The is the first of a little August series on the 20 Most Memorable Michigan players of the past twenty years – basically going back to 1990.  Don’t forget my friends, these are my memories…and beef if you must once we start getting down to the wire and you sense an oncoming omission. 

#7 Chris Floyd

1994-1997
Position: Fullback
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Career Stats: 148 carries, 623 yds, 2TDs

During Michigan’s National Championship run in 1997 – there is no doubt that Chris Floyd played an enormous role in that success.  Floyd, the starting fullback, was key in creating running lanes and a critical component of one of Michigan’s most underrated backfields in Chris Howard, Clarence Williams, and Anthony Thomas.

Floyd had to intimidate dudes out there.  He looked mean without pads on and looked like he was going to crush you with pads on.

Born in ’75, Floyd grew up in Detroit and wound up attending Cooley High School.  What many people didn’t know, is that when Floyd was recruited, he was recruited as a tailback and thought he was going to be the next great Michigan running back.  In 1994, Floyd was a freshman and Michigan has a load of running backs on the roster and the writing was on the wall as Floyd filled in at fullback and not running back.

Here’s an excerpt from the book “Michigan: Where have you gone?“…

Now jump ahead to December, 1996.  The Wolverines, who’d just upset No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus, were preparing for the Outback Bowl, but Floyd no longer had much joy for the game.  Michigan coaches handed him the starting fullback position because no one else wanted it, he says, but he didn’t want it either.  His junior season had not gone well, and he seriously considered transferring to another school.  Two conversations then changed his mind.

The first was a series of heart-to-heart talks with Mike Gittleson, Michigan’s strength and conditioning coach, who explained that many fullbacks in school history had had great senior seasons and gone on to play in the NFL.  Gittleson also reminded Floyd each time they talked that Michigan’s offense would be more potent if both he and classmate Chris Howard were on the field at the same time.  “I pretty much committed (to fullback) then,” Howard said.

Floyd was definitely a guy that brought just as much of an intangible impact to the game as he did a tangible impact.  Much of what made Floyd so valuable never made the stat sheet.  So, while he only had two games in his career where he received the rock more than ten times, he had plenty of huge games protecting Brian Griese and making the most of his opportunities with the rock.

First play that comes to mind?

In the third game of the season versus Notre Dame, Michigan has the ball 2nd & 7 on the Notre Dame 14 yard line.  Score tied at 14 with nine and a half minutes to go in the third quarter.  Roll the tape…

I also recommend you play that video back and watch the next play if you moved on post-Floyd TD and didn’t keep watching.  Marcus Ray makes a stick of a certain caliber that has eluded Michigan’s secondary for a long time.

Blocking vs. Ohio State in ’97

Another excerpt from the aforementioned book talks about how dominate of a blocker Floyd was…

The Buckeyes blitzed often, but they could not get to Griese because Floyd was there to stop them.  “It got to the point where I knew they were coming and they knew I was going to block them,” he said.  “I would point to the guy blitzing and tell him to bring it on.  When you do something like that, it takes the wind out of them.  I was not only blocking one guy, sometimes I’d get two at one time.”

Chris Floyd was most definitely a bad ass.

Related Posts:

• 16th MMM Player since ’90: #8 Chris Howard
• 14th MMM Player Since ’90: #3 Tripp Welborne
• 15th MMM Player since ’90: #15 Steve Breaston
• 17th MMM Player since ’90: #1 Derrick Alexander
• 18th MMM Player since ’90: #9 Mercury Hayes