Yes, I think you are right. His career might have been cut short due to injury or his condition.

I scrolled up. Yes william bratton.

Taylor's backup Antoine McCray ran well for Toledo and spent some time in Steelers camp.

Guys i grew up watching these guys:

8. Steve Morgan (1981-84)....... 2,540

10. Kelvin Farmer (1983-86) .... 2,483

3. Arnold Smiley (1981).........1,013

I too remember Neil Trotter.

There was a backfield of Mel Tucker & was it John Walker? I ran into Mel Tucker in Cincinnati, i was wearing Rocket gear, he is a member of the Cincinnati Fire Department.

(09-24-2015 06:57 PM)Rocket A Wrote:  Guys i grew up watching these guys:

8. Steve Morgan (1981-84)....... 2,540

10. Kelvin Farmer (1983-86) .... 2,483

3. Arnold Smiley (1981).........1,013

I too remember Neil Trotter.

There was a backfield of Mel Tucker & was it John Walker? I ran into Mel Tucker in Cincinnati, i was wearing Rocket gear, he is a member of the Cincinnati Fire Department.

The 1981 team won the MAC Championship and the California Bowl over San Jose State.

As a "corps" I think the Taylor, McCray, Bratton trio was the best, at least in my memory. Bratton was an automatic 3rd down back. Thanks to McCray there was essentially no drop-off when Chester went out, and he was a great change of pace runner with his great burst and speed. They would use McCray to move the ball to the red zone, then Bratton to punch it in. Chester, of course, had it all. That was one formidable RB corps.

Tait and D-Train Harris were right up there. The season following the one where Tait went down, Harris was all MAC as I recall. Then, when Tait came back, Pinkel gave him the starting job back. Unfortunately, I don't think the duo was ever as good as either one individually.

The Baby Backs, as a corps, I think disappointed, although Trinity Dawson became a very competent RB for us.

Now, the Hunt, Swanson, Moore trio has the potential to be the best ever, that is, if all 3 are ever healthy enough and eligible to contribute at the same time. This season certainly has not started out like last season did.

(09-24-2015 09:26 PM)Toledo Football 1st Wrote:  Tait and D-Train Harris were right up there. The season following the one where Tait went down, Harris was all MAC as I recall. Then, when Tait came back, Pinkel gave him the starting job back. Unfortunately, I don't think the duo was ever as good as either one individually.

Tait came back in 98 after missing 96 (minus IU) and all of 97. Harris went from 1200+ in 97 to being the 3rd RB in 98... Tait had about 600 yards as a senior and some freshman by the name of Taylor backed Tait up primarily. Tait's injury took away so much, it was tough to watch. In hindsight Taylor and Harris would have been a better duo, IMO. But I can't remember if Harris was hurt in 98 or if Chester just beat him out as the primary #2.

(09-25-2015 07:19 AM)Carolina Rocket Wrote:  

(09-24-2015 09:26 PM)Toledo Football 1st Wrote:  Tait and D-Train Harris were right up there. The season following the one where Tait went down, Harris was all MAC as I recall. Then, when Tait came back, Pinkel gave him the starting job back. Unfortunately, I don't think the duo was ever as good as either one individually.

Tait came back in 98 after missing 96 (minus IU) and all of 97. Harris went from 1200+ in 97 to being the 3rd RB in 98... Tait had about 600 yards as a senior and some freshman by the name of Taylor backed Tait up primarily. Tait's injury took away so much, it was tough to watch. In hindsight Taylor and Harris would have been a better duo, IMO. But I can't remember if Harris was hurt in 98 or if Chester just beat him out as the primary #2.

Carolina Rocket is exactly right. In the 1996 season D-Train was not available because of academic problems and after Tait went down, a number of his successors at RB also went down with various injuries (I forget exactly how many but there were several) and finally they put in Justin Wooley the fullback at tail back and he had several good games until he was hurt as well. That was an absolutely monster year for injuries at tail back.

