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Greatest NE fullback.

Do you really think that Frank would have got a single snap in the 70s, 80s or 90s at his size as a FB? The jump in average player size from the 60s to the 70s and beyond was crazy. The only reason I went back as far as Franklin is because he was a physical freak. Some of his lifting records were in place well into the 90s. Especially leg and hip strength lifts. He was 200# but ran like he was about 250. He also may have been the best blocker of the bunch. The other three I picked were in the neighborhood of 230 by their senior year. Frank could still have played on the late 70s to late 90s teams. Just not as a FB.
Fullback under Devaney was the equivalent of the I-Back under Osborne... same position name, but different roles. Would be like comparing Duck-R and H-back under Watson.

Fullback was "all the way back" and half-back was "half-way back" You can guess where the quarterback was. :p
 
This question is so hard to answer. They're all amazing! My favorite is Joel Makovicka, but I think the best has got to be Rathman.
 



Do you really think that Frank would have got a single snap in the 70s, 80s or 90s at his size as a FB? The jump in average player size from the 60s to the 70s and beyond was crazy. The only reason I went back as far as Franklin is because he was a physical freak. Some of his lifting records were in place well into the 90s. Especially leg and hip strength lifts. He was 200# but ran like he was about 250. He also may have been the best blocker of the bunch. The other three I picked were in the neighborhood of 230 by their senior year. Frank could still have played on the late 70s to late 90s teams. Just not as a FB.
All were great players amongst their peers.

Next you will tell everyone Bronko Nagurski and Red Grange were no good because they would not have started for the 1995 Husker’s

GBR
 
Honestly looking at those FB names brings a tear to my eye. I so loved our FB's and the brutal type of running game we played back in the day. Won't pick one BEST because we had so many outstanding FB's over the years. Probably won't ever see that type of physical down hill running football again. :(
 
Do you really think that Frank would have got a single snap in the 70s, 80s or 90s at his size as a FB? The jump in average player size from the 60s to the 70s and beyond was crazy. The only reason I went back as far as Franklin is because he was a physical freak. Some of his lifting records were in place well into the 90s. Especially leg and hip strength lifts. He was 200# but ran like he was about 250. He also may have been the best blocker of the bunch. The other three I picked were in the neighborhood of 230 by their senior year. Frank could still have played on the late 70s to late 90s teams. Just not as a FB.

Solich wasn't really a FB. His position was called "Fullback" because that particular variant of the Wing-T had never had a blocking FB. The label went back to the Single Wing player designations in which the FB was the ball carrier, but not the featured Tailback. Think of the Dallas Cowboys offense of the 70s under Tom Landry in which they almost always lined up as split backs in a T, but a guy like Tony Dorsett was considered a Halfback while a guy like Ron Springs was considered a Fullback. Never mind that either lined up on either side, and never mind that both ran the same dive plays, quick pitch plays, etc.

When Solich played for Nebraska, his position was a finesse RB position. The label of "Fullback" was already an anachronism by that time.
 



Solich wasn't really a FB. His position was called "Fullback" because that particular variant of the Wing-T had never had a blocking FB. The label went back to the Single Wing player designations in which the FB was the ball carrier, but not the featured Tailback. Think of the Dallas Cowboys offense of the 70s under Tom Landry in which they almost always lined up as split backs in a T, but a guy like Tony Dorsett was considered a Halfback while a guy like Ron Springs was considered a Fullback. Never mind that either lined up on either side, and never mind that both ran the same dive plays, quick pitch plays, etc.

When Solich played for Nebraska, his position was a finesse RB position. The label of "Fullback" was already an anachronism by that time.
Solich was a FB while I was a fan of Husker football.

Thank you for your eloquent description of that offense and how it differed from the later I-formation offense and the role of the FB in that formation.

It appears that you and many others prefer to define "FB" by the I-formation role.

In this case, the Mackovica's, Steve Kriewold and Dan Schniess; players with the opponents colors on the crown of their helmets, slightly crushed face guard and IQ's that have temporarily decreased by 10 points by the end of the season :), are the premier FB's of Husker Football.

