10 greatest running backs in Penn State football history
Penn State has a remarkable history of dominant running backs, but these 10 stood out amongst the rest in program history. With D.J. Dozier and Ki-Jana Carter on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, where do those legends rank?
By Josh Yourish
![Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4088,h_2299,x_0,y_89/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/139/01hzj7pbjenwbefdhdh1.jpg)
. player. . DJ Dozier. . D.J. Dozier. D.J. Dozier. 1983-86. 7. 491
D.J. Dozier is on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 and for good reason. While he was never dominant in a given year, Dozier was rock-steady at Penn State, leading the Nittany Lions in rushing for all four seasons of his career.
Despite only breaking 1,000 yards rushing in a season as a freshman and never again, Dozier amassed 3,227 yards on the ground. In Penn State’s 12-0 1986 National Championship season, Dozier was a consensus First-Team All-American.
Dozier was drafted 14th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1987 NFL Draft and in 1992 after retiring from the NFL, played 25 games for the New York Mets at 26 years old.