Useful Notes / NFL Running Backs

Before the rise of The Quarterback and the passing game, the most important player on most American Football teams was the running back, responsible for carrying the ball down the length of the field. Even today, a prime running back can be a major asset in the National Football League and gain great fame for long runs and touchdowns, though the market for just one main back has largely waned in the modern NFL in favor of committee systems.

All of these players were well-known stars in their day; many spun that stardom off into roles in other works, and even those that were more camera-shy are still likely to be referenced in works released during and after their playing careers, so it's worth knowing why they were famous to begin with. For more examples of those notable for other reasons, see National Football League Notorious Figures. For notable players at other positions, see NFL Offensive Players and NFL Defensive and Special Teams Players. For notable non-players, see National Football League Non-Player Figures. For backs who saw more success at the collegiate level, see Collegiate American Football Names To Know.

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• Shaun Alexander played for the Seattle Seahawks through the '00s and is the franchise's all-time leading rusher and TD scorer. A first round pick in 2000 out of Alabama, he put up a series of 1,000 yard rushing seasons starting in his second year, tied the single-season TD record in 2004, and put up a truly spectacular 2005 season where he broke said touchdown record and won league MVP (the first Seahawk to do so). Unfortunately, his solid career has been largely overshadowed by his reputation as one of the most prominent examples of the "Madden Curse". In 2006, while he adorned the cover of Madden NFL in recognition of his excellent prior season, he suffered a foot injury that nearly halved his playing time. That same year, LaDainian Tomlinson broke Alexander's TD record and won MVP for himself. Alexander continued to struggle with injuries—Seattle released him to Washington after the next season, and he was out of football entirely the year after that. Despite the relative brevity of his career likely keeping him out of Canton (though he has the second-most career TDs of any eligible player not in the Hall^note He had the most until Antonio Gates (see "Tight Ends" in "NFL Offensive Players") was snubbed in 2024. Adrian Peterson (below, in the "N–Z" folder) and Larry Fitzgerald ("Wide Receivers" in "NFL Offensive Players") have more TDs than either, but aren't yet eligible for Canton. and is in the all-time top ten for rushing TDs), he is a member of the Seahawks Ring of Honor.
• Marcus Allen was a star in the league for 16 seasons through the '80s and '90s. Drafted #10 overall in 1982 by the Los Angeles Raiders after a Heisman- and national championship-winning season at USC, Allen immediately broke out as a star on his local team, leading the league in touchdowns during the strike-shortened season and being named Offensive Rookie of the Year. The following year, he led the Raiders to a Super Bowl XVIII victory, winning game MVP after setting then-records in the Big Game. Allen co-led the league in total TDs in 1984, was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1985 after leading the NFL in rushing yards, and eventually claimed most Raiders franchise rushing records. However, his relationship with the team and owner Al Davis began to deteriorate when the team brought in two-sport superstar Bo Jackson (see below) to play for the Raiders part-time, cutting into Allen's playing time and preventing him from a getting a higher-paying contract. After several seasons of being mostly relegated to the bench during the prime of his career, Allen took advantage of the NFL's new free agency system in 1993 to leave the Raiders, sign with the hated division rival Kansas City Chiefs, and immediately rebound, leading the league in rushing TDs once again while winning Comeback Player of the Year. He played effectively for five more seasons until retiring at the ripe age (especially by running back standards) of 37, holding the then-record for career rushing TDs (he's now #3) and becoming just the second player ever with 5,000 career yards rushing and receiving. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, joining Tony Dorsett (see below) as the only players to win a Heisman, a college national championship, a Super Bowl, and be enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.^note Incidentally, his younger brother Damon, a QB out of the now-defunct program at Cal State Fullerton, played for 23 seasons in the CFL, retiring with the most passing yards in North American pro football (a record now held by Tom Brady).
• Mike Alstott, aka "The A-Train", was one of the last great ball-carrying fullbacks in the NFL, spending his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and becoming the franchise leader in rushing TDs. Drafted in the 2nd round in 1996 out of Purdue, where he left as the school's all-time leading rusher (unheard of for a fullback in modern times), he made six straight Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro four times as a preeminent power rusher. He was part of the Bucs' Super Bowl XXXVII-winning team in 2002 but began to experience neck injuries related to his brutal running style the following year. He played through the pain for several more seasons, though was noticeably less effective, until retiring after 2007. His 680 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in the 2001 season are the most by a true fullback in the 21st century and are likely to remain records as the position took on a primarily blocking role, then began to be phased out completely by the late '10s.