The following year (1997) D-Train was back and was the All-MAC running back with an outstanding year. In 1998 the RBs were D-Train, Tait and Chester Taylor but for some reason RB by committee did not work out all that well. Tait was (understandably) never the same after the injury, D-Train never adjusted to the shared role and had a bad year (I think he may have ended up mostly doing punt and kick off returns by the time season was over) and Chester Taylor was probably the best of the three that year.

With respect to running backs the team went from famine (1996) to feast (1998) having 3 All MAC (past and future) running backs on the same team; however, for what ever reason it just did not work out very well.

I was trying to remember who was #3 that year and, that's right, it was Chester wasn't it? Although he was not as experienced as the other two, you could see the potential as he would burst for chunks of yards. I remember telling a guy I was at the game with that Chester was actually the #3 back and he said, "Well, it looks to me like he wants to be #1!" I'm sure he was right.

That was certainly an all-star corps, but it did not shine as brightly as one would have expected it to.

RB Tony Harris-4th Round #101 Pick SF 49'ers
RB Joe Schwartz-14th Round #350 Pick NY Jets
FB Charlie Cole-15th Round #369 Pick Buffalo Bills

(09-25-2015 09:27 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  RB Tony Harris-4th Round #101 Pick SF 49'ers
RB Joe Schwartz-14th Round #350 Pick NY Jets
FB Charlie Cole-15th Round #369 Pick Buffalo Bills

Harris played for a few years but his nude calendar gig probably made him more famous than his football skills.

(09-25-2015 08:15 AM)T-Town Wrote:  Carolina Rocket is exactly right.

This one's going in the scrapbook.

I wouldn't say Bratton was a big bruising back. Bruising because of his strength, but I believe he was only about 5'8" and even though he was listed between 215 and 220, I would say that weight was very suspect. He also had a lot of speed. Unfortunately, the effects of sickle cell really limited his career and the amount of pain he had to go through when it struck would be debilitating to anyone. He was honored at the NC game between OSU and Miami (around 2003?). My brother and nephew got a picture of him with the award and with Amstutz who was there to present it to him. My brother said Bratton (nickname was "steel") was not very pleasant for the picture, but who knows, could have been turned off by them wearing all their OSU garb....

I remember Bratton as being money on 3rd or 4th and short. Maybe that's why I remember him as bigger than he actually was.

The article posted said 5'8", 225. That is a solid dude.

(09-25-2015 05:04 PM)emanoh Wrote:  The article posted said 5'8", 225. That is a solid dude.

Barry Sanders 5'8" 200 lbs.

(09-25-2015 05:56 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(09-25-2015 05:04 PM)emanoh Wrote:  The article posted said 5'8", 225. That is a solid dude.

Barry Sanders 5'8" 200 lbs.

I talked with Will Bratton a few times about sickle cell. He said one thing that he felt that would, frankly, prolong his life, was working out. And it showed. "Solid" doesn't come close to describing him. Will's shoulders looked to be be about the size of my thighs. And I ride a bike every day.

This thread has brought back some great memories. Thank! There was one great running back left off the lists. I never saw him play in college but did in the NFL. He may have won an NFL championship ring. Mel Triplett!

He's our only rb retiree. Will chester be next?

(09-26-2015 08:48 AM)hwut1 Wrote:  This thread has brought back some great memories. Thank! There was one great running back left off the lists. I never saw him play in college but did in the NFL. He may have won an NFL championship ring. Mel Triplett!

Mel Triplett scored a TD for the Giants in the now famous 1958 NFL Championship game that the Baltimore Colts led by Johnny Unitas won. It was one of the first NFL games broadcast nationwide as most teams had their own TV "franchised" areas at that time. There were no NFL teams in the South then so in North Carolina we got Washington Redskin games every Sunday but the Championship game was broadcast nationally on one of the networks and I actually watched that game. Triplett's teammates included Alex Webster, Frank Gifford. Sam Huff and Kyle Rote and their kicker was Pat Summerall who became more famous later as a broadcaster.