Classic Tailback - Mike Rozier Nebraska Highlights

[@flatwater5]

Mike Rozier got all of those yards and stats despite the fact that we usually benched him early in the third quarter just to let the other backs get some experience. The man usually played about half a game. Absolutely electrifying to watch.

[@robertnoble6600]

Mike Rozier is simply my favorite player. I was born and raised in Omaha. Been a Husker fan almost 50 years now. I live and breathe it. It’s been a tough last 20 years. But like Johnny the Jet. When Mike was on the field great things happened. Simple because he would not be denied. He was an awesome mix of speed, balance and toughness!! Never ever will I forget when he came off the bench in ‘82 against Missouri. He out with a hip pointer. When Turner Gill was knocked out of the game. Mike came off the bench to rush for I believe 139 yards to lead us to victory. Thank you Mike!! You are the best!!

[@ThunderPants13]

My first memories as a Husker fan were of watching Mike Rozier tear through defenses and make it look effortless. He was really fun to watch.

[@jeffreyk5734]

Definitely, these highlights barely scratch the surface of what Mike could do running the football. That game against Okie State in '82 was probably his finest performance. He had a hip-pointer, pinched nerve in his neck, beat up hands. Didn't stop him for running for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns. Some of the most amazing runs I have ever seen to this day were in that game.

[@kevinvilmont6061]

I just assumed we were always gonna be a good or great. It was all I knew. No I just wanna beat Rutgers. Still ❤my corn. #GBR

[@xBITCHESxHATExMEx]

Nothing beats that Nebraska triple-option of the 1980's. Great highlights...

[@davidk6269]

Actually, Nebraska did not run the triple-option. They ran power, counters, play-action and some option (QB keeper or pitch, not the triple-option with the potential give to the FB as the third option). The Great Tom Osborne himself estimated that the Husker ran option only about 20% of the time. The majority of the time the Huskers were a power run team.

[@dashx1103]

@@davidk6269 Even when the Huskers ran "option" it wasn't "triple option." Runs by the fullback were predetermined. The only option was QB/TB.

[@davidk6269]

@@dashx1103 I fully agree. Osborne’s option wasn’t the triple option variety.

[@lydiagraham6863]

I tutored Mike and grew up with him in Camden....

[@ccth22]

I grew up in North Jersey & remember when he was in high school in Camden. I think he went to Wilson. He was a great player...

[@TheFightJournalBoxing]

@@ccth22 What’s even greater is they went to recruit someone else and kept saying “look at the way that fullback ran” on this play or that play. He kept standing out to the scouts where were supposed to be watching someone else. Lol

[@MarkEWallace]

I watched him play football on TV.

[@jeffreyk5734]

Mike went to Coffeyville Jr College out of High School because he was a prop 48. A teachers strike left him one point shy. There in 1980 he ran 1150 yards in a wishbone formation with two other 1000 yard rushers! One of those was Mel Gray who had a good career at Purdue and was a great return man in the NFL. I forget who the other one was, but he was a notable name as well. Then in his second scrimmage at Nebraska in '81 Mike ran for an incredible 243 on just 12 carries and scored 3 touchdowns! I still have the clippings. All against the first team defense. There was talk that Mike might be Redshirted after the first scrimmage because Nebraska had Jeff Smith up from the Freshman team and Redshirt Soph Dennis Rogan to back up Roger Craig. Mike didn't take kindly to that. Obviously, he was out to prove what he could do and did. This was in a day when you had 5 full scrimmages and a couple station ones before the season. @@TheFightJournalBoxing

[@RapidResponce]

Nebraska legend but he never made the big cuts to make the big plays.

[@ianmiles8635]

Outstanding post! Rozier was awesome!

[@kevinvilmont6061]

I have no memory of the Al Michaels, Kansas game. That was a treat. I must’ve been outside that day.

[@teegleason6345]

They KEPT them sticks moving 😂😂😎💪🏽

[@slshusker]

Remember when those Huskers were snake bitten in 80's bowl games? LSU was a godsend as a bowl game opponent three times.

