It has been 16 long years since an NFL team called Los Angeles home. A generation of kids has grown up in this city without a team to call their own. Despite not having a home team, millions of football fans reside in the city of angels.
USC, tailback U, has produced a long line of talented running backs. It is impossible to answer the question without talking about a running back wearing a cardinal and gold uniform. UCLA has also produced some talented running backs over the years as well.
When discussing the best Trojan to carry the pigskin special mention and recognition has to go to a fullback. Samuel Lewis Cunningham, a.k.a. Sam “Bam” Cunningham, a three-year varsity athlete for USC, played from 1970 -1972. Cunningham was named an All-American his senior season and member of the 1972 National Championship team.
In the 1973 Rose Bowl, Cunningham scored four touchdowns, a modern-day record that still stands. Sam Cunningham inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1992, the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Sam is the older brother of former Philadelphia Eagles QB Randall Cunningham who had a 16-year NFL career.
Sam Cunningham had a starring role in the game that changed the game of college football, the 1970 USC vs. Alabama game. *(“Turning of the Tide – How one game changed the south” written by Don Yaeger with Sam Cunningham and John Papadakis is a highly recommended book that fully covers the event.)
At the time, racial tension was everywhere as the country was slowly changing its views as African Americans sought to shake the shackles of old injustices. The Vietnam War dominated the headlines; protesters were gunned down at Kent State and rioters fought against mandatory busing.
In the backdrop of this upheaval Cunningham put on a 12-carry 135 yard, 2- touchdown performance in his first collegiate game that helped USC beat an all-white Alabama team 42-21 at Legion Field. The first fully integrated college football game in the state of Alabama. The 1970 USC vs. Alabama game, credited with fully integrating the SEC. The game and Sam Cunningham have “historic status” to those who witnessed the event. The starting running back, Clarence Davis, was from Birmingham, Alabama.
To put the game in its proper perspective we must remember that in 1954, Brown vs. Board of Education overturned the separate but equal policy in schools. In August of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of 100, 000 people.
Then Alabama Governor George Wallace, who used the race card to get in office, physically blocked the entrance of Foster Auditorium to prevent two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from enrolling in the University of Alabama.
In 1964, the Civil Rights Act ended public racial discrimination, but in the south, these measures fell on deaf ears, as late as 1969 the southern most schools in the SEC fielded all-white teams. Alabama maintained their dominance on the field as an all-white team winning championships in 1961, 64, 65 and had an undefeated season in 1966.
This led several people in Alabama to feel that there was no need to integrate. At the time, Alabama was the flagship for segregation. Former Alabama assistant coach Jerry Claiborne made a profound statement describing the game. Stating “That USC, and in particular Cunningham, did more for integration in 60 minutes than had been done in 50 years.”
The best year for pro football fans in Los Angeles has to be 1983. The year that the Marcus Allen ran for 1,014 yards, scored nine touchdowns and the Los Angeles Raiders won the Super Bowl. In that same year, Eric Dickerson’s rookie year with the Los Angeles Rams, ran for 1,808 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.
The list of the best USC running backs has to include Mike Garrett, Jon Arnett, Clarence Davis, Anthony Davis, Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Ricky Bell, Reggie Bush and LenDale White.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owwLrK7r9Mk
The running backs listed above are among the best ever at the college level. Another thing all of these Trojans have in common is the fact that all made it onto NFL rosters. The list includes five Heisman Trophy winners, six members of the College Football Hall of Fame and two members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Their contributions to the USC football program will live on in the history books as the hard work of Trojan legends. The two running backs that stand out as the best are O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen.
Despite the despicable acts, that he was on trial for off the field there is no denying O.J. Simpson’s tremendous accomplishments on the football field. At USC, Simpson led the nation in rushing in 1967 with 1,451 yards scoring 11 touchdowns and in 1968 producing 1,709 yards and scoring 22 touchdowns.
In 1968, Simpson earned the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award. Simpson had a stellar NFL career being the first running back to run for 2,000 yards in a 14-game season. Simpson is a member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
When speaking of the best running backs to call L.A. home the best two are Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson.
