Most people recognize names like Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Rakeem Cato,
and others when thinking of Marshall football’s all-time great players. However, history and
statistics show that some of the best and most impactful players the program has ever had were
running backs.
It is sometimes easy to overlook the amount of talent the Herd has produced at the running back
position. It seems like every year, regardless of circumstances, you can always count on
Marshall to have a stellar running back room filled with great talent. This lineage of running
backs dates back many decades and it continues into the present day. Throughout the 1930’s and
1940’s, Marshall had the likes of John Zontini and Jackie Hunt. Both men still rank among the
top rushers in program history. Zontini amassed an estimated nearly 3,000 career rushing yards
and a still-standing program record of 9.5 yards-per-rush in 1931 and ranks in the top 10 of
career rushing yards and rushing touchdowns at Marshall. Hunt racked up an estimated nearly
4,000 career rushing yards along with a then-NCAA record of 27 touchdowns during his 1940
season. He ranks top 5 in Herd history in career rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Other running backs carved out impressive legacies in the years and decades that followed. Jack
Mahone helped lead the Herd’s rushing attack throughout the early-to-mid 1960’s with an 884-
yard season in 1963 and an 878-yard season in 1964, finishing top 10 in the country in both
rushing yards and rushing touchdowns both seasons. Future Marshall assistant coach Mickey
Jackson also helped lead the Herd’s backfield during the 1960’s while leading the team with 704
yards in 1965 along with 16 touchdowns. Names like Ron Lear and Larry Fourqurean helped the
running game throughout the late-1970’s and early-1980’s. Lear rushed for a then single-game
record 218 yards against Furman in 1979 and Fourqurean rushed for 2,232 yards over his career.
The late-1980’s and early-1990’s saw the rise of a running back room unlike anything the
program had seen before. Ron Darby became Marshall’s all-time leading rusher during his time
with the program from 1986-1989. He finished with 3,903 career rushing yards, 38 rushing
touchdowns, and 5,747 all-purpose yards, all records at that point. He helped lead the Herd to
the 1987 1-AA National Championship game and the 1988 Southern Conference Championship.
Other names such as Glenn Pedro, the ninth leading rusher in program history, and Orlando
Hatchett, tenth all-time in career rushing touchdowns at Marshall, added different layers to the
Herd’s backfield during this era as well.
Darby’s program-records wouldn’t last very long thanks to the efforts of Chris Parker. Parker
had a dazzling career from 1992-1995 that still stands at the best in Marshall history. He holds
the program record for rushing yards with 5,924 yards as well as the record for rushing
touchdowns with 68. He helped lead the Herd to the 1992 1-AA National Championship along
with being named an All-American at the 1-AA level three times and the Southern Conference
Offensive Player of the Year two times. Erik Thomas also contributed mightily to the running
back room with a nearly 1,300-yard season on the ground in 1996. Marshall saw another all-
timer emerge from 1996-1999 when Doug Chapman burst onto the scene.
As a true freshman, Chapman ran for 1,238 yards en route to another 1-AA National
Championship season for the Herd in which the team finished 15-0. He followed it up with two
more 1,000-plus yard seasons while helping lead Marshall to three consecutive MAC
Championships from 1997-1999 during the move to the 1-A level, two bowl victories, and a 13-0
record in 1999 while finishing #10 in the final AP Poll. All in all, Chapman finished his career
with 4,016 yards and 57 touchdowns, both of which rank second all-time in program history. He
also added 67 career receptions for 708 yards and 5 touchdowns. Llow Turner was also a key
part of the running game at this point, successfully adding a one-two punch element to
compliment Chapman. Turner rushed for 1,598 yards and 6 touchdowns over his Marshall
career as well as 33 receptions for 333 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The early-to-mid 2000’s saw the Herd develop a stable of running backs that all contributed
relatively equally. This running game helped compliment the high-flying passing offense of the
Byron Leftwich-led Marshall squads. Names like Brandon Carey and Chanston Rodgers added
unique elements to the running game. In fact, Carey even added to the passing game as well
with 2 passing touchdowns during the 2001 season. The man that seemingly quietly made the
biggest impact was Franklin “Butchie” Wallace. He burst onto the scene as a true freshman in
2000 with 555 yards rushing and 7 rushing touchdowns on the season and only got better from
there. Each season from that point saw his production increase and following his senior season
in 2003, Wallace finished his Herd career with 2,694 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns,
both good for top 10 in program history. He also added 61 receptions for 478 yards and 3
touchdowns as a receiver.