[@rocjackson5975]

Mike Rozier! And the Big Red Thrashing Machine!

[@christopherowens6391]

Turner Gill, Mike Rozier, Irving Fryar and Roger Craig!

[@Samuel-dc2mq]

had like 126 yards at halftime against Miami in the orange bowl....ankle injury put him out of the second half. What a player

[@jeffreyk5734]

You can see that play here. It's pretty clear that Miami deliberately tried to knock him out of the game and sadly they did. Looked like the defender tried to take out his knee. Running on that horrible painted green dirt field didn't help any. There was no grass at all. It was very hard to accelerate and cut back. The footing was lousy.

[@lydiagraham6863]

he was unstoppable....

[@85passthru]

mark schellen no.25 was an outstanding fullback.

[@jeffreyk5734]

Mark Schellen was a freak of nature. 4.3 speed, 475 pound bench press. 900 pound leg led. Although he was still listed at 225 pounds, Mark told Linebackers coach John Melton he was actually down to about 212 his senior year.

[@shanecrowe5955]

@@jeffreyk5734 Sche-BOOM was his nickname. Total freak.

[@WaltNari]

The very reason I became a Husker fan in the 80s. Rozier’s dominance was something to behold.

[@kevinvilmont6061]

Rozier lowered his pads. Mad respect. On great offense but made the most of it.

[@TonyBrasfield-xn2zh]

Played against him at juco when he was at coffeyville juco

[@drivs5642]

Mike Rozier, Nebraska the College Sweetness style .

[@dwightlove3704]

Rozier along with his backup Paul Miles were apart of the talent pipeline from New Jersey.

[@gynandroidhead]

I am a lifelong NJ resident, and I attended the 1983 Kickoff Classic. We watched Rozier and Fryar on occasion in HS, and Barron Miles was in high school when my wife was there.

[@dwightlove3704]

@@gynandroidhead I have a close friend who knew those guys while they were in college at Nebraska.

[@gynandroidhead]

@@dwightlove3704 Actually, my wife taught in her old high school for six years, and her former colleague and family friend (who still works there) is one of Barron Miles's former science teachers. I was stunned with how few people knew the incredible success in the CFL along with HOF induction.

[@dwightlove3704]

@@gynandroidhead Good once again I will say that NJ is small in stature but it can hold it's own when producing athletic talent.

[@dwightlove3704]

@@gynandroidhead Where in NJ did you hail from I hail from Asbury Park.

[@jamezkpal2361]

He cuts left very well.

[@tombrad9950]

Mike rozier could have gotten 300 yards rushing in the championship game against miami if he could have played the second half Turner gill was so smooth how he set up the option .I remember they ran and option on 4th down! to tie the game.i believe the back was Jeff Smith filling in for a injured rozier. It's a shame they didn't allow overtime in college football back then someone deserved to win that classic game.

[@jeffreyk5734]

