Deeeuuuuuuuce!!!!! I know some of you will be disappointed that he’s not higher on this list. Deuce McAllister, maybe save Dalton Hilliard (and no Hilliard is not in my top 3), was my favorite Saint of all time. I know many fans feel the same way that Deuce holds a special place in their hearts. While Deuce hails from Mississippi and went to Ole Miss, so he wasn’t quite a local guy, fans immediately adopted him as one of their own. While Deuce was the perfect combination of power and speed in his prime and one of the league’s most dominant and premiere backs for a relatively short amount of time, his humble demeanor and his blue collar type workman attitude is what won him so many loyal supporters. McAllister has always been loved by anyone who played with him, rooted for him, or coached him. Jim Haslett and Sean Payton both referred to him as the ultimate coaches’ player and teammate and an unquestioned leader. Deuce was never a big talker, instead electing to let his actions on the field speak for themselves. He was also able to bounce back from two major knee injuries to have successful seasons returning to action. Few people in this world combine humility with heart like Deuce McAllister. He was also extremely active in the community helping others. Few athletes in the sports world are truly good people, but Deuce McAllister is at the top of the list. As good as he was on the field, he has more worth off of it.
His numbers in his Saints’ career are outstanding:
Deuce McAllister is 4th all time in scoring, and he has the most points in team history of any non-kicker. He scored a career high 16 touchdowns in a season once back in 2002 which is second most all time to Dalton Hilliard’s 18 scores in 1989. Deuce is the all time rushing yards leader in team history with 6,004 yards. He has also scored the most touchdowns in team history with 55, and the most rushing touchdowns in team history with 49. His career long run of 76 yards in second in team history (George Rogers had a 79 yard run). His 1,641 yard rushing performance in 2003 was a career high, and second in team history to Rogers’ 1,674 yard output in 1981. He’s tied with both Rogers and Hilliard for most touchdowns rushing in a season with 13. He was elected to the Pro Bowl two times in his career.
While he was maybe not the best Saints player of all time, he was certainly the favorite.
Thanks for the memories #26!
The “List”
10. Eric Martin
9. Pat Swilling
8. Archie Manning
7. Sam Mills
6. Joe Horn
5. Morten Andersen
4. Deuce McAllister
to be continued…
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