Taber Minner

Position:
Running Back
Height:
5-10
Weight:
205
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Plainview, Texas

Minner is listed as the starter at tailback going into the 2007 season. Minner is one of the top returning dual-threat running backs in the Lone Star Conference and the NCAA Southwest Region. After two seasons, Minner is 10th on ACU's all-time rushing touchdown list (12), and he is poised to break into the top 10 on the all-time rushing list (he has 1,395 yards in two seasons).

2006 (Sophomore): Minner led the Wildcats in rushing with 818 yards and a team-best 12 touchdowns on 136 carries, and he also added 29 catches for 279 yards and one touchdown. His 29 catches were second in the LSC among running backs (Maurice White of West Texas A&M had 62 catches), and his 1,097 combined rushing and receiving yards were second only to White's 1,287 yards in 2006. Minner had four 100-yard rushing games in his sophomore campaign, including a season-best 123 yards on 18 carries in ACU's 30-27 overtime loss to West Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. In that game, Minner had a 76-yard touchdown run that gave ACU a 27-12 lead with seven minutes to play. Minner who was voted first team all-LSC South Division had four multi-touchdown games in 2006 with two rushing touchdowns against Southeastern Oklahoma State, two against Northeastern State, two against Angelo State, and two against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He also had a 26-yard touchdown run on national television as ACU knocked off West Texas A&M, 49-33, in front of a national TV audience on CSTV. Minner opened the season with a 12-carry, 118-yard, one-touchdown effort in a 24-18 win over Central Oklahoma. He had 114 yards and two touchdowns against Northeastern State, and then ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in a Nov. 4 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville.

2005 (Redshirt freshman): Posted a fine all-around redshirt freshman season, winning the starting running back job midway through the season. A dual threat out of the backfield, Minner was second on the team in catches with 30 for 253 yards and one score. He also led the team with 120 carries for 577 yards and four scores on his way to earning second team all-Lone Star Conference South Division honors. Minner posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing days late in the season, and the Wildcats rode both those efforts to wins over nationally ranked opponents. On Oct. 22, Minner had 158 yards and one touchdown on 31 bruising carries as the Wildcats punished Tarleton State, 18-7, in Stephenville. Minner who added three catches for 11 yards had a 16-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead, an advantage they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the day. The next Saturday (Oct. 29), Minner led the Wildcats to a 19-3 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville with 137 yards rushing on 27 carries. His best receiving days were Sept. 17 in a win over Texas A&M-Commerce when he had six catches for 65 yards and one touchdown and Oct. 1 against Southeastern Oklahoma State when he caught five passes for 74 yards.

High school: The first running back in school history to rush for 2,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons. Minner led Class 4A in rushing with 2,104 yards in 2002, earning first team all-state honors. He recorded another 2,000-yard season as a senior in 2003, earning third team all-state honors and helping the Bulldogs to a 10-3 mark and a spot in the Class 4A Division I semifinals. He was a first team selection to TexasPrepXtra.com all-West Texas team as a senior. As a junior he was named the Player of the Year by both the Amarillo Globe-News and Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. As a sophomore in 2001 he was the District 4-4A Sophomore of the Year.

Personal: Born 12 Oct 1985. 2004 graduate of Plainview High School.