Ranking the top 10 running backs in NFL history

There was a time when the running back position was much more highly regarded in the NFL.

Over the last 15 years or so, football has transformed into a much more pass-oriented game, and while running backs are still important, they are not nearly as vital as they were decades ago.

Heck, remember when running backs used to be separated into halfbacks and fullbacks?

However, even taking all of that into consideration, running back remains one of the most glamorous positions in sports, and all-time great backs are still revered by just about all NFL fans.

Here is a list of the top 10 running backs in NFL history.

10. Terrell Davis

I know longevity is supposed to factor into these rankings, but I don’t care: peak Terrell Davis was one of the most dominant forces to ever grace a football field.

Davis lasted just seven NFL seasons due to injuries, all coming with the Denver Broncos.

The first four years of his career is one of the greatest stretches we have ever seen from any NFL player. He rushed for more than 1,100 yards each year, made three Pro Bowls, earned three First-Team All-Pro selections and won an MVP award. He led the league in rushing touchdowns twice, topping out at 21 in 1998. He also paced the NFL with 2,008 rushing yards in that ’98 season, averaging a league-best 5.1 yards per carry.

Most importantly, Davis — along with John Elway — helped spearhead a Broncos offense that won back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 1997-98 and 1998-99 campaigns.

Davis rushed for over 100 yards in both of Denver’s Super Bowl wins, with his best effort coming in the first championship when he carried the ball 30 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 win over the Green Bay Packers, masking what was actually a terrible performance by Elway.

Had it not been for his knee issues, Davis may very well have ended up being the best running back to ever play the game.

9. Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk spent five years with the Indianapolis Colts and then seven seasons with the St. Louis Rams throughout his illustrious NFL career.

Of course, Faulk is most known for his tenure with the Rams, where he was a crucial piece in the Super Bowl-winning 1999-00 offense known as “The Greatest Show On Turf.”

Faulk never led the league in rushing yards and never actually hit 1,400 rushing yards in a single season in his career, but what made him so great was his versatility.

The San Diego State product is one of the greatest all-purpose backs ever, pacing the NFL in yards from scrimmage twice and racking up 80 or more receptions in five straight seasons between 1998 and 2002.

Peak Faulk was also remarkably efficient, leading the league in yards per carry three straight years from 1999 to 2001, where he averaged 5.5, 5.4 and 5.3 yards per tote, respectively.

Faulk finished No. 1 with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2000, and in the year the Rams won the Super Bowl, the New Orleans native racked up 1,381 rushing yards as well as 1,048 receiving yards.

Talk about a dual threat.

Faulk made seven trips to the Pro Bowl, earned three First-Team All-Pro selections and won an MVP award during his 12-year NFL tenure. He also won the Offensive Player of the Year award twice.

8. Earl Campbell

Like Terrell Davis, Earl Campbell’s career was also stunted due to injuries. However, his peak lasted just a bit of longer then Davis’.

Campbell led the NFL in rushing yards in each of his first three seasons with the Houston Oilers (1978-80), with his best year coming in 1980 when he racked up 1,934 yards. Not only that, but Campbell also paced the league in rushing touchdowns twice in that span, maxing out at 19 scores in 1979.

During that 1980 campaign, Campbell averaged a league-best 5.2 yards per carry and also logged a ridiculous average of 128.9 yards per game.

Unlike some of the other halfbacks on this list, Campbell wasn’t much of a receiver out of the backfield, only recording 100 receiving yards three times in his eight-year career (although in Campbell’s defense, running backs weren’t used as receivers as much back then as they are today).

Following that magnificent three-year stretch to begin his career, Campbell posted a couple of more campaigns of over 1,300 yards in Houston, doing so in 1981 and 1983. However, his efficiency dipped significantly in those seasons, as he registered 3.8 and four yards per carry, respectively.

The Oilers ended up trading Campbell to the New Orleans Saints midway through his second-to-last NFL season, but by that point, Campbell was a mere shell of the player he once was.

7. O.J. Simpson

While O.J. Simpson is most known for other things, there is no denying that he had a phenomenal 11-year NFL playing career with the Buffalo Bills.

Simpson’s peak between 1972 and 1976 was really something else. The USC product made five straight Pro Bowls while also earning five consecutive First-Team All-Pro selections during that span, leading the NFL in rushing yards four times and rushing touchdowns twice over the course of those five seasons.

Not only that, but Simpson was incredibly efficient throughout that time, posting an insane six yards per carry when he racked up a career-high 2,003 rushing yards in 1973. He also logged 5.5 yards per tote in 1975 and 5.2 yards per attempt in ’76.

Overall, Simpson made six trips to the Pro Bowl and also notched an MVP award.

If it weren’t for his off-field problems, Simpson would probably be much more highly regarded in the annals of NFL history. He is a Hall of Famer, after all.

6. Eric Dickerson

Marshall Faulk began his career with the Colts and spent the back half of his NFL tenure with the Rams. With Eric Dickerson, it was the opposite.

Dickerson four-and-a-half seasons with the Rams (he began his career in 1983) before being traded to Indianapolis midway through the 1987 campaign due to a contract dispute.

And like Faulk, Dickerson was terrific in both places.

Dickerson, who had an 11-year career overall, led the NFL in rushing yards four times in his first six seasons, doing it three times with Los Angeles and once with Indy. His best campaign came in 1984, when he rattled off 2,105 yards and 14 touchdowns (he led the league in both categories) while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

He posted over 1,800 rushing yards three times overall, with all of those occasions coming when he was a member of the Rams. His best season with the Colts came in 1988, when he totaled 1,659 yards and 14 scores.

