geaux_sioux Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 I have seen numerous opposing top flight RBs come to Alerus over the past couple years. Chappel had the talent to compare to those guys IMO. I've yet to see a RB in person with such easy top end speed and instant acceleration. Those backs we saw were quick but none had devastating break away speed. Quote
geaux_sioux Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 he lacked the mental strength of Miller. Unfortunately very true Quote
UND-FB-FAN Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 Sorry but I don't think it's fair to Jake to compare him to Chappell. Reason number 1. Chappell ran a 10.54 100M in highschool, I'm not sure if Jake even ran a 10.9 100M. Chappell was also 200 lbs, Jake is the slightest RB I've ever seen at UND. Chappell did quite well against the legit D1 teams he played against (13 ypc avg at #5 UNI, 11.3 ypc at SUU with a 73 yard TD run) and was faster than anyone we've had in D1 anyway so I'm not sure how he wouldn't have had similar success. I know I pimp Chappell like none other but he was a once in a generation talent and we only got two years to see him play, Jake is just a run of the mill athlete. I think saying Chappell was 200 lbs is a bit of push, but not too far off I suppose. Anyways, you have to consider the offensive lines of UND when Chappell played. They were far more physical than what UND had to offer Jake Miller, which is really discouraging since UND was DI and had their former O-line coach as head coach. Regardless, I'm not trying to endorse Miller. His size and strength were not good enough for DI runningback. Quote
jdub27 Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 Sorry but I don't think it's fair to Jake to compare him to Chappell. Reason number 1. Chappell ran a 10.54 100M in highschool, I'm not sure if Jake even ran a 10.9 100M. Miller was mainly a 400/800/1600 runner along with related relays in high school and Chappell mainly ran hurdles and the sprint relays. Probably leads to what you were getting at, but they were different types of runners. Not sure either of them qualified for state in the 100m dash or if they did, they didn't run at the state meet. Edit - Completely blanked on the 2005 state meet, Chappell won the 100m and 200m. Quote
UND92,96 Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 Miller was mainly a 400/800/1600 runner along with related relays in high school and Chappell mainly ran hurdles and the spring relays. Probably leads to what you were getting at, but they were different types of runners. Not sure either of them qualified for state in the 100m dash or if they did, they didn't run at the state meet. Chappell won the 100, 200 and both hurdles at state in 2005. It was the last state meet in Grand Forks and one of the best performances I've ever witnessed. Quote
ericpnelson Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 Chappell won the 100, 200 and both hurdles at state in 2005. It was the last state meet in Grand Forks and one of the best performances I've ever witnessed. Chappell at one point had like the 3rd fastest 300m hurdle time in the nation or something rediculous like that. The football team wasn't the only team on campus disappointed when he wasn't eligible anymore. Quote
jdub27 Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 Chappell won the 100, 200 and both hurdles at state in 2005. It was the last state meet in Grand Forks and one of the best performances I've ever witnessed. Not sure how I forgot about that. I stand corrected. Quote
geaux_sioux Posted December 17, 2013 Posted December 17, 2013 Miller was mainly a 400/800/1600 runner along with related relays in high school and Chappell mainly ran hurdles and the spring relays. Probably leads to what you were getting at, but they were different types of runners. Not sure either of them qualified for state in the 100m dash or if they did, they didn't run at the state meet. Edit - Completely blanked on the 2005 state meet, Chappell won the 100m and 200m. Chappell was only on relays when they wanted to qualify a relay for state when he was a senior. He was a guaranteed 40 points each meet so the coach had him in all individual the majority of the time. At state his senior year team Chappell would have gotten 4th at state if I remember correctly. By himself he was a top give track team at state. Quote
forksandspoons Posted December 17, 2013 Author Posted December 17, 2013 Dressler and Hardin are the two best in my time. The only receiver that I can remember before Dressler is Travis Lueck. Brady Trenbeath was pretty darn good too. But I have a small sample size to work with compared to a lot of you. What Trenbeath was best at other than his hands was his blocking.. wow could that guy free up space on the field. he also had quite a few freshman receiving records Quote