• Alan Ameche was drafted #3 overall in 1955 by the Baltimore Colts after a Heisman-winning career at Wisconsin. Nicknamed "The Iron Horse", Ameche led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in his rookie year, a performance that inspired the creation of the first widely-recognized "Rookie of the Year" awards for the NFL^note specifically Sporting News and United Press International's; the AP didn't introduce the award until 1967. He earned Pro Bowl selections in his first four seasons and scored the game-winning touchdown in the 1958 Championship, "The Greatest Game Ever Played". Unfortunately, an Achilles injury ended his career in 1960, ensuring he was one of very few members of the '50s All-Decade Team to not reach the Hall of Fame. Like a number of Colts from this era, Ameche entered into the fast food business after his career ended; he died of a heart attack in 1988 at age 55. His cousin was Oscar-winning actor Don Ameche.
• Jamal Anderson was a hero for the Atlanta Falcons during the best season in the franchise's often difficult history. A seventh round pick in 1994 out of Utah, the former juco transfer became the team's starting RB by his third season and emerged as a dominant force in 1998, amassing over 1,800 rushing yards on a then-record 410 carries^note Still second most ever. and 2,100 yards from scrimmage while leading the team to a 14-2 record; while those numbers would normally be enough to win the year's rushing title, Anderson was up against Terrell Davis, and the Falcons lost to his Broncos in the Super Bowl. An injury the following season slowed his production, and after another solid year, a knee injury ended his career in 2001. Despite the relative brevity of his career, Anderson remains a legend in Atlanta due to his "Dirty Bird" celebration dance, giving the Falcons a nickname that endures today.
• Mike Anderson had an extremely unique NFL career. After joining the U.S. Marine Corps out of high school and serving several deployments overseas before being discharged as a lance corporal, Anderson enrolled in junior college and eventually Utah. Despite being one of the most dominant college RBs of the 1990s, the 26-year-old was viewed as already past his prime at the game's most punishing position and fell all the way to the sixth round of the 2000 Draft^note still ten picks ahead of Tom Brady. He landed with the Denver Broncos as the third string, but injuries ahead of him on the depth chart cleared the way for him to become the feature back in Mike Shanahan's offense. His dominant performance made him the lowest drafted player to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. While subsequent injury problems soon proved draftniks to be correct in predicting that he would have a short NFL career, making him something of a One-Hit Wonder, he did post one more 1,000 yard season in Denver in 2005 before retiring after two seasons with the Ravens.
• Ottis Anderson was drafted #6 overall in 1979 out of Miami by the St. Louis Cardinals, where he won Offensive Rookie of the Year and became the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Despite being one of the lone bright spots on the team's roster, age and injuries lessened his productivity after two Pro Bowl seasons, and Anderson was traded to the Giants in the middle of the 1986 season. Once there, he experienced a great revival, being named Comeback Player of the Year after regaining the starting position in 1989 and winning Super Bowl MVP in XXV (his 13th season in the league). He retired after 1992.
• William Andrews was drafted in the third round out of Auburn in 1979 by the Atlanta Falcons and immediately broke out as one of the greatest RBs of his era, ranking near the top of many statistical leaderboards (including leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage in '81), taking the franchise to its first division title, and racking up four straight Pro Bowl nods. Andrews' peers all recognized him as one of the most physically intimidating players in the NFL, and he was on a potential Hall of Fame pace, but a devastating knee injury sustained in the '84 preseason cut his career short; he attempted a brief comeback as a tight end two years later before retiring. Falcons fans view his career as a massive What Could Have Been, as the team wouldn't see comparable success for another two decades; the franchise retired his #31 and placed him in their Ring of Honor.
• Atiim "Tiki" Barber was a three-time Pro Bowler who played ten seasons with the New York Giants after they drafted him in the second round in 1997 out of Virginia. He became a highly versatile star in the early '00s, setting the Giants all-time rushing yards record, coming very close to breaking Marshall Faulk's single-season yards from scrimmage record in 2005, and becoming one of just four players ever with over 5,000 rushing and receiving yards in a career. However, he was likely more famous for his interactions with the media, an entity he expressed interest in joining rather than being the subject of. Barber openly criticized his teammates (especially coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning) and blamed them for the Giants' inability to win a Super Bowl. After retiring in his prime following 2006 and signing a lucrative deal with NBC Sports and Today, Barber earned a press box seat to the next Super Bowl and got to interview its winners... the New York Giants. Tiki lost his Today gig after a highly-publicized divorce where he left his pregnant wife for a young NBC intern; he attempted an NFL comeback afterwards but came up short and soon reentered broadcasting. His self-abbreviated career and post-retirement controversies likely cost him a spot in the Hall of Fame (not to mention caused vocal boos from Giants fans when he was added to the team's Ring of Honor) despite having more career yards from scrimmage than anyone eligible not in Canton. Tiki's identical twin Ronde, the Blue Oni to Tiki's Red, did had a Hall of Fame career as a defensive back for the Buccaneers; see his entry in the "Defensive and Special Teams Players" page.
