Top 10 Wisconsin Badgers running backs of all time
4. Melvin Gordon III (2011-2014)
Like Ball, Gordon would likely be at the top of the list for a lot of college football programs. A product of Kenosha Bradford – the same high school that Wisconsin legend Ameche went to – Gordon’s Wisconsin career began with a redshirt season and a 2012 campaign that saw him rack up just 354 yards during the Badgers’ regular season schedule. However, in the team’s Big Ten Championship throttling of Nebraska that year, Gordon broke out with 216 rushing yards, flashing a glimpse of his elite talent. Following Ball’s departure from Wisconsin, Gordon became the featured back in 2013 and rewarded the Badgers with 1,609 yards and 16 touchdowns. However, there isn’t a single season in Badgers history that compares to what he did in 2014, as Gordon amassed an incredible 2,587 rushing yards and 2,740 total yards from scrimmage, scoring 32 times. Averaging 7.5 yards per carry, Gordon put up some truly impressive performances, none better than when he set a then-FBS record with 408 rushing yards in a game against Nebraska at snowy Camp Randall Stadium. Gordon was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, the Doak Walker Award winner, a consensus All-American and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2014. He finished his college career fourth all time in Badgers history with 4,915 rushing yards, and had 49 total career touchdowns while averaging a ridiculous 7.8 yards per carry. Gordon became a first-round draft selection of the Chargers, and the two-time Pro Bowl selection continues his NFL career today with the Denver Broncos.
Nebraska Week 🌽
Fittingly, today's the anniversary of @Melvingordon25's historic 4⃣0⃣8⃣-yard (!) effort. 🤯#OTD x @BadgerFootball pic.twitter.com/VJ0ALddkCR
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) November 15, 2021
Wisconsin having Montee Ball, Melvin Gordon, and James White all in the same backfield was absolutely unfair.
They put up 500+ rushing yards and 8 touchdowns vs Nebraska in the 2012 Big Ten Championship game 🤯
— Saturday Gameday (@SaturdayGameday) August 15, 2022
