RB: Byron Hanspard, James Gray, Ricky Williams
The only position group on the DFW team that could challenge the wide receivers’ claim as the most elite position group on the Metroplex roster would be the running backs. That’s because three all-time great Red Raiders rushers came from the DFW area.
First is Byron Hanspard from DeSoto. He is Tech’s all-time leader in rushing yards (4,219) despite foregoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. He is also third all-time at Tech with 37 career touchdowns.
In 1996, he set a school record for yards (2,084) while scoring 13 touchdowns. And he also holds the program single-game yardage record with 287 against Baylor in 1996. In fact, he owns four of the ten most prolific rushing games in Tech history.
The second-best running back to play for the Red Raiders, Jonathan Gray, would also be on the DFW team. The Ft. Worth Tremble product is second in Tech history with 4,066 career yards. He is also second in program history with 47 rushing touchdowns. His 1,509 yards in 1989 rank fourth in Red Raider history and his 20 touchdowns that year are the second-most any Red Raider has scored in one year.
Finally, there is Ricky Williams from Duncanville. He is the program’s third all-time leading rusher with 3,661 yards and his 36 career rushing touchdowns are fourth-most.
This trio gave Texas Tech 11,946 combined yards on the ground and 120 touchdowns. What’s more, Hanspard is one of only five Red Raiders to ever be named a unanimous All-American and James Gray was a second-team All-American in 1989 proving just how loaded the Metroplex team is at running back.