Penn State Football: 15 best running backs in Nittany Lions history
By John Buhler
Curtis Enis came to Penn State in 1995 after being Mr. Football in his native Ohio in 1993. Enis was a three-time high school All-American playing linebacker, but a position change in college is what inevitably made him a Penn State legend.
In three years with the Nittany Lions, Enis amassed some of the greatest numbers the football has ever seen from the running back position. As a freshman in 1995, Enis rushed for 683 yards and four touchdowns on 113 carries. He would see his touches out of the Penn State backfield double as a sophomore in 1996. That’s when Enis’ production would really take off.
In 1996, Enis had 224 carries for 1,210 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns to go along with 32 catches for 291 yards and a touchdown out of the Nittany Lions backfield. In what was his third and final year at Penn State, Enis had his best season of his football career. He had 228 carries for 1,363 yards and an absurd 19 rushing touchdowns. Enis also had 25 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.
This phenomenal junior season would help Enis be named a consensus All-American in 1997. He would leave State College after his junior year to begin his professional football career. Enis ended up being selected No. 5 overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1998 NFL Draft. However, he only lasted four years in the NFL. He had to retired after the 2001 NFL season with the Cleveland Browns at the age of 24 due to a degenerative knee condition.
Overall, Enis had 565 carries for 3,256 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns in three seasons with Penn State. Through the 2018 NCAA season, Enis ranks third all time in rushing touchdowns and sixth all time in rushing yards in the history of the Nittany Lions program.
Given his consensus All-American status in 1997, there is a decent chance that Enis could one day be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Though his NFL career was short-lived and ruined by injury, at least Penn State can say that they got the very best ball out of Enis during his three years in Happy Valley.