Since its inception, the running back position has been a central element in the NFL. Eventually, a major rush attack will be the difference between winning and losing in the new age of American football where quarterbacks and high-octane tempo make the game.
Big throws are fun to see, but there’s no more thrilling stuff than seeing a particularly strong run-down defense carve-up. In today’s football age, the running position changes, but the history of the NFL is a group of star ball carriers.
A stand-out in the backfield may be an immense differentiator by the mid-2000s formuch of the NFL’s greatest running backs played many decades ago.Several modernplayers are also considered icons of the positions. But where do Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith fit in with legends like Walter Payton and Jim Brown? Let’s take a look at theTop 11 Running Backs of All-Time.
11. Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell speaks during the Houston Sports Awards in 2018. (Getty)
Oilers’hero Earl Campbell, the 1978 Rookie of the Year and MVP, penalized defences in his brief career and was named Offensive Player of the Year award in three straight seasons.
Due to the fatal running style that saw Campbell strike the defensive teeth squarely in five of his first six seasons, he overcame 1,300 yards and two-digit touchdowns. Unfortunately, Campbell paid the price of it by just playing just five seasons in the NFL.
10. Marcus Allen
Former NFL running back Marcus Allen in 2013. (Getty)
Allen was the first NFL player to accumulate over 10,000 running yards and 5,000 receiving yards in history. His home Super Bowl XVIII MSP awards featured an electrifying 74-yard TD run for his role in the Raiders’ victory.
In 1985, the Hall of Fame player was named MVP of the NFL and ranked third in career rushing TDs with 123.
9. LaDainian Tomlinson
NFL Hall of Famer and former TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson in 2018. (Getty)
LaDainian Tomlinson is only one of three NFL runners to earn 100 receptions in one season. In 2003, he completed his feat, scamping at 1,645 yards and 13 points. Twice the TCU commodity rushed the NFL and set a standing record in 2006 with 28 running touchdowns. The squad collected 13,684 yards and 145 performances, adding sixty-four receipt points and seventeen touchdowns for 4,772 yards.
Tomlinson traveled to Canton, Ohio in 2017 as an induction for a career that featured an MVP Award, three first-team All-Star picks, and five Pro Bowls.
8. Marshall Faulk
Running back Marshall Faulk of the San Diego State Aztecs runs down the field in 1992. (Getty)
Faulk, one of the greatest back runners of all time, established himself as a Super Bowl winner. Faulk made seven Pro Bowl appearances during his thirteen years with both the Colts of Indianapolis and St. Louis Rams and was awarded the MVP in 2000.
He was also later awarded the “Ring of Honor” by Colts, calling him one of the greatest Colts ever players. Faulk retired at a rush of 12,279 yards and has acted as a football analyst for networks including the NFL Network since.
7. Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson of the Detroit Lions walks off the field against the Minnesota Vikings. (Getty)
Adrian Peterson is currently the lone active player who came into the NFL in 2007 as a highly-talented ace. The Oklahoma academy product has justified all the buzz for 13 seasons and counting.
Peterson was the most effective in his 10-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, rushing for 2,097 yards in 2012 and barely missing Dickerson’s single-season record. AP finished with 11,747 yards and 97 touchdowns as a member of the Vikings.
6. Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson talks to the press during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. (Getty)
Drafted by the Rams, Dickerson only played 146 games in his career and was later traded into the Colts. His 12-year career rushed the ball 2,996 times. He scored an average of 4,4 yards per carrying and 90 rush-downs.
The 1999 inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame has four names, belongs to the 2,000 single-season yard team, and also owns the rush record with the Rams at 2,105 yards in 1984. Dickerson is the six-time Pro Bowler, a five-day All-Pro, the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year of 1983, and the 1986 AP Player of the Year offensive.
5. O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson attends a hip-hop concert in 2001. (Getty)
O.J Simpson reached great heights in spite of his off-the-field disputations and legal concerns. He was a 6-time pro-bowler, a 5-time all-pro in 1973, the first-ever player to hurry over 2000 yards in a season.
Simpson claimed the rushed award four times, too, and at the time of his retirement, he was the second leading rusher ever. He was also a Heisman Trophy winner in 1968.
4. Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders smiles from the sideline during an NFL game in 2007. (Getty)
Barry Sanders was one of the players everyone found difficult to catch. Standing a meager 5’8″ and 203-pound, he made the defenders sound like he was bottling a wind. During his ten years with the Detroit Lions, he appeared in 153 games and rushed the ball 3,062 times.
Sanders rushed over 1000 meters per season of his career, winning the rush title four times. He accomplished a total of 109 touchdowns, including 99 Rushing TD’s, averaging an incredible 5.0 meters per track.
3. Walter Payton
Walter Payton, surnamed “Sweetness,” ran for 16,726 yards, an NFL record, before Emmitt Smith passed him in 2002. He’s 4th with 110 rushed TDs all-time, too.
He has been 9 times Pro Bowler, MVP, and XX champion in 1977. He was also known for his athletic ability when he only gave the ref ball to celebrate after scoring a TD.
2. Jim Brown
Portrait of Jim Brown in 1993. (Getty)
More than a fullback, this 8-time All-Pro and 3-time MVP never missed a game in his NFL career. The huge Brown was able to run on defensemen as easy as he was about them, with a terrifying combination of size and speed which helped him drive up the league for over 1000 yards, seven times in all but one season, lasting 12 or 14 matches.
Brown averaged over one TD per game during his career and was the best in NFL history on average 5.2 meters per track.
1. Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith flashes the number one sign in 1994. (Getty)
Emmitt Smith hit the top of the all-time rushing yards list after having played in 226 games over a 15-year career. Sitting alone at the end, Smith rushed 4,409 times for 18,355 meters throughout his career.
The total number of touchdowns was 4.2 yards per carrier and 175. In his 13 seasons with Dallas and two with Arizona, Smith has a record of 21.579 yards between the sprint and the reception.
