Countdown of the Best RBs Include a Current Boilermaker

Three of the best running backs in Purdue history and a first-round NFL Draft pick head this week’s edition of the best Boilermakers by number.

41

William “Dutch” Fehring

Fehring was one of the greatest athletes in Purdue history. One of only two athletes in school history to earn nine letters (three each in football, basketball and baseball), Fehring was part of the inaugural class of the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

He was an honorable mention All-American tackle in football in 1933 and helped the Boilermakers win two Big Ten titles. Fehring also was a teammate of John Wooden’s on the 1932 national championship basketball team.

42

Duane Purvis

Had there been such a thing as a Heisman Trophy in 1934, Purvis might have been the winner. An All-American running back in 1933 and 1934, Purvis set the Purdue career rushing record of 1,802 yards. That mark stood until 1968 when both Leroy Keyes and Perry Williams surpassed Purvis.

Purvis was also the NCAA champion in the javelin in 1933 and 1934, helping him win the title of Big Ten Outstanding Athlete of 1933.

But most people today would recognize Purvis for the sandwich named in his honor at Triple XXX Family Restaurant in West Lafayette. The “Duane Purvis All-American” is a quarter-pound ground sirloin with cheese on top and peanut butter spread on the bottom bun. Purvis’ son, Mike, told ESPN.com “he used to just make a hamburger and just smear peanut butter on it the same way you or I would smear mayonnaise.”

43

Darryl Stingley

One of the headliners of Jack Mollenkopf’s final recruiting class in 1969, Stingley accompanied fellow Chicago native Otis Armstrong to Purdue. And like Armstrong, Stingley made a strong first impression.

“He was the best athlete on the team by far,” teammate Chuck Piebes told The Exponent in 2017. “The guy could do anything. He had a great set of hands.”

Stingley earned All-Big Ten honors, averaging 18.2 yards per reception. He was a first-round draft pick by the New England Patriots and was the team’s go-to receiver over the next five seasons. Stingley accumulated 1,883 yards and 14 touchdowns on 110 catches before being paralyzed from a hard hit made by Oakland Raiders safety Jack Tatum during a 1978 preseason game.

44

Erich Barnes

An outstanding athlete who excelled at wide receiver and defensive back at Purdue, Barnes and Len Dawson teamed up for a 95-yard touchdown pass against Northwestern in 1955. That mark stood for 44 years until Drew Brees and Vinny Sutherland struck Northwestern for a 99-yard touchdown.

“He threw me a 2-yard pass and I took it 93 yards,” Barnes joked in a 2002 interview with this columnist. “It wasn’t that I shook about 10 tackles. I just happened to break open and kept running.”

Barnes went on to earn All-Pro honors at cornerback with three different NFL teams: Chicago, the New York Giants and Cleveland. He credited Mollenkopf, then an assistant coach at Purdue, for making his NFL career possible.

“His thing was to be aggressive and if you couldn’t tackle, you couldn’t play for him,” Barnes said.

45

Devin Mockobee

The former walk-on running back from Boonville has led the Boilermakers in rushing each of the past three seasons.

Mockobee enters his senior season with 2,466 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has a good chance of becoming Purdue’s fourth 3,000-yard rusher, joining Mike Alstott (3,635), Kory Sheets (3,341) and Otis Armstrong (3,315).

46

Randy Cooper

Cooper began his career at running back, rushing for 117 yards against Texas Christian and catching six passes for 117 yards against Stanford in 1969.

With Otis Armstrong’s varsity debut in 1970, Cooper moved to defensive back and prospered. He recorded three interceptions against Stanford and led Purdue with 12 tackles for loss. That effort earned Cooper second-team All-Big Ten honors.

47

Perry Williams

Williams comprised one-third of the greatest backfield in Purdue history, playing alongside Leroy Keyes and quarterbacks Bob Griese and Mike Phipps from 1966-68. That foursome combined to help Purdue go 25-6 over those three seasons.

Williams was described by the late Indianapolis Star sports editor Bob Collins as a “vicious blocker and a punishing ballcarrier.” Williams didn’t disagree.

“When other runners would slow down or take a deviant path, my thinking was to deliver a blow to the defense as opposed to receiving one,” Williams told this columnist in 2004.

Williams earned All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-America citations as a junior for putting up 746 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He rushed for 2,049 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career.

48

Fred Strickland

Strickland led the Big Ten with 130 tackles as a senior. Oddly, that was the linebacker’s lowest total as a three-year starter from 1985-87. He recorded 132 as a sophomore to finish fourth in the Big Ten. Strickland moved up to second in the league with 140 as a junior.

Strickland would go on to play 12 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota, Green Bay, Dallas and Washington.

49

Anthony Spencer

Spencer earned his place among Purdue’s “Den of Defensive Ends” by finishing second nationally in tackles for loss with 26.5 as a senior in 2006.

That season, Spencer led Purdue with 10.5 sacks, was second with 93 tackles and forced five fumbles.

Spencer was a first-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2007. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2012 as the only NFL player with double-figure sacks (11) and 90-plus tackles (a team-high 95).

50

Larry Kaminski

Kaminski was one of several outstanding linemen recruited by Jack Mollenkopf to Purdue in the 1950s and 1960s.

Coming to Purdue from Cleveland, Kaminski earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a center in 1965. Undrafted by the NFL and AFL, Kaminski signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos. He would play eight seasons in Denver and was selected to the Broncos’ all-time Top 100 Team in 2019.

Next on the countdown, Purdue’s career leaders in sacks and tackles plus one of four Boilermakers to receive first-team All-Big Ten honors three times.

Big Ten football forecast

Athlon Sports’ Steve Lassan predicts the magic will continue for Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti in 2025.

On the other hand, expectations remain low for Purdue even with a new coach (Barry Odom) who turned around a dormant UNLV team the past two seasons.

Ranking the Hoosiers behind Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan, Lassan says success in the transfer portal will keep them among the Big Ten’s better offenses. Most notable of the transfers is former California quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Another dead last finish by the Boilermakers is Lassan’s forecast. It’s difficult to argue when no starters return on defense, which gave up nearly 40 points a game under supposed defensive wizard Ryan Walters. It’s debatable if its bad news for Purdue that it lost its top 14 tacklers to either a shot at the NFL or a bigger paycheck.

Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com took a different approach, outlining best and worst case scenarios for Purdue and Indiana.

For Indiana’s best case, it’s another 11-1 regular season with Heisman talk surrounding quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The worst case scenario is a 5-7 finish if the transfers don’t make an impact and a tougher schedule. Iowa, Oregon and Penn State will be road trips for Indiana. Illinois and Wisconsin could be tough to beat even in Bloomington.

Purdue’s best case finish is 6-6 if the nearly overhauled roster can compete with the schools not named Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and USC. This scenario also would require victories at Minnesota and Northwestern to “shock the world and go bowling,” according to Fornelli.

A second consecutive 1-11 finish is the worst case for the Boilermakers.

“While the names and faces are mostly new, the results don’t change,” Fornelli writes. “The defense is outmatched, as is the offense, particularly in the trenches. The effort and buy-in are there, but the results aren’t. Like last year, the sole win comes against the only FCS opponent on the schedule in Southern Illinois.”

Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.