Earl Charles made a big difference for Marshall during his two years with the program from
2003-2004. He started his Herd career with 1,039 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns in
2003 and followed it up with another impressive season in 2004 with 824 yards rushing and 5
touchdowns. He proved to be a solid dual-threat option as well, adding 44 receptions for 299
yards. But just as Charles was finishing his career with Marshall, a newcomer named Ahmad
Bradshaw was starting to garner some attention. As a true freshman in 2004, Bradshaw rushed
for 462 yards and 3 touchdowns. His production would keep increasing from that point.
In his first season as the “bell cow” back for the Herd in 2005, he continued to impress with 997
yards on the ground with 9 touchdowns while earning second-team all-conference honors. But
as a junior, he put the nation on notice when he had a 1,523-yard season on the ground with 19
rushing touchdowns along with first-team all-conference honors. He finished his Marshall career
with 2,982 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns, good for fifth and tied for sixth all-time
respectively. He also made a difference in the passing game as well, accounting for 87
receptions for 697 yards and 5 touchdowns over his three years with the program.
Other names such as Chubb Small and Terrell Edwards helped pace the running game at this
time as well. But just as Bradshaw was out of the picture, another rising star at running back was
developing for the Herd in Darius Marshall. His true freshman season was impressive as he
finished with 631 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on the ground in only about half of the carries
he would get over the next two seasons. He followed his debut season with two-straight 1,000+
yard seasons, first in 2008 with 1,095 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground, earning second-
team all-conference honors. Then in 2009, he got even better with 1,131 yards and 11
touchdowns, good for another second-team all-conference season. His 2,857 yards rushing are
good for seventh all-time in program history. Marshall contributed 42 receptions for 244 yards as well.
It took the Herd a few years to find another dominant, undeniable number one running back, but
it had a nice stable of backs to help the cause. Martin Ward showed nice flashes and was even
named the 2009 Little Caesars Bowl MVP. Tron Martinez had a solid two years of production in
2010-2011. Travon Van battled injuries, but still managed to contribute nicely as well, especially
the 2011 season. A stellar three-headed monster at running back emerged with Kevin Grooms,
Remi Watson, and Steward Butler. All three had standout moments over a three-year period
from 2012-2015. It was an unexpected 2013 season for the running back room when Essray
Taliaferro developed into the top back on the team as a senior with a 1,140-yard season on the
ground with 10 touchdowns.
The 2014 season was one of the program’s best in history, finishing 13-1 with a C-USA
Championship, bowl win, and top 25 final national ranking. However, this season will be
remembered as the rise of Devon Johnson at running back. The former linebacker converted to
tight end would be converted to running back heading into the 2014 season and he dominated
unlike any other Marshall running back had done in many years. Johnson rushed for 1,767 yards
on the season with 17 touchdowns while earning all-conference first-team honors. His 272-yard
performance vs. FAU in 2014 still stands as the Marshall single-game record for rushing yards.
Injuries slowed him down in 2015, but he still led the team with 593 yards. Johnson finished his
career with 2,373 yards rushing and 25 rushing touchdowns. The former tight end helped
through the air as well with a career 27 receptions for 423 yards and 6 touchdowns.
More guys started getting into the mix in the years that followed. Keion Davis, Tyler King,
Anthony Anderson, Tony Pittman, and Hyleck Foster all made their impact on the running back
room. But none made the impact of what Brenden Knox would do. As a freshman in 2018,
Knox ran for 578 yards and 4 touchdowns. His sophomore season was even more impressive,
finishing with 1,387 yards on the ground along with 11 touchdowns to earn 2019 C-USA MVP.
In the COVID-19 riddled season in 2020, Knox finished with 887 yards rushing and 9
touchdowns. He finished his Marshall career with 2,852 yards rushing, 24 rushing touchdowns,
and 27 receptions for 239 yards and 1 touchdown through the air. Those 2,852 yards are good for
eighth all-time in program history.
Sheldon Evans earned the respect of his teammates, coaches, and fans in his own right, rushing
for 1,004 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career with the Herd as a primary number two option
at running back. The 2021 season was all about the play of Rasheen Ali, who continued the
trend of strong running back play. He finished the season with 1,401 yards and a nation-leading
23 touchdowns as a freshman while earning first-team all-conference honors as well as being
named a freshman All-American. He also added 45 receptions for 334 yards and 1 touchdown as
a receiving threat in 2021. Ali only played in three games in 2022 due to an injury, but still
managed to finish with 273 yards on the ground.
The Herd looked like it might have had a problem heading into the 2022 season with Ali being
sidelined, but then Khalan Laborn came calling. The former Florida State Seminole had a
magical season for the Herd in his lone year with the program as a sixth-year senior. He ran for
1,513 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning first-team all-conference honors. That 1,513-yard
season is good for sixth all-time in Marshall history for a single season. Despite not having
Laborn back in 2023, the return of a fresh, rested, and healthy Ali could lead to more history-
making plateaus for the Marshall running game.
