In this series we will pick the best players from Clemson’s Modern Era (1990-present). This is the era following the Tigers’ great teams of the Danny Ford and Charlie Pell era. Some of the players on this list might be considered among Clemson’s all-time greats and you are sure to recognize a few if not all of the names on our list.
We continue our series today with the running back position on Clemson’s All-Modern Era Team.
After reviewing our picks each day, please feel free to tell us if you agree with them or not by going to The Rock on our forums page. All of our forum pages are free to view and register, just like all of our content.
First Team
C.J. Spiller (2006-’09): Spiller arguably is the best player in Clemson history. What he did in his four years with the Tigers was simply amazing. Some might argue Spiller is not the best pure running back in Clemson history, but he is without a doubt the best all-around running back. Besides rushing for 3,547 yards (third best all-time) in his four-year career, the Unanimous First-Team All-American in 2009 also caught 123 passes for 1,420 yards while scoring 11 touchdowns. Spiller, a three-time All-ACC selection, had 32 rushing touchdowns in his career, and his 51 total touchdowns is a school record. He is also Clemson’s career leader in All-Purpose yards with 7,588, which is also an ACC record. He finished his Clemson career as the NCAA leader in kickoff returns for a career and in a season, while his eight total touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns was also an NCAA record. Spiller also owns three of the top-10 all-purpose games in Clemson history, which all came in 2009. He totaled 312 yards in a win against Florida State, 310 yards in a win at Miami and 301 yards in a loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game that year. He rushed for 233 yards and scored four touchdowns in the loss. He is still the only player from any losing team in any conference championship game to be voted as the game’s MVP. He also earned the honor as the 2009 ACC Player of the Year and finished sixth (tied with Steve Fuller as the highest in Clemson history) in the Heisman Trophy race. Spiller rushed for 1,212 yards in 2009 and scored a school record 21 total touchdowns.
James Davis (2005-’08): If it wasn’t for C.J. Spiller’s greatness, James Davis could have finished his career as the Tigers’ all-time leading rusher. Davis was the ultimate team player though. Despite being the featured back in 2005, he helped recruit Spiller to Clemson in 2006 and the two, along with wide receiver Jacoby Ford, became best friends. Davis finished his Clemson career in second place on the all-time rushing list with 3,881 yards. He holds the Clemson career record for rushing touchdowns with 47, including a record-tying 17 in 2006 when he rushed for 1,187 yards. He rushed for a career-high 216 yards against Georgia Tech in their 2006 meeting. Along with Raymond Priester and Andre Ellington, he is one of just three Clemson running backs to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Davis was voted First-Team All-ACC in 2006 and in 2007.
Second Team
Andre Ellington (2009-’12): Like Spiller, Ellington was a dynamic running back who could do a lot of different things. He could run the football, catch the ball out of the back field and return kicks. Not only did he finish his career at the school’s fourth all-time leading rusher with 3,436 yards, but he also is fourth all-time in all-purpose yards with 4,586, which ranks second to only Spiller among all other running backs. Ellington was a two-time All-ACC selection in 2011 and 2012 and was a first-team choice in 2012. He rushed for 1,178 yards in 2011 and 1,081 yards in 2012. He finished his Clemson career with 33 rushing touchdowns and 36 overall.
Raymond Priester (1994-’97): Priester is perhaps the most unheralded of all the great Clemson running backs. He was a three-time All-ACC selection, including first-team honors in 1997. He holds the Clemson records for rushing yards in a game, season and career. He also owns or shares the record for carries in a game, season and career. He rushed for a Clemson record 263 yards against Duke in 1995, a season-best 1,345 yards in 1996 and career mark of 3,966 yards overall. He carried the ball 36 times in a victory at Maryland in 1997 to tie the mark for most carries in one game, while breaking his own season-record in 1996 with 257 carries, while his 805 career carries are 52 more than Davis’ 753 from 2005-‘2008. He was the first Clemson running back to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons when he rushed for a record 1,322 yards in 1995 and then broke that mark with 1,345 yards in 1996.
Third Team
Travis Zachery (1998-’01): Zachery was a First-Team All-ACC selection in 2000 after rushing for 1,027 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns. Zachery was considered Clemson’s most versatile back until Spiller came around. He caught 106 passes in his Clemson career for 1,057 yards, while scoring nine touchdowns. He ranked second on the Clemson team in receptions in 2000 (29) and in 2001 (45). His 45 receptions in 2001 are still the most by a running back in one season. He scored a then Clemson record 18 total touchdowns in 2000 after scoring 16 in 1999. He finished his career with 4,391 all-purpose yards, which ranks fifth all-time in Clemson history.
Ronald Williams (1990-’92): Injuries derailed what could have been one of the best career’s by a running back in Clemson history. In 1990, Williams, who is the father of former Clemson defensive tackle DeShawn Williams, burst on the scene when he rushed for a then freshman record 941 yards and scored eight touchdowns as a true freshman. Those numbers were good enough to earn him First-Team All-ACC honors. He followed that up with 585 yards and three touchdowns through the first six games of the 1991 season, but he injured his knee during warm ups against NC State in Game 7 and was done for the season. He never fully recovered from that injury as he rushed for just 298 yards and two touchdowns, while playing in eight games in 1992. Following the 1992 season, he decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 1993 NFL Draft. Williams finished his career at Clemson with 1,824 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 25 career games.