Dickerson made six trips to the Pro Bowl and was named a First-Team All-Pro five times in his career. He registered over 1,000 yards rushing in each of his first seven seasons.

The Southern Methodist alum spent his last two years with the Los Angeles Raiders and Atlanta Falcons.

5. LaDainian Tomlinson

The most recent name on this list, LaDainian Tomlinson was one of the greatest all-purpose backs to ever step on the football field and was like a better version of Marshall Faulk.

Tomlinson, who spent the bulk of his career with the San Diego Chargers from 2001 through 2009 before joining the New York Jets for his final two seasons in 2010 and 2011, recorded over 1,000 yards rushing in each of his first eight years in the NFL.

During that span, Tomlinson led the league in rushing twice, topping out at 1,815 yards in 2006. He also paced the NFL in rushing touchdowns three times, setting the NFL record with 28 rushing scores in ’06. That record still stands today, and given the way the league has largely moved away from running backs, it’s one that may never be broken. At least not in the foreseeable future.

I should also add that Tomlinson also logged double-digit rushing touchdowns in each of his first eight campaigns.

Obviously, the TCU product posted big numbers throughout his professional career and also has an MVP award to his name.

Tomlinson made five trips to the Pro Bowl and earned three First-Team All-Pro selections during his 11-year career.

4. Emmitt Smith

The NFL’s all-time leading rusher comes in fourth place on this list.

Smith had a strangely long career, playing 15 professional seasons (1990-2004). That is almost unheard of for a running back. Plus, he did it at a high level most of the time, tallying 11 straight 1,000-yard campaigns between 1991 and 2001.

Of course, the vast majority of Smith’s career came with the Dallas Cowboys, as he spent 13 seasons with the Cowboys and won three Super Bowls there. He played out the final two years of his NFL tenure with the Arizona Cardinals, and even in his final season in 2004, he totaled 937 yards and nine touchdowns (although he only averaged 3.5 yards per carry).

Part of what made Smith so great was his durability, as he played full 16-game campaigns eight times and only participated in under 15 contests thrice.

Smith led the NFL in rushing yards four times and rushing scores three times, with his best season coming in 1995 when he racked up 1,773 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground.

The University of Florida alum made eight Pro Bowls and earned First-Team All Pro honors four times. He also won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and captured an MVP.

What keeps Smith from being higher on this list is the fact that he played behind one of the best offensive lines in NFL history and that the back half of his career featured some relatively inefficient seasons in which Smith did a lot of compiling.

3. Walter Payton

Walter Payton enjoyed a phenomenally consistent 13-year career for the Chicago Bears and is one of the few guys on this list to spend his entire NFL tenure with one team.

Throughout his illustrious time with the Bears, Payton posted 1,000-yard campaigns 10 times, and his lowest mark in those 10 years was 1,222 yards.

Payton led the league in rushing once, which came in 1977 when he registered 1,852 yards and also paced the NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns. He made nine trips to the Pro Bowl and notched First-Team All-Pro honors five times and spread those accomplishments out throughout his career.

Unlike many of the other running backs listed here, Payton remained great during the vast majority of his time in the NFL, which is a truly amazing feat for halfbacks (or any position).

Payton racked up over 1,500 yards on the ground on four occasions, and he was also a fine receiver out of the backfield, totaling 492 receptions during his playing days.

Payton also won an MVP award in 1977.

2. Jim Brown

Jim Brown had a pretty short NFL career, lasting only nine seasons (1957-65) with the Cleveland Browns. However, during his time on the gridiron, he was a dominant force.

Brown led the league in rushing in eight of his nine campaigns, an unbelievably remarkable achievement. His most productive season came in 1963, when he totaled 1,863 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 (!) yards per carry.

The Georgia native made the Pro Bowl in each of his nine seasons and earned First-Team All-Pro selections in eight of them. He also won the Rookie of the Year award and took home MVP honors twice, including his final year in 1965.

Brown averaged a robust 5.2 yards per tote for his career, and he logged over 100 yards per game in seven seasons. Additionally, Brown recorded 20 receiving touchdowns in his professional lifetime, which was quite the feat for a running back during the era in which he played.

But perhaps the most impressive part of Brown’s accomplishments is that he never missed a game in his NFL career.

1. Barry Sanders

I’ve seen Barry Sanders listed considerably further down on some of these lists, and I just don’t understand it.

Like Jim Brown, Sanders had a pretty short NFL career which spanned only 10 seasons (1989-98), all of them coming with the Detroit Lions. Also like Brown, Sanders went out when he was still very effective.

Sanders made the Pro Bowl every single year he was in the league and notched First-Team All-Pro honors six times. He led the NFL in rushing on four occasions, maxing out at 2,053 yards in his second-to-last season. To put the cherry on top, Sanders averaged 6.1 yards per tote that year. Again, this was his second-to-last season.

Sanders logged 1,000+ yards in all 10 of his NFL campaigns, with his lowest mark coming in 1993 when he rushed for 1,115 yards. The catch? He only played in 11 games because of injuries.

The Oklahoma State product won an MVP award and also took home Offensive Player of the Year honors twice. He rattled off over 1,500 yards five times in his career, with his second-best season coming in 1994 when he recorded 1,883 yards on the ground.

Sanders retired averaging five yards per carry.

You really had to watch Sanders to understand just how great he was.