Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Colgate University Athletics

James Holland Jr.
Yvonne Landis ‘86

Football John Painter

All-Decade Football: Running Back

Holland, Eachus Continued Colgate's Storied Backfield Tradition

Second in a series.

Quarterback

HAMILTON – The 2010s were another amazing decade in the annals of Colgate Football.
 
The Raiders won four Patriot League championships for the second decade in a row, upping their all-time total to 10. Colgate made two deep runs in the NCAA playoffs, advancing to the quarterfinals in both 2015 and 2018. The Raiders under head coaches Dick Biddle and Dan Hunt went 64-53 overall and 39-17 against Patriot League competition.
 
In celebration of those accomplishments, Colgate Football announces the All-Decade Team for 2010-19. Voters for this team were from the coaching staff, alumni, athletics department and media. Ties in the voting at wide receiver and linebacker resulted in one additional player being named for both of those positions.
 
"This was a neat thing to do and I appreciate everyone who helped out and gave their time to this process," Colgate head coach Dan Hunt said. "For me personally, it was really fun to talk about these guys, having been here for all of them and then some -- but not all as the head coach. It was a unique perspective on this to go back and talk about these great players."
 
Hunt especially enjoyed comparing those who finished their careers in 2010 or 2011 versus players who rounded out the decade.
 
"It was a good cross-section from different views of the football team," he said. "And the voters got it right. Obviously, there are players not on the list who easily could be. There were four championships during this 10-year period and two trips to the NCAA quarterfinals -- so there are some good players and some good teams."
 
Hunt noted that 11 of the 27 honorees came from the 2018 team that finished seventh and eighth in the major national polls after starting the season 9-0 on the strength of five shutouts. Those zeroes tied an NCAA FCS record for a season as Colgate breezed to a Patriot League title and earned a first-round NCAA playoff bye.
 
"Particularly on the defensive side of the ball, there are five on this team who were on that 2018 defense, and then four on offense and one on special teams," he said. "And to be honest with you, that's the way it should be. That's an all-time defense and an amazing all-around team that obviously performed very well."

All-Decade Graphic Running Backs

Nate Eachus (2008-11)

Eachus led the nation in rushing in 2010 at 170.1 yards per game on his way to consensus All-America First Team honors. He was an ECAC All-Star and Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year after finishing with 1,871 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. Injuries limited his senior year production but he still finished with 4,485 career rushing yards and 53 touchdowns to rank third in both Colgate categories at graduation.

Nate Eachus
Nate Eachus
Obviously in our offense, this is a key position, so there were some great players to choose from. Nate will always go down not only as one of the best running backs ever but one of the best football players we've ever had. People forget that Nate's first real playing time was at linebacker. Against Cornell, he had a sack and a bunch of tackles before Jordan Scott got hurt. Nate took over at running back and had over 200 yards rushing in his first game, and he never looked back. When you look at the workload he took on, how many carries he was getting per game and the production he had, he was a standard-setter for what you want out of that position.
Coach Dan Hunt

James Holland Jr. (2014-18)

Holland saved the best for his final season, earning a pair of All-America First Team nods after rushing for 1,219 yards and scoring 84 points to lead the Patriot League in both categories and earn Offensive Player of the Year honors. He opened his career as the team’s leading scorer and seventh in FCS with 16 TDs and 96 points. Holland set Colgate playoff marks by scoring all four TDs in a 27-20 NCAA victory at New Hampshire, then he rushed for 165 yards in a 44-38 upset win at No. 5 James Madison. He finished seventh in career rushing yards (3,180) and fifth in rushing TDs (37).

James Holland Jr.
James Holland
James was the same type of back. James was somebody who we probably didn't know how good he was his first two years. As he kept playing more, he kept doing more. By the end with the 2018 team, he was the workhorse. Of all the running backs we've had here, I've never seen a player be able to never get tackled for a loss. He could turn anything into a positive gain. And as you got closer to the end zone, he was going to score. It's a crowded position here at Colgate, but these two guys definitely deserve to be on this team.
Coach Dan Hunt

Next Up: Wide Receivers, Friday.