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Top 5 Tuesday - EIU Career Rushing Leaders

Top 5 Tuesday - Career Rushing Leaders

We start our new series looking at the top five rushers in program history

8/18/2020 1:30:00 PM



In our new weekly feature, we take a look into some of the top five lists from the history of Eastern Illinois Athletics.   These lists are based on actual ranking by the statistic or category listed with quick information on each of those on the Top 5 ranking

Thanks to our sponsor Sarah Bush Lincoln For more information visit www.sarahbush.org
 
Our very first Top 5 Tuesday starts with the five top career rushers in EIU Football History.
 
Poke Cobb (1976-79)… Cobb rushed for 5,042 career yards for the Panthers in the final days as a NCAA Division II member.  He helped lead the Panthers to the 1978 NCAA Division II National Championship earning All-American honors in 1978 and 1979.  Cobb would rush for 100 or more yards in a game 27 times during his career with a high of 230 yards on Nov. 13, 1976 against Butler.  Cobb compiled three 1,000 yard rushing seasons finishing his senior campaign with 1,609 yards.  He would finish as the career rushing leader at the College Division level and held that record for ten seasons before Johnny Bailey of Texas A&M Kingsville broke the mark. 
 
Vincent Webb (2003-06)… Webb was the primary rusher all four seasons of his career finishing with 4,233 career yards.  He helped lead the Panthers to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Championships and FCS playoff appearances in 2005 & 2006.  Webb compiled three 1,000 yard rushing seasons finishing his senior season with 1,405 yards to be named the OVC Offensive Player of the Year.  Webb had 20 career games with 100 or more yards in a game with a high of 208 on Sept. 23, 2006 against Samford.  Webb ranks 7th on the OVC career rushing list and his 43 career rushing touchdowns are 8th in league history.
 
Willie High (1992-95)… High helped lead the Panthers to the Gateway Conference Championship in 1995 as EIU played its final season as a member of the league.  He rushed for 4,231 career yards posting three straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons from 1993-95.  He went over the 1,400 yard mark twice in his career with a high of 1,487 yards coming during his sophomore season.  High rushed for 100 or more yards in a game 21 times with a career high of 240 yards on Nov. 6, 1993 against Northwestern State (La.).  High would earn All-American honors in 1995.  High ranks 10th on the Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly Gateway) career rushing list.
 
J.R. Taylor (1999-02)… Taylor was a touchdown scoring machine helping the Panthers reach three straight FCS playoffs from 2000-02.  He rushed for 3,705 yards in his career posting a pair of 1,000 yard seasons in 2001 and 2002.  He earned All-American honors in 2002 rushing for 1,522 yards.  Taylor rushed for 100 or more yards in 18 games during his career.  His best single game total came on Nov. 16, 2002 when he rushed for a school record 308 yards against Florida Atlantic.  Taylor scored 51 rushing touchdowns in his career and ranks 3rd on the Ohio Valley Conference career touchdowns list.
 
Jamie Jones (1988-91)… Jones was a solid rusher for the Panthers in the late 1980's and early 1990's as he finished with 3,466 career yards.  Jones was a member of the Panthers 1989 FCS playoff team that reached the quarterfinal round.  He would post a pair of 1,000 yard rushing seasons with a high of 1,403 yards during the 1991 season.  He was named to the All-Gateway Conference team three times during his career.  Jones rushed for 100 or more yards in a game 17 times with a career high of 203 yards against Murray State on Sept. 21, 1991.
 
Check back each Tuesday during the fall of 2020 for the newest edition of Top 5 Tuesday on EIUPanthers.com
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