UNDBIZ Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 What Trenbeath was best at other than his hands was his blocking.. wow could that guy free up space on the field. he also had quite a few freshman receiving records That guy was just a pure athlete. He was good at every sport. Basketball, baseball, football..... didn't matter. He was overshadowed by Dressler at UND and yet he still managed to put up very good numbers. Quote
UNDBIZ Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 Congrats to Greg Hardin on being placed on several All-American teams today. Hopefully it gets him the national recognition he needs to have a chance at playing at the next level, whether that's the NFL or CFL. Quote
ericpnelson Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 How about this... If I'm taking an all-time UND receiving core I'm taking Tracy Martin, Weston Dressler, Greg Hardin, Brady Trenbeath, and Golladay (Yes, despite recent events) Quote
UND92,96 Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 How about this... If I'm taking an all-time UND receiving core I'm taking Tracy Martin, Weston Dressler, Greg Hardin, Brady Trenbeath, and Golladay (Yes, despite recent events) My understanding is that Gustafson is definitely among the top five, although he was way before my time and I never actually saw him play. Quote
NDSIOUXFAN1 Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 How about this... If I'm taking an all-time UND receiving core I'm taking Tracy Martin, Weston Dressler, Greg Hardin, Brady Trenbeath, and Golladay (Yes, despite recent events) Love the list, but I wouldn't want a quitter on my team. Just my opinion. 1 Quote
UNDBIZ Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 Love the list, but I wouldn't want a quitter on my team. Just my opinion. Agreed. He's a great talent, but quitters don't make all-time lists. Quote
ericpnelson Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 Agreed. He's a great talent, but quitters don't make all-time lists. Love the list, but I wouldn't want a quitter on my team. Just my opinion. Fair points... I guess I don't think going up a division is quitting, but I respect the view on the other side. Does that mean Ryan Chappell would be excluded from greatest RB discussions? 1 Quote
nodakvindy Posted December 18, 2013 Posted December 18, 2013 He only played two years after transferring from Montana, but I'd say Jeff McElroy is right up at the top. Put up amazing numbers on a team where the run game was probably first second and third option. Great route runner and exceptional hands. Quote
choyt3 Posted December 19, 2013 Posted December 19, 2013 Tim Gelinske was also fun to watch, but Dressler and Hardin are top two without a lot of debate. Quote
NDSIOUXFAN1 Posted December 19, 2013 Posted December 19, 2013 Gelinske was fun to watch and I won't argue much with Dressler or Hardin, but IMO Tracy Martin and Dan Graf definitely deserve to be in the top 5. Quote
scpa0305 Posted December 19, 2013 Posted December 19, 2013 I really don't know how you can argue against Dressler and Hardin. They are the top two in both numbers and talent, in my opinion. Now, head-to-head, I'd take Dressler. The deciding factor being he was on winning teams and he is tearing it up in the CFL. Next year, it'll be the NFL. He is negotiating a deal with a NFL team. The team name hasn't been released, but I'd like to speculate it is New England. Could use Weston in a "Wes Welker role" and he'd put up big numbers. I'm pretty sure he has the "chance" to play in the NFL. He is only going to get a look. To answer the initial question....at the fcs level and with the same teams I'd take Hardin. Quote
sprig Posted December 19, 2013 Posted December 19, 2013 My understanding is that Gustafson is definitely among the top five, although he was way before my time and I never actually saw him play. Absolutely deserves top 5, known to those of us at UND at the time as "Magic", lit up the Gophers in Minneapolis, although the Sioux lost 40+ to 30+. The Gophers were better then than now. The most requested song by the Johnny Holmes band at Frenchy's, "Do You Believe in Magic" Quote
UND-FB-FAN Posted December 19, 2013 Posted December 19, 2013 I'm pretty sure he has the "chance" to play in the NFL. He is only going to get a look. To answer the initial question....at the fcs level and with the same teams I'd take Hardin. Workouts are a given for this off-season, but I've heard he's negotiating a full-blown contract. Make no mistake, he'll get his opportunity. Quote
UNDBIZ Posted December 19, 2013 Posted December 19, 2013 Dressler over Hardin every day. Hardin's good but had WAY too many drops and also appeared to lack the physical and mental toughness of Dressler. 1 Quote
siouxweet Posted December 19, 2013 Posted December 19, 2013 may not have been the fastest or have the most flash but jeff mcelroy of the mid 90's has to be part of the converstation. 2 Quote
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