Clinton Portis: Highlight Reel Mainstay

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When looking at the competition at the collegiate level of football, many scribes have argued that players from the college ranks play with more passion than those who reach the pros. Among those exceptional collegiate players, only a few make it regularly to the highlight reel. Clinton Portis was such a player.

Portis was a high school phenom. At Gainesville High School, he rushed over 2,000 yards, making him a most coveted blue-chip rookie by most of the popular universities across the United States of America. He was also one of the top athletes in track and field in school. It was the Miami Hurricanes that got lucky enough to bring him in.

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Without a doubt, it was his speed that was uncanny, as he split the defense apart with his lightning moves, which were fortunately captured by a lot of cameras. As a freshman in 1999, he carried 27 times for 147 yards, a number which was typical of more tenured players in the league. On that year, he even made a record-setting 73-yard touchdown in a game that Miami won over Georgia Tech.

He built a stellar career with the Hurricanes where he rushed for a total of 2,523 yards (4th most of all time) on 440 carries (8th most of all time). Easily, he was a shoo-in to the NFL, where the Denver Broncos picked him in 2002.

Portis continues to inspire younger generations of Hurricanes, who truly look up to him as they sustain the Hurricane legacy. Portis simply shined like no other.

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