Hard to argue with that.

But I still enjoyed the Devaney era and those players I mentioned who excelled greatly above their peers in their time.

GBR
 
Solich was a FB while I was a fan of Husker football.

Thank you for your eloquent description of that offense and how it differed from the later I-formation offense and the role of the FB in that formation.

It appears that you and many others prefer to define "FB" by the I-formation role.

In this case, the Mackovica's, Steve Kriewold and Dan Schniess; players with the opponents colors on the crown of their helmets, slightly crushed face guard and IQ's that have temporarily decreased by 10 points by the end of the season :), are the premier FB's of Husker Football.

Hard to argue with that.

But I still enjoyed the Devaney era and those players I mentioned who excelled greatly above their peers in their time.

GBR

I have nothing but love for Frank the FB. I'm just saying that the label didn't mean what it meant later and now. In the same way, a Quarterback was a blocking back in the Single-Wing for half a century, but we wouldn't list any of those guys as playing the same position as Turner Gill, Steve Taylor, Tommie Frazier, et al. It's the same label, but it has a different meaning.
 
Do you really think that Frank would have got a single snap in the 70s, 80s or 90s at his size as a FB? The jump in average player size from the 60s to the 70s and beyond was crazy. The only reason I went back as far as Franklin is because he was a physical freak. Some of his lifting records were in place well into the 90s. Especially leg and hip strength lifts. He was 200# but ran like he was about 250. He also may have been the best blocker of the bunch. The other three I picked were in the neighborhood of 230 by their senior year. Frank could still have played on the late 70s to late 90s teams. Just not as a FB.
Players definitely have gotten much bigger. If Frank had been born later he most likely would have been bigger, due to improvements in nutrition, health care, weight lifting, etc.
 
I have nothing but love for Frank the FB. I'm just saying that the label didn't mean what it meant later and now. In the same way, a Quarterback was a blocking back in the Single-Wing for half a century, but we wouldn't list any of those guys as playing the same position as Turner Gill, Steve Taylor, Tommie Frazier, et al. It's the same label, but it has a different meaning.
MABC

I understand very well what you are saying, but my point is that if a single wing QB in the 1920's at DONU made All American because in that offense, doing what a QB did, he was the best amongst his peers then I as a DONU fan would recognize that list him amongst the DONU All Time greats at that position because it was not his fault that the position requirement were different in the 1920's compared to 1995 (and Tommie Frazier).

Now I have stretched a little because I am old but NOT THAT OLD!

My first game seen was in 1964, so I tend to "worship" my Husker Heros from then forward, players I have actually seen on the field myself.

So to me, Wayne Meylan will always be amongst the best Middle Guards ever at DONU, because I saw him dominate, even on bad teams (Richie Glover, GOAT).

Could he play D-line with Jared Crick or Suh, probably not, but he was the very best amongst his peers when he played.

MABC, thanks as always for your insights. :)

All the best.

GBR
 
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I understand very well what you are saying, but my point is that if a single wing QB in the 1920's at DONU made All American because in that offense, doing what a QB did, he was the best amongst his peers then I as a DONU fan would recognize that list him amongst the DONU All Time greats at that position because it was not his fault that the position requirement were different in the 1920's compared to 1995 (and Tommie Frazier).

With all due respect, you are not understanding what I'm saying. A QB a hundred years ago rarely touched the ball. He'd be called an H-Back today. It's a different position with the same name. Likewise, Frank was a Halfback, but in that offense his position was called "Fullback." I'm not just saying that the times have changed; I'm saying that Fullback literally isn't the same position. If Frost decides tomorrow to call the QB an I-Back, do we suddenly start comparing Adrian Martinez to Jarvis Redwine and Mike Rozier?

Again, this is nothing against Frank. I liked him a lot.
 
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Players definitely have gotten much bigger. If Frank had been born later he most likely would have been bigger, due to improvements in nutrition, health care, weight lifting, etc.
He would have been bigger but his height limited how much bigger he could get. 5'8" can only carry so much weight and still be athletic. I could have seen him in a wing back position in TOs later offense.
 

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