I wish someone had the highlights of the 1982 game against Oklahoma State. Billed as a battle between Mike Rozier and the nations leading rusher the Poke's Ernest Anderson. Rozier had some of the greatest runs I have ever seen in that game. Mike was actually allot faster then a 4.5. like the commentator erroneously mentioned. He was 4.54 Electronic which is a 4.34 hand held equivalent. But that was plodding next to Irving Frayer's blistering 4.23. In that Kansas Game ABC was talking about the speed of the Husker Backfield, but all the times except Fryar's and Gill's were an electronic time and it looked very strange. They listed Turner Gill at 4.55 that's a hand time. But he actually ran 4.64 Electronic or 4. 44 hand held as a Senior. Mike they had listed at 4.54. Again that's electronic, and in a rarity the NU Media guide even specified such. Fullback Mark Schellen 4.51. That's also electronic. He actually beat Irving Fryar presumably the fastest man in all of Collega Football in a head to head 100 yard race during Summer conditioning. Ricky Simmons split end listed at 4.55, that's electronic also. Then ABC printed Frayer with his time hand converted to 4.23 which made him look way faster then everyone else. The paly by play guy said, Irving's almost World Class. If they had listed the electronic time it was only 4.43. Sounds more mortal. I always thought that all the times should have been listed as hand-converted. Incredibly, the 1982 Husker media guide had listed Frayer with a faster time they did as senior 4.36. Because that was a still a hand held time. Irving had run 4.3 flat as a junior but Boyd Epley disallowed it because Frayer was wearing track spikes. As a senior though he proved he didn't need them. Nebraska under Strength Coach Epley started using Electronic timing during Summer conditioning of '82. Way before anyone else did, but it led to allot of confusion. Nobody knew nationally what an electronic time was and it seemed like you were bragging about a bunch of times that didn't sound all that fast. A good example was Steve Taylor breaking the school record for quarterbacks as a True Freshman in 1985. Running a 4.54. Allot of people didn't get that was actually a 4.34. We had previously had several quarterbacks that could run under 4.5 hand timed.

[@josephrozier1100]

He is my uncle

[@TimothyCihal-pn7fm]

Send your children to Nebraska, please!

[@ksacky]

The game i temember most was when he had turf toe and wasn't going to play, but NU wasn't moving the ball very good, think Rozier went in mid 2nd quarter and ended up with 249 yards rushing and we won the game.

[@johnconnell4503]

I believe going to the maulers so quickly after the 83 season and his ankle and his agent bullshit cost rozier a hall of fame NFL career ..he just was never the same...then he did it agian when he signed with the oilers 1985 after just playing 18 games in USFL

[@jeffreyk5734]

Mike missed 4 full games with the Jacksonville Bulls in 1985 and most of 2 others. So he didn't play 18 games. He ran wild in the Oiler's pre season. By the time the regular season started he was tired, and he didn't start either. Butch Woolfolk was the starter early on. To say nothing of the fact that the Oilers were a horrible team in '85 and '86. No Back would have had a big year on that team at the time. He was leading the league in rushing in 1987 before the NFL Strike. Had a 144 yards in his first game back after the strike was over. So probably was still leading the league in rushing for a few more weeks. And he was the leading rusher in the 1988 Pro Bowl after the 1987 shortened season. Playing Fullback to the Raiders Marcus Allen. Imagine facing that Backfield! Two Heisman Trophy Winners and first couple of guys ever to rush for over 2,000 in major college football in a single season. Allen 2,342 yards in 1981. Rozier 2,148 yards in 1983. And that doesn't even include the Bowl games for either one of them. Just regular season yardage. Allen had well over a 100 more carries than Mike did comparatively to reach his totals.

[@dwightlove3704]

Nebraska during the '80s had a pipeline for talent from my homestate of NJ.

[@nathanl157]

Fantastic Husker!! GBR!!!!!!

[@jamesvickers9476]

Camden, N.J. native

[@johnmanning4097]

I understand Pokey candy...... but don't deprive us College Football Fanatics of us seeing one of the top 5 classic tail backs in college football history when he played......... what OJ and Lawrence Phillips did off the field was terrible but for us college football fans there on the field play was awesome.. and that's all some us look at.

[@jamesvickers9476]

What did O.J. off the field?...wasnt he found innocent?

[@Rcknroler913]

James Vickers, he lost the civil case saying he was responsible for Nicole’s death. The civil trial wasn’t a circus and got it right. He was later sentenced to 30 years for armed robbery and kidnapping in Vegas. So the answer to your question would be”no”.

[@redrumbay1987]

+pockycandy can u find some Bam morris,Tiki Barber please

[@kevinvilmont6061]

Some of those holes versus Minnesota were embarrassing. Mismatch

[@MB-vw3jc]

These are the best Rozier highlights?

