I previously posted the all-time season receptions leaders (LINK). Here’s a look at the career leaders in that category:
- 252 – Braylon Edwards (2001-2004)
- 176 – Marquise Walker (1998-2001)
- 173 – Jeremy Gallon (2010-2013)
- 169 – Jason Avant (2002-2005)
- 161 – Anthony Carter (1979-1982)
- 156 – Steve Breaston (2003-2006)
- 154 – Roy Roundtree (2009-2012)
- 152 – David Terrell (1998-2000)
- 151 – Amara Darboh (2014-2016)
- 144 – Tai Streets (1995-1998)
- 143 – Amani Toomer (1992-1995)
- 138 – Jake Butt (2013-2016)
- 137 – Mario Manningham (2005-2007)
- 134 – Desmond Howard (1989-1991)
- 132 – Jack Clancy (1963-1966)
- 126 – Devin Funchess (2012-2014)
- 125 – Derrick Alexander (1989-1993)
- 124 – Mercury Hayes (1992-1995)
- 118 – Jim Mandich (1967-1969)
- 114 – Jehu Chesson (2013-2016)
- 111 – Greg McMurtry (1986-1989)
- 110 – Greg Matthews (2006-2009)
- 109 – Adrian Arrington (2004-2007)
- 99 – Jamie Morris (1984-1987)
- 98 – Jerame Tuman (1995-1998)
Originally posted on July 23, 2019.
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DPJ needs 30 receptions this season alone to make the top-25. Hopefully will get the passing offense going a bit more to feature our playmakers.
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Yeah, with all the great receivers Michigan has had, it’s interesting to me to see some of the more recent guys on the list (Chesson, Darboh, etc.) who were good but not great. Toomer, Hayes, Manningham, etc. are better (in my mind, at least) than Darboh and Chesson but have worse career numbers. Part of that is because the game has changed, of course, but it just makes me realize how much the changing of the game affects career statistics and such.
The one recent guy that I think deserves to be up near the top of these lists/recognized as an all-time great Michigan receiver – even though he never did anything in the NFL – is Jeremy Gallon.
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I didn’t expect to see Greg Matthews on the list
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This post got me thinking about how a player like Anthony Carter got the numbers he did back when the ball wasn’t thrown as much as it is now.
Looking back, in 1979 the top three receivers for Michigan were:
#1 – Doug Marsh, TE – 33 receptions
#2 – Butch Woolfolk, RB – 18 receptions
#3 – Anthony Carter, WR – 17 receptions
That changed in 1980:
#1 – Anthony Carter, WR – 51 receptions
#2 – Norm Betts, TE – 17 receptions
#3 – Alan Mitchell, WR – 13 receptions
I wonder if this was a case where Schembechler realized he had too potent a weapon in Carter and had to make use of it? Probably.
In 1981 the stats shook out a lot like 1980:
#1 – Anthony Carter, WR – 50 receptions
#2 – Vince Bean, WR – 16 receptions
#3 – Craig Dunaway, TE – 11 receptions
In 1982, Carter’s last year, things shifted a bit. Carter still had his numbers, but others got in on the action as well:
#1 – Anthony Carter, WR – 43 receptions
#2 – Craig Dunaway, TE – 35 receptions
#3 – Vince Bean, WR – 19 receptions
I wonder what changed in 1982? Did defenses put too much emphasis on Carter, which would allow a TE (Dunaway) to get open more?
I recall Bob Ufer back in those days and he’d call the formation: “Two tight ends and a balanced line” … usually with a TB deep and a FB close. That meant there was only one guy wide. What a difference with today’s game where there’s almost always two guys out somewhere, and for some teams in three or four.
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