooth and fluid, and he rarely lost yardage. In addition he was a very good receiver and pretty darned good blocker.

23. Kevin Jones was the most dominant back VT has ever had and it’s not even close.

24. Lee Suggs for the way he played and for the way he carried himself.

25. Still pissed at Wilson for that 20 yard loss against Michigan.

    1. Was that after he ran 100 yards back and forth across the field? Or was that another game?

       1. You’re thinking about vs. Clemson. He actually got a first down on that one IIRC. The infamous Michigan run was after we drove down the field to the red zone on our first possession. We had to settle for a FG after the backwards run, one of many that night and maybe the difference maker given our red zone struggles.

26. I’ll never forget Ryan Williams dragging that defender something like 10 yards to the goal line for a TD. He was not gonna be stopped. Definitely my fav, but Lee had a real nose for the endzone. So hard to choose!!

    1. Same thoughts I have, Tbird. My jaw was on the floor….”did I just see that?”. Fun times

    2. The broke the ice for me too. Ryan dragging that NC State player was something else.

27. Cedric HUUUUUUUUUUMES was my favorite but KJ and Suggs are tied for second.

    Also a shout out to Shyrone Stith!

28. I say Lee Suggs due to his high TD totals and nose for the goal line. I also like to be able to say I tackled him in high school!

29. Wish we could have voted multiple. Lee Suggs #1 DE #2 and Ore #3 for me.

30. TD Lee. Besides his speed, he had a great feel for that goal line and he hit it.

31. Not really fair as there were a couple more……but Suggs saw the seam better than most

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