Michigan State football: 15 greatest running backs in Spartans history
By John Buhler
T.J. Duckett certainly had big shoes to fill once he arrived at Michigan State. The Spartans had just had three great years of Sedrick Irvin before him when Duckett came to East Lansing. But let’s not forget the biggest pair of shoes he had to fill; those of his older brother Tico Duckett.
Opting to play his college football at the same school where his older brother starred previously was a bold choice, but was ultimately the right decision for the younger Duckett brother to make. Duckett was an outstanding linebacker in high school, but a promise by Michigan State head coach Nick Saban that he’d be able to compete at running back was all the assurance he needed.
As a freshman in 1999, Duckett rushed for 606 yards on 118 carries for 10 touchdowns. That was only the beginning for the bruising back from Kalamazoo. In his sophomore season in 2000, Duckett amassed 240 carries for 1,353 yards and seven touchdowns. Getting well over 1,000 yards was a huge accomplishment for Duckett, but he had even bigger plans for what was his final season in East Lansing in 2001.
During his junior season in 2001, Duckett rushed for 1,420 yards on 263 carries for 12 touchdowns, all of which ended up being career-bests for him in college. Duckett would be named Second-Team All-Big Ten that fall, parlaying that into a successful NFL career for much of the rest of the decade.
He would be the No. 18 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2002 NFL Draft, where he would spend his first four of seven NFL seasons. Playing alongside quarterback Michael Vick and running back Warrick Dunn, “D.V.D” dominated on the ground, as the 2004 Falcons won the NFC South for the first time, making it to the NFC Championship. Duckett last played with the 2008 Seattle Seahawks before retiring.
In three seasons in college, Duckett finished with 621 carries for 3,379 yards and 29 touchdowns. Those totals put him eighth, sixth and 10th all time respectively in the Michigan State rushing record books. Though his older brother was the slightly better college back, the younger Duckett ended up having by far the better pro career. Regardless, a pair of brothers find themselves in the top eight of this all-time list as elite tailbacks in the Michigan State landscape.