Michigan State Football: All-time Spartan team
Running Back(1): Lorenzo White
The first running back to be named for me is an obvious one. Lorenzo White is an all-time great who deserves more recognition, but the success of the backfield in recent years under Dantonio has made people overlook the glory years in which the then-senior running back led the Spartans to their first Rose Bowl victory in 32 years.
After rushing for over 600 yards and four touchdowns during his freshman season, it looked like there was hope for the Hollywood, Fla., native to become a solid back for the Spartans. No one could have predicted just how much he would improve over the years, let alone one season later.
In fact, White became the first Big Ten running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season as a sophomore in 1985, finishing with 2,066 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. He was named an All-American that season and even finished fourth in Heisman voting.
However, his junior season wasn’t as successful as he finished with just 633 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games, but he came back with a vengeance in 1987, racking up over 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns. As stated earlier, the Spartans won the Rose Bowl that season.
Over his four-year career, White finished with 4,887 yards and 43 touchdowns which both rank No. 1 all-time at MSU. He played eight years in the NFL for the Houston Oilers and Cleveland Browns, finishing with 4,242 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns.
Next: Running Back(2)