G.O.A.T. week here at SpartansWire has been a ton of fun. If you haven’t been keeping up, here are the other posts we’ve done this week:
For today’s post, I wanted to mix things up. We are doing the wide receivers today, and instead of just doing a top-5 ranking, I wanted to do a top-15 because this is an eclectic group of wideouts for us to look back on. Get ready for some nostalgia…
#15 Blair White (2007-09)
A former walk-on, Blair White stunned the nation by leading the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns (he had 9). That is good for 6th best in a single season in Spartan history. He also has the 4th most receptions in a single season with 70.
Unfortunately, White wasn’t able to have a long NFL career as back injuries forced him to retire at 25 after three back surgeries.
#14 Eugene Byrd (1975-79)
Byrd comes from an era where receivers were less impactful members of the offense, but he was one of the best in the Big Ten during his time. He led the Big Ten in receptions with 43 in 1978 and still sits at #11 on Michigan State’s all-time receiving yards list despite playing in an era that didn’t pass as much.
#13 Matt Trannon (2003-06)
Drew Stanton’s #1 target, the two-sport athlete (basketball and football) was one of the bets short gain position receivers in MSU history. He is still ranked #4 in career receptions and #16 in yards.
#12 Felton Davis III (2015-18)
One of my favorite players in MSU history, and also one of the most tragic, Felton Davis III was on pace for an all-time great season at Michigan State last year before tearing his achilles during the Michigan game. Even with the terrible quarterback play, Davis was mostly on pace for a 1,000-yard season. He was so good he still managed to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs after his injury.
#11 Derrick Mason (1993-96)
I was just a little too young to remember watching Derrick Mason’s time at MSU, but I was a big fan of his in the NFL. A two-time Pro Bowler (2000, 2003) and first-team All-Pro in 2000, Mason was, until 2011, the all-time leader in the NFL for all-purpose yards in a single season. He was also the Baltimore Ravens all-time leading receiver by the time he left the team in 2010.
At MSU, he had two excellent 53-reception seasons in a row and finished his career with 1,914 yards over three seasons at receiver.
#10 Mark Ingram (1983-86)
No, this isn’t the Alabama running back – this is his dad. Ingram was a prolific receiver for the Spartans in the ’80s and is still ranked 12th in receiving yards in MSU history. Again, I give a lot of weight to players before 2000 who are still up there in passing/receiving statistics because they were putting up numbers before the game started to shift to the passing frenzy it is today.
Ingram is also 11th in receiving touchdowns to this day, another testament to his amazing skills.
#9 Aaron Burbridge (2012-15)
This article is timely as Burbridge just announced his retirement from the NFL less than a month ago after a four-year career.
Aaron Burbridge still holds the record for most pass receptions in a season, going for a spectacular 85 catches and 1,258 yards in 2015. He is 7th all-time in MSU history for receiving yards and second in career receptions.
#8 Gene Washington (1964-66)
Again, if you put up numbers like Gene Washington did in the mid-’60s, I’m going to give you a ton of credit. Remarkably, Washington is still ranked in the top-15 for all-time receiving yards despite playing in an era not known for passing prowess. He was a key member of the 1965 and ’66 National Championship teams and went on to have a solid NFL career with two pro bowls after being drafted in the first round.
#7 Courtney Hawkins (1988-91)
Courtney Hawkins was a trailblazer for the Spartans as he was the first receiver in MSU history with a 1,000-yard season, accomplishing the feat in 1989.
A home-run hitting wide receiver, Hawkins is still 6th in both career receiving yards and career receptions for Michigan State. He had a nice 9-year NFL career with the Bucs and Steelers.
#6 Tony Lippett (2011-14)
Tony Lippett’s 2014 season was nothing short of amazing. He showed a lot of promise in his sophomore and junior seasons but truly broke out in his senior year with 65 receptions for 1,198 yards. Think about how impressive that is like this: Aaron Burbridge had 1,258 yards in 2015 via 85 catches. That’s just 60 yards more than Lippett racked up in 2014, but on 20 more catches. Lippett was a true game-changer and deep threat for Connor Cook.
That season, he also had the 5th most touchdown receptions in a season for the Spartans. He is currently playing cornerback in the NFL and is now signed by the Bengals.
#5 BJ Cunningham (2008-11)
I think you could make an argument for any of these guys in the top-10 to be at the top of this list, and that goes double for BJ Cunningham, who owns most of the Spartans career receiving records to this day.
He is 1st in career receiving yards with 3,086, 1st in receptions at 218, and 2nd in receiving touchdowns with 25. With those numbers, if you wanted to call him the best Michigan State receiver ever, you won’t hear an argument coming from me.
He doesn’t just hold those career receiving records, he also had the second-most receptions, third-most receiving yards, and third-most receiving touchdowns in a single season.
#4 Plaxico Burress (1998-99)
Can anyone really argue that Plaxico Burress wasn’t one of the most talented players to ever come through East Lansing? The former #8 pick in the 2000 NFL draft was First-Team All-Big Ten in his only two years at MSU, busting out two 1,000 yard seasons in a row.
Like Julian Peterson on defense who also only played two years for the Spartans, it’s completely insane to see him on career record lists for MSU with only two years of playing time. He is 8th all-time in receiving yards and 6TH ALL-TIME IN RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS. Completely insane.
#3 Andre Rison (1985-88)
Until BJ Cunningham came around, Andre Rison’s record for career receiving yards (2,992) seemed untouchable. He is also 5th in both receiving touchdowns and career receptions. When you think about Michigan State receivers, Andre Rison is usually the first player who comes to mind.
Of course, Rison is perhaps better remembered for his NFL career, where you can make the argument that he had the best NFL tenure of any receiver on this list (it’s between him and Plaxico).
Rison was a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro appointee, and Super Bowl champion in the NFL (with the Packers).
#2 Charles Rogers (2000-02)
As a Detroit Lions fan, this one still stings. But as a Michigan State fan, it’s still fun to look back at the years of dominance Rogers put up in East Lansing.
In just 24 games for the Spartans, Charles Rogers holds multiple receiving records. He has the most receiving yards in a single game with 270 and he still holds the record for career receiving touchdowns with 27, breaking Kirk Gibson’s long-standing touchdown record.
His two seasons in 2001 and 2002 are #1 and #2 for single-season receiving yards. The man was an absolute beast.
Of course, we know that Charles Rogers flamed out in the NFL after being drafted #2 overall by the Lions, but his college career is unassailable and he could easily be #1 on this list.
#1 Kirk Gibson (1975-78)
I haven’t written a ‘Most legendary Spartans in MSU athletics history’ post yet, but when I do, you can expect to see Gibby right near Magic Johnson at the top.
A College Football Hall of Famer as of 2017, Gibby left MSU as the leader in almost receiving category at the time. As mentioned in the Charles Rogers section, his touchdown record stood for 23 years before being broken. He is still 3rd in that category. Remarkably, he is also still 4th in career receiving yards despite playing in a much less pass-heavy 1970’s.
It’s funny, Gibby is now more known for his epic baseball career, but he didn’t even go into college with the intent of playing that sport and only played one season (where he hit for an insane .390 with 16 home runs). He was quickly drafted in the 1st round by the Detroit Tigers, who he now does commentary for on games.
