College
Boles starred for coach Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan where he was twice named All-Big Ten on repeat conference champions in 1988 and 1989 and named the team most valuable player for the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. These were Schembechler's final two seasons at Michigan. With Boles, the team won the January 1, 1989 Rose Bowl, but with him on the sidelines they lost the January 1, 1990 contest. Boles shared the 1988 Big Ten rushing title with Anthony Thompson. Boles won the title for conference games only, while Thompson won the title for all games played. As a sophomore in 1988, he rushed for 1,408 yards (1,287 m), but during his junior season he suffered a season ending knee injury. Entering the final game before his injury he had accumulated 822 yards (752 m) rushing in nine games on 130 rushes, Schembechler was starting to support his Heisman Trophy candidacy:
| “ | Michigan tailback Tony Boles can run (can he ever!) but he can’t hide from the Heisman Trophy anymore. He’s finally got Bo Schembechler touting him for college football’s most glamorous honor and that’s never happened before. … ‘He’s (darn) good,’ Schembechler said. ‘You’re (darn) right. He’s averaging 6.3 yards (5.8 m) a carry. That’s not too shabby.’ … Boles, who last season rushed for 1,408 yards (1,287 m) and nine touchdowns, has 822 yards (752 m) and nine TDs this season. … ‘That’s the difference between Tony and some of the other backs we’ve had here. He was not a big track man. He was baseball and all-sports in high school.’ | ” |
During the 1989 season, his carries were somewhat limited due to a pinched nerve. He was seriously injured late in the 1989 season and had arthroscopic surgery on his knee, while Leroy Hoard replaced him for the final 2.5 games. In 1990, Boles attempted a senior season comeback as a wide receiver to no avail. Boles compiled 10 100-yard games while rushing for 2,247 yards (2,055 m) in two years at Michigan. In addition to playing running back, Boles excelled as a kick returner where he accumulated 639 yards (584 m) and a touchdown on 25 returns for a 25.6 yards (23.4 m) per return average. In 1990, Jon Vaughn and Ricky Powers carried the load at tailback in his place. In retrospect, Boles sometimes regrets not having gone to one of the historically black colleges and universities. Before the injury he had been projected as a first round draft pick. After the injury, he dropped out of school fell onto hard times. He dropped out of classes because he says "didn't want to be crutching around campus" and he eventually stopped rehabbing his knee and became irregular with his workouts.
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