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Eric Breitenstein, a former star running back at Watauga High, has been selected to enter the Wofford College Hall of Fame on Oct. 7. He is the school’s all-tme leading rusher in football./WOFFORD COLLEGE PHOTO
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College’s next Hall of Fame class will include its all-time leading rusher in football.
The school has announced Eric Breitenstein, twice an all-state pick at Watauga High, is part of a four-person Class of 2017 that will be induced on Oct. 7 at halftime of a football game against Western Carolina.
Breitenstein was a three-time All-America at Wofford, finishing third in voting for the Walter Payton Award recognizing the most outstanding running back on the FCS level.
As a high school star, he was one of the most productive running backs in the old Northwestern 4A while playing for Watauga. As a junior in 2006, he (unofficially) ran 377 times for 2,619 yards. He reached 1,000 yards by the sixth game, had 10 games of 100 yards or more and had 37 carries for 302 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over McDowell as the Pioneers went 12-3.
The leading rusher in the Northwestern 4A as a senior, Breitenstein led the Pioneers to an 11-4 record and a share of the league title with East Burke and Asheville Reynolds. He ran 289 times for 2,424 yards and 29 TDs, had 100 or more yards in 11 games and gained 316 yards on 24 carries in a second-round playoff game against Central Cabarrus.
Breitenstein now teaches science at a middle school in the Phoenix area.
During his college football career, he became one of the Southern Conference’s best running backs. As a senior in 2012, he led the league for the second straight year with 2,035 yards to set a school record. That came within 84 yards of the all-time mark set by Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson (later of the Chicago Bears) from 1998-2001.
He set a single-game rushing record for the Southern Conference in 2012 when he gained 321 yards against Elon.
Breitensein was Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012, becoming just the fourth player in conference history to win that award in back-to-back seasons.
He still holds five Wofford rushing records, two Southern Conference rushing records and one NCAA rushing record.
As a junior, his 1,474 rushing yards were the most in the conference and rank third in school history.
In 2009, Breitenstein started the first two games of the season with 187 yards and three TDs before a knee injury ended his season. He returned in 2010 with 13 starts and 1,639 yards, which was a school record as he earned All-America honors.
As a freshman in 2008, he played 10 games with two starts, rushing for 395 yards and two touchdowns and was named the team’s freshman of the year and was on the Southern Conference’s All-Freshman team.
Wofford’s other Hall of Famers are former baseball player Mac Doyle, basketball player Brad Loesing and football player Ameet Pall. Additionally, the school will honor Buddy (class of 1961) and Shirley Kirby with distinguished service awards, and Joe Edens and Stewart Johnson (class of 1967) as honorary lettermen.