[@jeffreyk5734]

Far from his best highlights, but footage of many of the games is really hard to find. in the early 80's, not all College Games were on TV every week like they are today. Mike actually had a 93 yard Touchdown run and 93 yard Kickoff return in his NU career. At least one of those games was on TV though. There were so many amazing runs not featured here. Mike was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. Running, receiving, returning kicks. He also threw a 25 touchdown pass to Anthony Steeles against Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

[@MB-vw3jc]

@@jeffreyk5734 He was a running machine. I met him at a football signing with Crouch and Rodgers. He was shorter than I imagined. One thing I noticed was they all 3 had huge hands.

[@jeffreyk5734]

@@MB-vw3jc I actually got autograph's from both Rozier and Roger Craig just before the 1982 season started. Maybe late July? They showed up unexpectedly at the local McDonalds. Only Dave Rimmington was advertised to be there. We come in the place and good Lord there is Mike and Roger! They signed my football. I was going into my Jr year in high school then. Rozier and Craig could have easily posed for Muscle's Magazine. There probably wasn't 4 percent body fat on either one of them. They were built like an army!

[@MB-vw3jc]

@@jeffreyk5734 that's frickin awesome!!!! Was Dave there, I bet he looked like a walking wall. Fumblerooskie!

[@jeffreyk5734]

Yeah, Dave was there, and I think a couple other lineman? Maybe Mike Mandelko who was a great offensive guard. All the players had their game jersey's on with no pads. Unfortunately, my autographed football was stolen many years ago. @@MB-vw3jc

[@danjoy7385]

These commentators are funny, what an athletic move. Don't all athletes make athletic moves

[@rooh5825]

Rozier and Sanders, best ever

[@BreuckelensFinest]

Yeah Deion was great!

[@robertnoble6600]

@@BreuckelensFinest He’s talking about Barry Sanders.

[@jeffreyk5734]

Rozier was only the second back in Major College Football history ever to run for over 2000 yard in a single season in 1983. Nearly 2,200 yards. He was well over that if you count the Orange Bowl. Bowl game statistics were not recognized in career or season yardage totals then. I always thought that was super unfair and made no sense. Barry Sanders was the 3rd to do it in 1988 at Okie-State. Sanders had nearly 2,700 yards if I recall correctly. Just incredible! The first ever to rush for over 2,000 was Marcus Allen in 1981 at USC. Over 2,300 yards. All 3 Heisman Trophy winners. Today it seems if your not a Quarterback it's almost impossible to win the Heisman Trophy. Back then though, it was mostly Running Backs that had a lock on the award.

[@dapdaddy17]

Rozier shoulder pads were to damn big for a running back.

[@BreuckelensFinest]

Nah, the shoulder pads today are way too small. That's how we rocked it back then. We used them as a weapon.

[@dapdaddy17]

@@BreuckelensFinest Eric dickerson shoulder pads were never that big and he played before rozier. Even Oj. The greats shoulder pads were never that big man. I played running back.

[@rovaughnhill1971]

can we get a mike alstott

[@jakewatson4939]

Never seen any other Husker RB reverse direction and score.

[@jeffreyk5734]

Rozier virtually duplicated the run he had against UCLA not once but twice during his years as a Houston Olier. The first was a run against the Seahawks in a play off game after the 1987 strike shortened season. The second was in an '88 regular season game against the Bengals. I wish we could see all 3 back to back in a video on KZbin. Incidentally, Mike would have led the NFL in rushing if he had maintained his average over a full season's schedule in 1987. Due to the strike he was just a little under a 1000 regular season yards. He outrushed Eric Dickerson head to head in a game against the Rams. What's more Mike was the leading rusher in the 88 Pro Bowl playing Fullback for The Raiders Marcus Allen. His best season as a Pro was with the Jacksonville Bulls in the USFL. Despite missing 4 full games he still rushed for 1, 364 yards and had 50 pass receptions, with 15 rushing touchdowns.

