Oh I agree.. But not too often a guy probably goes close to 245 and runs 4.5ish and can catch, doesn’t hang on longer especially in that era. I did read above and forgot he got hurt.
Trivia - who was Iowa’s fastest running back since 1980?
- Thread starter JerseyCityHawki
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I was working for the team in 1996 during our annual offense vs defense day that kicked off spring practice. One of the events was the 40 yard dash. Tavian finished 4th. Tim D was first, Ricchard Carter (a lesser known WR from NJ) finished 2nd, Sedrick finished 3rd, and Tavian was 4th. But on the field, Tavian was football fast, he was the best I've seen at making a cut without slowing down.
Great info. And great point on football speed. I mentioned in some thread on whether Breece Hall would be a first rounder and I mentioned being at the Rose Bowl down on the field and CM had a gear on the field that made him special. And not saying our ST or D was fast, but CM had a gear that was just different when he cut. Like he got faster.
Tavian's 4.28 was during his Pro Day in Iowa City. He ran a number of 40s in the 4.2s while at Bettendorf as well.
Lew Montgomery at FB and Nick Bell behind him! That was stud backfield.. I remember watching Lew at East High School in Waterloo when I was a kid and he could tote the rock!
I was 11 during the 1990 season. Nick Bell was predictably my favorite player. I would get so pissed when I was listening to Zabel on the radio, and Iowa’s all-time leading rusher (at the time) Tony Stewart was in the game.
Nick was a great, gr kid. However, oft injured and wasn’t a hard runner until his money year. In fact his nickname on the team until his senior year was ice cream...as in soft. Tony Stewart was fantastic and they were a true thunder and lightning for one glorious year.
The game took a toll on Nick. Saw him at the last Rose Bowl game.... cane, some other things going on for a man so young.
None of this is meant to disparage an old friend, just info.
Tavian Banks was the fastest. In clocking and from the eye ball test. Really not even a close second
I see Ronnie Harmon no where here, what was his speed? He had some moves, but was he fast? I read an article that said he increased his 40 time in the NFL from 4.6 to 4.3. Of course, if he improved his 40 time while in the pro's, his 4.6 wouldn't be one of the fastest hawks while still a hawk.
https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/10/...t-quicker-they-call-on-a-new-breed-of-coaches
https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/10/...t-quicker-they-call-on-a-new-breed-of-coaches
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Great info Cecil. I had no idea on the “soft” part cause he appeared to run hard (at least in college). And yes that was one hell of a backfield with Stewart I still remember a story about Lewdoo. Iowa was on the goal line and the student section was chanting “Lew, Lew” as wanted him to get the ball. And Lew said in the huddle, “Why are they booing us?”
Hk... I was in high school watching Nick Bell as Hawk. Great times! I’m sure you watched the highlights vs Illinois in 1990. That game was fun!
Was at the game actually. Was a sophomore at Iowa and road tipped over. It was crazy the destruction. Illinois was damn good that year.
Nick Bell told a Hawkeye great/NFL player 'thank you for the agent suggestion, he probably can't handle the contract I am going to get'
Sims was fast as hell and then they tried to bulk him up and he got slow. I think he weighed a buck 60 his frosh year but man he hit holes fast and was gone.
I was at the MSU game where Jermelle had his last major injury. When you see a guy come back from the locker room in street clothes, you know they're done. Probably for the year. Maybe forever. That game was the last time Lewis saw the field for Iowa. It was sad to see someone with such talent dealt a raw deal. Again!
There too. I maybe feel worse for him than any other Hawkeye whose career was cut short. I have an Athlon from 2000 where they called him “the jewel of the recruiting class,” and at least on paper, he was. He could’ve gone a lot of places but took a chance on a team that went 1-10 the year before. Of course Bob Sanders wasn’t too shabby himself. But he sat two full seasons redshirting and working on school before he finally saw the field in 2002 and didn’t disappoint. Provided the spark in the running game at the Big House when Russell couldn’t get it going, worked Minnesota like a part time job. I was at the spring practice (more like a monsoon practice) in 2003 when he hurt his first ACL. He came back faster than expected (I think an acl was a year long recoup time in those days, but he was back halfway through the season) and again was a stud against Minny that year. 04 was supposed to be his year. No splitting carries with Russell; he was the guy. It looked like our run game was finally starting to click against MSU when he went down. And like that, he was done with football. I think a DUI followed, but pretty sure he kept his head down and was a good teammate before then, so I can’t blame him after a blow like that. But man, that dude should’ve been cashing NFL checks and shouting out Iowa on Monday Night Football. He was THAT good, and every one of his teammates would tell you that. It wasn’t some nerd in the press box that came up with “Skills.”
And he was also fast
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Because I’m an Iowa football dork, I went back to the 2001 media guide. Look at those accolades. 6th best RB in the nation according to Rivals.
"Played the part of Riff.. in West Side Story"Because I’m an Iowa football dork, I went back to the 2001 media guide. Look at those accolades. 6th best RB in the nation according to Rivals.
Holy cow, how did I not see that? That’s hilarious."Played the part of Riff.. in West Side Story"
He did run that at the Combine. He didn't display his full talents in anything there and it probably cost him a ton of money. Who knows why? Tim Dwight ran a slow Combine 40 as well. Here's what a 4.48 40 looks like. 4.48 isn't quick. Hundreds of players can run that and at all levels. It doesn't take a professional's eye to see that Tavian was considerably quicker than this. Just compare.
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I did not express an opinion. I just thought that was an interesting link.
But, IMHO, Tavian was by far the fastest Iowa running back. Ever. No one could catch him when he broke through the linebackers. He could fly.
4.63
In 1998, client Tim Dwight went to the combine with strict instructions not to run his 40 or attempt any drills. He was nursing a severe groin injury from the season that was taking a long time to heal. However, once the reigning Big Ten 100-meter champ arrived, Tim’s adrenaline and competitive juices got the best of him and he decided to run. The result was his worst 40 time ever: 4.63 seconds. Horrible! The projected third-round speedster was taken in the middle of the fourth round.
The conundrum for players like Tim who are tough and don’t make excuses for injuries is that they won’t tell anybody if they’re hurt. So he gets no credit for running when he shouldn’t have. A good 40 time is a must for receivers, DBs and running backs.
NFL Combine: To run or not to run? - National Football Post
Some players shouldn’t work out for teams. Here’s why.
www.nationalfootballpost.com
What were his other combine results? I can find every other Iowa results but other than that article I see nothing.4.63
In 1998, client Tim Dwight went to the combine with strict instructions not to run his 40 or attempt any drills. He was nursing a severe groin injury from the season that was taking a long time to heal. However, once the reigning Big Ten 100-meter champ arrived, Tim’s adrenaline and competitive juices got the best of him and he decided to run. The result was his worst 40 time ever: 4.63 seconds. Horrible! The projected third-round speedster was taken in the middle of the fourth round.
The conundrum for players like Tim who are tough and don’t make excuses for injuries is that they won’t tell anybody if they’re hurt. So he gets no credit for running when he shouldn’t have. A good 40 time is a must for receivers, DBs and running backs.
NFL Combine: To run or not to run? - National Football Post
Some players shouldn’t work out for teams. Here’s why.
