Tennessee football’s 10 RBs with greatest NFL careers

Teams played for:

• Atlanta Falcons, 1974-1979

From a fullback in the pro-style to a running back in the T-formation, Haskel Stanback joined Tennessee football in 1971. That was the last year, under Bill Battle, that they would be fully committed to the T, as Condredge Holloway would arrive a year later, allowing UT to transition to more of an I-formation/veer offense with pro-style elements.

Stanback began to thrive in that system. He was part of two 10-win teams in his three years, started his final two years and finished his career with 1,730 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. So the guy was a solid running back for the program, and he was taken by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft.

After playing as a backup his first year, Stanback became a regular starter in 1975. His production consistently increased, until it peaked in 1977, when he had 873 rushing yards, over 1,100 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns. He played for six years with Atlanta and finished his career with 2,662 rushing yards, 3,448 yards from scrimmage and 26 total touchdowns.

Of course, during those days, playing for Atlanta meant no team success, and indeed, the best year Stanback’s team ever had was 1978, when it went 9-7. He never made the playoffs. However, he still had a solid run in the 1970s in the pros, and it was enough to earn the 6’0″ 210-pound running back a spot on this list.