GT All-Decade: Fullbacks and Slot Backs
As we wind down the 2000s, Georgia Tech fans are riding an emotional high they hope continues for decades to come. With an ACC championship, a BCS bowl berth and historic wins over their biggest rivals — Clemson and Georgia — the Yellow Jackets have had plenty to celebrate these past 10 years. With the Yellow Jackets making a run at becoming a national power once again, they have had 10 players this decade declared All-Americans, and currently have 24 former players on NFL rosters, including the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft. In addition to this year’s conference championship, they have also finished in first-place in the ACC’s Coastal Division three times, and have secured three bowl wins.
Through all that success, there have been plenty of players who have made their mark in a Georgia Tech uniform, and for the next two weeks, The Telegraph will be giving you the chance to vote on your picks for the Yellow Jackets’ All-Decade team. We’ll go position-by-position, and you’ll pick the winners by going to www.macon.com/decade to vote.
Our ninth ballot is for Georgia Tech’s top fullbacks and slot backs of the decade, and the nominees are:
(Note: Years as Georgia Tech starter in parenthesis)
Ed Wilder (1997-2000). Noted for a tough physical makeup, Wilder was the winner of the 2000 Brian Piccolo Award. Receiving the honor, Wilder was recognized by the ACC as its most courageous player after battling a chronic knee injury that once included three surgeries in a 10-month span. At 6-foot-2, Wilder was rather tall for a fullback, and would occasionally line up at tight end for the Yellow Jackets. One of the Yellow Jackets’ better blocking fullbacks, the former Washington-Wilkes standout wasn’t often handed the ball, but when he did, he made his touches count. His best year came in 1998, when as a sophomore, he carried the ball 29 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. The following year, just before the knee injuries flared up, he carried 15 times for 100 yards to average 6.7 yards per carry.
Jimmy Dixon (2003-2004). Another fullback used mostly as a blocker, Dixon’s career, statistically-speaking, was a tale of two halves. As a true freshman, he found himself in three games, and carried the ball 22 times for 76 yards and four touchdowns. A bowling ball bursting through the line, he was a goal line specialist off the bench that year. But by the time Dixon’s career was beginning to come to an end, so too did his time as a running fullback. In addition to spending most of his final three seasons blocking, he became a pass-catching specialist in the flats by his senior season. Catching eight passes that year for 73 yards, he averaged 9.1 yards per reception and came away with a pair of touchdowns. Entering his final campaign, Sporting News magazine rated Dixon as the No. 2 blocking fullback in the nation. Apparently, the Tennessee Titans thought so, as well, because the following year, they signed him as an undrafted free agent.
Mike Cox (2005-2007). As teammate Tashard Choice racked up 1,000 yards rushing in back-to-back seasons, there was Cox helping lead the way. The 260-pound fullback was noted for his ability to get downfield with the speedy Choice and open up holes. Part of that was the reason he did not receive a single hand off in 2005 and 2006. Choice — and in 2005, P.J. Daniels — were handling the running loads just fine. But while Cox did very little with his legs during his career, he did plenty more with his hands. Hauling in 30 career receptions, the fullback was used regularly in the flats for quick screen passes that averaged more than seven yards a reception. Out of the passing game, he also had his only career touchdown; a 17-yard pass from quarterback Reggie Ball in 2006. As a result of Cox’s blocking skills, the Kansas City Chiefs picked him up after his Georgia Tech career came to an end. Cox comes from a lineage of fullbacks. His younger brother, Lucas is currently a backup A-back and B-back for the Yellow Jackets. Another brother is a fullback at Bloomsburg State, and his father, Lawrence was a fullback at Temple.
Roddy Jones (2008-present). Jones’ career at Georgia Tech may be the most limited of any All-Decade nominee, but he is up for consideration with good reason. Used throughout his career as an outside-running counter to inside-based B-back Jonathan Dwyer, Jones has enjoyed one of the more productive careers—albeit brief—of any alternative running back this past decade. The moment that really put him in the consciousness of Yellow Jackets fans came last November, when he raced for 214 yards on just 13 carries against rival Georgia in Athens. The outing helped spark a win that ended the Yellow Jackets’ previous seven-game series losing streak. That single-game total ranks as the sixth-best in school history by any running back. Used less frequently this season, Jones has only totaled 345 yards on the ground, but has three touchdowns for a 6.5 average. Along with Jones at slot back, junior transfer Anthony Allen has enjoyed a breakout first year, rushing for 597 yards and a 9.8 average entering next month’s season-finale in the Orange Bowl.
So, who gets your vote? Go to www.macon.com/decade to cast your ballot and be sure to pick up a copy of the January 2nd issue of The Telegraph to find out the winners.
This story was originally published December 21, 2009 at 9:55 AM with the headline "GT All-Decade: Fullbacks and Slot Backs."