Most dominant player while at MSU?

[blacklistedbully]

Football and non-football. Must be modern era. A thread on another board got me wondering who to mention.

Some ideas:

Jerious Norwood
Kent Hull
Johnnie Cooks

Will Clark
Rafael Palmeiro
Jeff Brantley

Jeff Malone

[TheRef]

Smoot. Porkchop.

[blacklistedbully]

Smoot. Porkchop.

Good ones. Also, can't believe I left off Banks.

[shoeless joe]

Dampier

[tcdog70]

DD Lewis and Brantley Jones

[Saltydog]

nt

[Political Hack]

Ross Mitchell.

[smootness]

For football, I'm going both Smoot and Norwood. Norwood wasn't technically 'dominant' but it was b/c he never got the chance to be.

Non-football? If we're talking about any extended stretch, then it has to be Dontae Jones. Best player in the country for half a season. I don't think we'll ever see something like that at State again, though I hope to be wrong.

[blacklistedbully]

Has to be dominant while playing at State.

Who wins?

[msstate7]

Varnado was pretty dominate

[esplanade91]

Gotta be Jarvis. No one will ever sniff his record, and to me that's pretty special.

In modern history Banks has to be at the top of the list somewhere along with Gabe.

[blacklistedbully]

Surprising how many great choices there are, and how hard it is to pick one in any sport as the best.

[BeardoMSU]

Boobie (senior year). He had more yards in the regular season than the Heisman winner that year, despite playing one less game and running behind a less talented O-line.

[Homedawg]

I assume this means for a career and not year. If so on baseball I have to go palmeiro and Brantley. Basketball in my lifetime, which eliminates Howell and others, then Malone hands down. Football, hmmm, johnnie cooks, smoot, and Norwood.

[99jc]

I assume this means for a career and not year. If so on baseball I have to go palmeiro and Brantley. Basketball in my lifetime, which eliminates Howell and others, then Malone hands down. Football, hmmm, johnnie cooks, smoot, and Norwood.

My 2nd choice Palmero

[Homedawg]

If you have to pick one and only one that's not a bad choice. But of I had to just pick on for all sports it's palmeiro. He won the triple crown in the league his so year. Had and unbelievable fr year and hit 20 hrs in a "down" jr year. Impressive career.

[Political Hack]

Norwood was dominant while playing tackle the man with the football. That's special.

[Todd4State]

Chris Stratton, Rafael Palmeiro, and Will Clark.

For football- I'm going to say JJ Johnson. His two games against Alabama were incredible. He literally was the offense and took us to the SEC West title. If he was healthy for the Egg Bowl, we probably score 56 on them and if he was healthy for the SEC Championship Game, we win the SEC.

[msstate7]

Dak '14 -- my hope anyway

[Natedogg33]

I think Todd hit it with JJ. I still think he's our best back from the past twenty years.

[blacklistedbully]

I think Todd hit it with JJ. I still think he's our best back from the past twenty years.

Really thought he'd do more in the NFL.

[Natedogg33]

I think his hammy, that slowed him at State, finally gave out.

[tcdog70]

I thought the thread was for the years you were at MSU. But if that is not the case then Rockey Felker was voted Sec player of the Year.Also Jackie Parker. While Jeff Malone was pretty dominate. but Lawrence Roberts was an All American and SEC player of the year.Jarvis was Defensive Player of the Year. But Will the Thrill was Golden Spikes winner, that is pretty damn dominate.

[grinnindawg]

Cooks, and it's not close.
One player who could nearly shut down the triple option by himself
Helped completely change the way college defenses played.
10 years earlier someone of his bulk would've been on the line.
He paved the way for the big fast LBs that became the norm.

My favorite Cooks memory:
Near midfield, one of Auburn's future NFL RBs breaks through the line past Cooks who's being engaged by an OL.
Safety's are close to the line
Nothing but green grass between the RB and pay dirt,
He thinks he's got a TD
He cocks his head back and breaks into his track star stride
One problem: 15 yards later Cooks catches him, grabs him and throws him down
RB gets up looks at who caught him and walks back to the huddle shaking his head

Herschel and Bo are the only people of similar size I've ever seen who could accelerate faster.
And they where a good 20 pounds lighter.

[War Machine Dawg]

Surprised Paul Maholm and Eric Dubose haven't gotten any mentions. Also gotta throw out Eric Moulds. His catch over Deshea Townsend versus Alabama is still one of the most insane athletic displays I've ever seen. And he had to deal with Derrick Taite as his QB.

[War Machine Dawg]

I think his hammy, that slowed him at State, finally gave out.

That's always been my contention. He was done as a player after that Bama game. The Kang ruined him that day. If we'd had a healthy JJ, I still think we beat TN to win the SEC.

[MSUDawg4Life]

I wonder if it is possible to know which MSU player (or group of players) in any sport had that highest winning percentage for his career.

[RBritt]

Lawrence Roberts Papelbon and Maholm in baseball. We were bad in football from 01-04.

[Joe Schmedlap]

Football - Cooks
Honorable mention: JJ Johnson, Smoot, Moulds. Don Smith was great, but not dominant.

Baseball - Will Clark & Rafael Palmero "Thunder and Lightning. They go together.
Honorable mention: Jeff Brantley, Eric Dubose, Pete Young, Maholm.

Basketball - Jeff Malone, no one else comes close.
Honorable mention: Dampier, Roberts, possibly Tim Bowers. For 1/2 of one magical season, Dontae Jones.

I don't follow track and field, tennis, etc. Don't we now or recently had a world class sprinter?

[dawgoneyall]

What is considered modern area?

D.D. Lewis was the most dominant player to ever suit up at MSU.

[thf24]

Renardo Sidney**

What's sad is he really could have been.

[Martianlander]

Bobby Bryant-tennis all american

[FISHDAWG]

Mario Hagan, Willie Blade, .... the rest of the 99 defense

[Johnson85]

Football - Has to be Moulds or Smoot to me. There wasn't anybody that could really stop Moulds except for Taite. And Smoot was simply a lock down corner. As good as people like Boobie, Norwood, and JJ Johnson were, you're going to see players like that a lot more often than you will see a WR or DB dominate the way Moulds or Smoot did.

Basketball - Dontae Jones for half a season. The only guy we've had since I've been a fan (Malone was before my time) where we were basically going to have the best guy on the court (at least after the light came on). Still crazy to me thinking about how he matched up with Ray Allen. If you're looking for a full season, Varnado. Lawrence Roberts was better, but he didn't completely change one half the game the way Varnado did.