The 5 Best Army Running Backs of All Time

[RABBLE]

1. Glenn Davis
2. Felix " Doc" Blanchard
3. Bob Anderson
4. Chris Cagle
5. Mike Mayweather

I just felt I would post my selection and my opinion.

How about you guys?

[Oliphant]

I can't disagree.

Paul Bunker deserves consideration.

[fjjm1947]

How about Pete Dawkins.

[Oliphant]

How about Pete Dawkins.

Pete is definitely up there.

[wpgrad]

So crazy hard to compare across generations due to size, speed, etc.

If I’m making a list Darnell Woolfolk gotta be somewhere. 800/900 his last 2 years with 28 TDs on team that was 21-5.

[GO 150s 87]

Doug Black was a stud during the Jim Young era. He led the team in rushing during the '84 and '85 seasons and never once lost yardage. He was storybook too. To wit, Doug was an intramural star and made the team on an open tryout Coach Young held for the Corps. He them immediately became the starter at FB and never looked back.

[Oliphant]

I have always liked Light Horse Harry Wilson, even if he did miss the game-winning field goal against the Navy in the 1926 classic at Soldier Field. The resulting 21-21 tie allowed the Navy to claim its only national championship.

But he was a heck of a running back. He and Cagle were dominant and they both had awesome nicknames.

https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1383

Nicknamed after Light Horse Lee and flew bombing missions in WW2.

And I can't forget my namesake Elmer Oliphant. Oliphant scored an Academy-record 125 points in football during his senior season and 289 points during his Army career.

https://forwhattheygave.com/2007/09/22/elmer-oliphant/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Oliphant

As a plebe Oliphant was superintendent of Sunday School at West Point. He became the first to include the children of the colored soldier in the classes, in addition to opening the way for the children of all enlisted men.

Both were great players and were great men.

[RABBLE]

In talking to my brother who was a personal friend of Pete, Pete said to him that Bob Anderson was a better runner by far when they teamed together. Pete was a humble guy of course. He believed that but he made it as far as the Heisman is concerned and all other awards that he got because of his publicity of being first in anything he did at WP and later at Oxford. Pete was and still is an unbelievable man even today.
Don't get me wrong. Pete was spectacular but I believe Anderson was a better offensive threat. Only a leg injury in his senior season kept him from winning three straight All -American.
Others mentioned on this post also our truly worthy of a very high ranking.

[RABBLE]

In talking to my brother who was a personal friend of Pete, Pete said to him that Bob Anderson was a better runner by far when they teamed together. Pete was a humble guy of course. He believed that but he made it as far as the Heisman is concerned and all other awards that he got because of his publicity of being first in anything he did at WP and later at Oxford. Pete was and still is an unbelievable man even today.
Don't get me wrong. Pete was spectacular but I believe Anderson was a better offensive threat. Only a leg injury in his senior season kept him from winning three straight All -American.
Others mentioned on this post also our truly worthy of a very high ranking.

[RABBLE]

Sorry for the double post but three other running backs whose careers were cut short by injuries were three I can remember off- hand;
Bob Kyasky (Blaik called him the best runner since Davis)
Gene Mikelonis (One great year and done because of injury)
Van Evans (small but one of the fastest runners ever at WP. Cut down by a leg injury)

I'm sure there were plenty more whose careers were cut short by injuries, especially years back when medical technology was not as good as today.

Can anyone name more?