Best in 25 Years Series: Mark is Northwestern's top punt returner

It's been 25 years since Northwestern's magical run to the Rose Bowl in 1995. WildcatReport is celebrating that Silver Anniversary by finding out who's been the best player at each position since that legendary team revitalized Wildcat football.

BEST IN 25 YEARS SERIES:

OFFENSE: QB Dan Persa l RB Justin Jackson l WR D'Wayne Bates l TE Drake Dunsmore l T Zach Strief l G Ryan Padgett l C Rob Johnson

DEFENSE: DE Corey Wootton l DT Matt Rice l MLB Pat Fitzgerald l OLB Napoleon Harris l CB Sherrick McManis l S Ibraheim Campbell

We figured that this battle for the punt returner job would likely be the most hotly contested vote in this entire Best in 25 Years Series.

But we didn't know it would be THIS close.

Venric Mark edged Brian Musso by one vote to claim the title of the best Northwestern punt returner over the last quarter century. The two icons were neck-and-neck throughout the balloting, but Mark -- like he did on his two punt return touchdowns for the Wildcats -- used a burst of his legendary speed to get to the goal line in first place.

This was not only a race between the two best punt returners by a wide margin. It was also a contrast in styles.

Musso was quick, deceptive and elusive, an escape artist who was better than anyone at making the first man miss with a step to the side or a wiggle of his hips.. He never gave away where the ball was until it was directly on top of him, and then -- boom! -- he would throw out his hands at the last second, and there it was.

Mark, on the other hand, was a missile, a dangerous explosive device. Once he caught the ball, all he needed was a crack of daylight and he was off to the races. He had acceleration that very few players anywhere could match, and he was a home-run threat every time he touched the pigskin.

Northwestern fans decided that Mark was the better of the two by the slightest of margins. No one can argue he is deserving of the honor. In case you forget, you can just look to the second deck of the West stands at Ryan Field, where his name is on the facing for being named a first-team All-America punt returner in 2012.

Northwestern doesn't get many electric playmakers like Mark, and he made an impact as a return man right away, handling both kickoff and punt return duties.

BALLOT: Who was the best Northwestern punt returner over the last 25 years?

He was a first-team Big Ten All-Freshman and second-team Freshman All-American pick in 2010 as a true freshman after averaging 12.9 yards per punt return. In 2011, his 15.9-yard average would have led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally if he had enough attempts to qualify.

But it was 2012 that put Mark's name on the stadium. He averaged 18.7 yards per return on 15 attempts to top the Big Ten and get named to the Football Writers Association of America All-America first team.

In the opener at Syracuse that year, Mark set a school single-game record with 134 punt-return yards on just two returns, including an 82-yard touchdown that was NU's first since 2005. His second TD that season came on a 75-yarder against Penn State, when he got to the sideline and just outsprinted everyone to the end zone.

While he was a fixture from Day 1 on special teams, it took a while for coaches to figure out where to use Mark on offense. He played wide receiver first, but eventually settled in at running back, where he made an impression much larger than his 5-foot-8, 175-pound frame.

In 2012, Mark ran for 1,366 yards and 12 TDs to become the first Wildcat to crack the 1,000-yard barrier in six years and earn second-team All-Big Ten honors, as well as the team's offensive MVP award. Not only was he fast, but Mark "ran hungry" and seemed to seek out contact. He was at his best running between the tackles.

Mark never again reached the heights he did in 2012. He played in just three games due to injuries in 2013 -- including one as a linebacker against Michigan, when coaches employed him to spy Wolverine QB Denard Robinson.

He had one more year of eligibility remaining but was suspended by Northwestern shortly before the 2014 season. He transferred to play his fifth and final year at West Texas A&M.

Mark's flame didn't burn long -- his 32 career returns is exactly one-third of Musso's total -- but it sure burned brightly.

BTN's Howard Griffith interviews and watches film with Venric Mark.

2013 BTN: The Journey feature on Venric Mark.