[@jeffreyk5734]

Actually, both Ken Clark and Keith Jones did the same thing in Nebraska games. And much later, so did Ahman Green. But Mike did it twice more with the Houston Oilers. I wish someone would find that footage Vs. The Seahawks and the Bengals. Virtually replicating his famous 2 yard cross country run against UCLA in 1983. I think the Touchdowns for the Oilers though were in like the 5 yard range. The first one he dove 5-6 yards into the endzone from about the 5 yard line. The second one he just outran everybody and went in standing up.

[@jakewatson4939]

@@jeffreyk5734 yes. When people talk of Nebraska Football the names Keith and Ken roll off the tongues.

[@jeffreyk5734]

@@jakewatson4939 Yeah, Keith Jones was a poor substitute for Doug DuBose after Doug blew out his knee before the '86 season. He was very green and definitely not ready to start. Even though he was a Junior, since he never had Redshirted. To be honest, I really wanted to see allot more of Jon Kelley, who had broken Irving Fryar's team record in the Athletic Index. And Jon was allot bigger than Jones. Kelley did have a couple of two touchdown games as junior and a 65 yard Touchdown run as a senior. Always thought Kelley deserved way more playing time and really could have blossomed. To his credit, Keith came back with a big senior year in '87. Ken Clark was just an amazing runner. Very instinctive, great cut-back guy with excellent vision and balance. Plus he ran violently much like Rozier did. Was not afraid to challenge anybody. I always thought that if he hadn't struggled with so many injuries Clark would have had a much bigger senior year and could have made first team All-American.

[@johnmanning4097]

waiting on U to do video on the great O.J. Simpson at USC.

[@PockyCandy]

I'm not sure I'll ever release that one. I have it made, but he's such an infamous figure. Same with Lawrence Phillips.

[@JUBABU4]

cmon OJ IS THE MAN!!! he pissed off some Elite Guy or did not follow the script..AND THEY FINALLY GOT EM,,

[@ianmiles8635]

PockyCandy go a'head and post that O.J. video. Phillips too. You are the king of classic highlights.

[@kendrickjones3115]

+PockyCandy Man, we NEED that OJ video! This is FOOTBALL, we can discuss his personal life at another venue.? To see him run, especially as a youngster, is truly a thing of beauty!

[@dwightlove3704]

@@JUBABU4 Hell. Yeah I bought his Buffalo Jersey and wear it proudly in public

[@morgan_drui]

I-back

[@johnmanning4097]

great College running back hard to believe he really didn't do anything in the pros

[@pfunk1789]

Definitely made a bigger impact at the college level. He played in 2 Pro Bowls while with the Oilers though so I wouldn't say he didn't really do anything.

[@PockyCandy]

The reason I made a video for Rozier is because i was playing Tecmo Super Bowl, and Rozier was a pretty good halfback on the Falcons in that game. Better than a lot of the backs in that classic. So I assumed he must've been pretty good in college. I had no idea he was a deity at Nebraska.

[@pfunk1789]

Right on, I loved Tecmo Super Bowl! Rozier was more of a Saint at Nebraska... even though he won a Heisman Trophy, I don't think he quite obtained diety status... that's reserved for the likes of Tom Osbourne. For without the Almighty T.O.'s abundant blessings & guidance St. Rozier wouldn't have performed his miracles.

[@jamesvickers9476]

@@PockyCandy ...pretty good in college is an understatement...

[@jamesvickers9476]

@@pfunk1789 ...i didnt see Osborne run one touchdown or catch one pass while at Nebraska...give credit to were its due...Mike was a deity while at Nebradka....he would have played the same no matter who coached him

[@joegriffin1963]

Do warrick Dunn Florida st and Clinton portis

[@joegriffin1963]

Do warrick Dunn Florida st and Clinton portis miami

[@PockyCandy]

Maybe I'll get to them eventually. Dunn especially has a ton of footage that I have to work through.

[@rob77793eleven]

Damn shame osbourne went for 2..great team in 83..rozier,gill,fryar were damn near xmen at nebraska.

[@barshaygraves1511]

Reminds me of Reggie Bush