Eric Dickerson was outstanding; he was a tremendous combination of size and speed (6’3” 220 lbs.) for a running back. At SMU, Dickerson was a member of the “Pony Express” sharing carries with Craig James. Dickerson finished his college career with 4,450 on 790 rushing attempts that broke Earl Campbell’s Southwest Conference record for yards and attempts. Dickerson amassed 48 rushing touchdowns that tied Doak Walker’s SMU career scoring mark.
As a pro, Dickerson played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. Dickerson was impressive from the start setting rookie records for rushing attempts (390), rushing yards (1,808), and touchdowns (22). Dickerson named rookie of the year, player of the year, All-Pro and made his first Pro Bowl appearance. Dickerson continued to impress in his second season rushing for 100 yards an amazing 11-times breaking two of O.J. Simpson’s records in the process. Dickerson broke Simpson’s 100-yard games record and set the NFL record rushing for 2,105 yards. Dickerson was a six-time pro bowl player, named all-pro five-times, a member of the NFL 1980’s All Decade team. Dickerson finished his career with 13,259 yards (7th best in NFL history) and 90 touchdowns. Dickerson named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4RmxOveTNA
Marcus Allen is the best running back to call L.A. home. Let the debate begin over who is the best between Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson. Both football players are extremely talented and worthy of the crown. Dickerson had the size and speed factors on his side. Allen was a more versatile and skilled football player on his side. However, when you consider that Allen is a member of an elite group of players that won the Heisman Trophy & Super Bowl MVP trophy (Roger Staubach, Jim Plunkett and Desmond Howard). Allen started his football career as a defensive back and that was the only position he wanted to play. After the starting quarterback at Lincoln High in San Diego, CA graduated, his coach convinced him to play quarterback, he succeeded and the team won.
Marcus Allen recruited to play defensive back at USC. Coach John Robinson switched him to tailback, although he spent his first season as the back up to Heisman Trophy winning tailback Charles White. Allen moved to fullback in 1979 and blocked for Charles White he did not become the starting tailback at USC until 1980. Marcus Allen had good size (6’2” 210lbs.) for a running back. Coach Robinson also coached Eric Dickerson, but called Allen “The greatest player I ever saw”.
Allen was an intelligent football player, that possesed the competitiveness, balance, vision, versatility you look for in a running back as well as intangibles like the rare ability to make defenders miss and the absolute refusal to be outworked by anyone. Marcus Allen starred for both the USC Trojans and the Los Angeles Raiders. There isn’t a football fan in Los Angeles, born after 1965, that can forget the performance that Allen put on in 1981, his senior year at USC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaq6KY_xFsY
Marcus Allen set or tied 12 NCAA records.
The list included:
Most yards gained, regular season – 2,342
Highest per-game rushing average – 212.9
Most games 200 yards or more rushing – 8
Most yards rushing in four consecutive games – 926
Most yards rushing in five consecutive games – 1,136
Most rushes, season – 403
Most all-purpose running plays, season – 432
Most all-purpose yards, season – 2,559
Highest per-carry rushing average, season – 5.81
Most yards, two successive seasons – 3,905
Most 100-yard games, season (shared by 5) – 11
Source: USC Sports Information Department
Marcus Allen followed his epic 1981 performance with a remarkable 16-year pro career for the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. Allen named to the Pro Bowl six times. Allen was the 1982 NFL Offensive rookie of the year, 1983 Super Bowl MVP (20 carries 191 yards and 2 TD’s), 1985 NFL MVP & Offensive Player of the year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnR4AiUvlKs
Marcus Allen named the 1993 NFL Comeback player of the year. This former Trojan was the first player ever to amass 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. This former USC legend finished his career with 12,243 yards (12th best in NFL history), had 587 receptions for 5,412 yards and scored an amazing 145 touchdowns; 123 rushing (3rd best in NFL history). Allen’s football journey included a Super Bowl championship and induction into the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Marcus Allen’s career was tremendous, but what made it sweet was that several pro scouts said that Allen couldn’t run insinuating that what he accomplished at USC was more of the system than the player, several carries, years, missed tackles, touchdowns later the Pro Football Hall of Fame said otherwise.