Mike Hart is Michigan's all-time rushing leader, but is he your running back of the decade?

With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the decade coming to a close, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. So, I’ve come up with a list of nominees for every position, and I’ll be posting two position groups every day for the next week, leaving it up to you to vote for who should make the team. At the end of the month, I’ll tally up the votes and reveal the team of the decade. Next up are the running backs:

I’m not going to lie, I don’t envy you — you have to choose between a few of the best tailbacks to ever put on the winged helmet. The three nominees comprise half of the top six on Michigan’s all-time rushing yardage list, and are three of the top four all-time rushing touchdown leaders. All three won the Bo Schembechler Award as Team MVP. No, you will not have many decisions tougher than Thomas, Perry, or Hart.

Anthony Thomas (1997-2000): Thomas broke through as a freshman phenom in 1997, cracking the 500-yard mark while backing up Chris Howard on the national title team. He then posted rushing seasons of 893, 1297, and 1733 en route to becoming Michigan’s all-time leading rusher. His senior season, in 2000, was one of the finest individual seasons in school history: Thomas’ 1733 yards was the second-highest single season total in school history (and his 144.4 yards per game still stands as the school record), and he rushed for 18 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 punishing yards per carry. Thomas finished his career with 55 rushing touchdowns, still the school record, as well as 22 100-yard rushing games (second) and uncountable defenders left crushed in his wake.

Chris Perry (2000-2003): Perry does not have the career numbers that Thomas or Hart boast, but his 2003 season stands as one of the finest of all time, and he is the only player of the three to boast a Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the country, as well as a Big Ten MVP trophy. Perry spent his first two seasons either as a backup or splitting time with B.J. Askew, but by 2002, Askew had moved to fullback and Perry was left alone as the feature back for the Wolverines. He put up solid numbers as a junior, running for 1110 yards and 14 touchdowns, but it was his senior season that vaulted him into the pantheon of Wolverine tailbacks. Finishing fourth in the Heisman voting and winning the Walker and Big Ten MVP awards, Perry rushed for 1674 yards and 18 touchdowns on 338 carries. He also had one of the most memorable games a Michigan tailback has had, carrying the ball a school-record 51 times for 219 yards and a touchdown in a 27-20 victory over Michigan State. Perry is now sixth on Michigan’s career rushing yards list, fourth in touchdowns, and had 12 career 100-yard games.

Mike Hart (2004-2007): Despite lacking the size or speed of a prototype collegiate running back, and being criticized for putting up incredible high school numbers against inferior competition, Mike Hart earned his way into the starting lineup as a true freshman and never relinquished his spot, breaking record after record along the way. Besides an injury-plagued sophomore campaign, Hart had a magnificent year every season he played for the Wolverines: 1455 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman, 1562 and 14 as a junior, and 1361 and 14 as a senior. His 5040 career rushing yards surpassed Thomas’ mark as the best in school history, as did his 28 (!) career 100-yard games, which also included 12 150-yard games and five 200-yard games (both school records). His three straight 200-yard performances as a freshman may stand as his most impressive achievement, but it was his running style — a 5′8 bowling ball in cleats, never succumbing to first contact — that endeared him to Michigan fans.

Career Stats:

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