Texas Tech football: All-time West Texas Red Raider team
RB: Donny Anderson, Baron Batch, Larry Isaac
The running backs on this roster are led by the first national superstar athlete in Texas Tech history, Donny Anderson. Nicknamed the “Golden Palomino”, the Stinnett, Texas native was a two-time All-American (1964-65) and finished fourth in the 1965 Heisman Trophy voting.
Playing only three years at Tech (1963-65) before entering the NFL Draft early thanks to a loophole in the rules, Anderson racked up 2,280 rushing yards, which was a school record at the time and still stands at the 10th-most career rushing yards for any Red Raider. Ahead of his time, Anderson was also a pioneer in the passing game as one of the first running backs to be a true threat to catch the ball out of the backfield.
He hauled in 107 passes in his career for 1,2392 yards and 12 touchdowns, four fewer than he amassed on the ground. To say he would have excelled in the spread offenses of the modern game is an understatement.
Behind him is a throwback runner from the end of the Mike Leach era. Midland’s Baron Batch was a punishing, fearless runner between the tackles who racked up 2,501 career yards (9th in program history) and 27 touchdowns (also 9th in Tech history). A Red Raider from 2006-10, he had a brief NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers before embarking on a successful art career.
The third running back on this list is Lubbock’s Larry Isaac who was a star during what many to be the program’s greatest era. From 1973-76, the Estacado alum was a star in the Red Raider backfield helping his teams amass an overall record of 33-12-2.
He was part of the 11-1 1973 team and the 10-2 1976 team, two of the greatest Red Raider teams of all time. He ended his career with 2,633 yards and was a huge factor in helping Tech gain national prominence like never before.
This running back trio is fantastic because all three could play in any era of the game. All skilled at running and catching the football, they would provide the West Texas Red Raider roster with plenty of explosiveness in the backfield.