• Cliff Battles signed with the newly-formed Boston Braves out of the small West Virginia Wesleyan in 1932. He immediately broke out as the league's leading rusher in his rookie season, became the first player to run for over 200 yards in a single game, and claimed the young league's career rushing record by 1937, when the team moved to Washington, added Sammy Baugh, and won a championship. The star player asked his team owner, the infamous George Preston Marshall, for a raise from the $3,000 a year he had been paid since his rookie year; Marshall refused, and Battles chose to retire instead, entering into coaching and leaving many to wonder whether Washington would have won even more championships in the Baugh era if Marshall hadn't been such a cheapskate. Battles later served in the Marines during World War II, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968, and died in 1981.
• Greg Bell was drafted #26 overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1984 out of Notre Dame and had a Pro Bowl rookie year, but his production quickly declined until he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in the middle of his fourth season. Behind their dominant o-line, he quickly ascended to being one of the most dominant runners of his time, leading the NFL in rushing TDs in back-to-back seasons and winning Comeback Player of the Year. At that time, no one had earned that title multiple times and not eventually entered the Hall of Fame, so Bell attempted a hold-out for a bigger contract; the Rams didn't blink, sent him across town to the Raiders, and continued to lead in rushing production without him. The Raiders had a loaded backfield with Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson, and Napoleon McCallum, so Bell barely saw the field and retired that year.
• Le'Veon Bell was drafted in the second round out of Michigan State by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013. He soon broke out as one of the league's leading dual-threat backs, earning three Pro Bowl noms and setting many franchise records even while facing repeated injuries and suspensions for marijuana use that took him out of many games. After leading the league in carries in 2017, Bell was placed on the franchise tag; he chose to sit out the entire season to protest not being signed to a more lucrative contract and was let go the next season. He signed with the Jets for a deal closer to what he had hoped for, but his production plummeted, and he was off the team in less than two years, joining the Chiefs for a far smaller contract; he is currently a free agent.
• Jerome Bettis, aka "The Bus", was a six-time Pro Bowler known for his big size, blistering speed, and bigger personality who most famously played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Originally drafted #10 overall by the L.A. Rams in 1993 after a very productive stint at Notre Dame, Bettis saw immediate success and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. When the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995 and adopted a more pass-heavy offense, his numbers dropped, and he requested a trade. His numbers immediately jumped back to his previous levels, winning him Comeback Player of the Year in 1996, and he played another decade in Pittsburgh. After winning Super Bowl XL (hosted in his native Detroit; yes, The Bus Came Back), Bettis retired and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Rocky Bleier was a part of the Steelers '70s dynasty and one of the most inspiring stories in NFL history. A 16th round pick out of Notre Dame in 1968, Bleier spent his rookie season primarily as a special teamer before being drafted by the U.S. Army and was later shipped out to Vietnam. While on patrol, his platoon was ambushed and his right leg was greatly wounded from a grenade explosion. He spent several months undergoing surgeries and recovering in Tokyo, with doctors saying that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, let alone play football. Rather than give up, Bleier taught himself to walk again and returned to training camp for the Steelers after being discharged in 1970, spending the next several years working his way back on to the roster. Despite playing through constant pain and being waived on several occasions, his effort and determination landed him on the starting lineup in 1974, where he played to be a critical role in winning four Super Bowls. Although he was primarily used as a blocker for Franco Harris, he also proved to be a capable rusher; in 1976, Harris and Bleier became the second RB duo in league history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. During this time, Bleier wrote an autobiography, titled Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story, that was later adapted into a TV movie in 1980. He retired that same year and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroic Army service.
• LeGarrette Blount was an undrafted free agent who started his pro career in 2010 after his college tenure at Oregon was derailed by multiple suspensions for character issues. A promising rookie year with the Buccaneers, his production fell off, and he bounced around the NFL for a few more years. His career looked like it might be over before he was picked up (for a second time) by the New England Patriots in the middle of the 2014 season, where he became a key part of their Super Bowl run. Blount continued to put up big performances in the playoffs, earning many Patriot postseason records, and he led the NFL in regular season rushing TDs in 2016 on the way to winning a second ring. The next year, he signed with the Eagles and won a third ring with them after defeating his former team. He retired after one more year with the Lions.
• John Brockington had one of the best starts of any RB career. Picked #9 overall out of Ohio State by the Green Bay Packers in 1971, the power back won Offensive Rookie of the Year and became the first player to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. Unfortunately, a coaching change and the typical wear and tear reduced his productivity after that stretch; he was cut after the first game of 1977 and retired after spending the rest of the season with the Chiefs. He passed away in 2023.
• Jim Brown is one of the greatest football players of all time. Considered the prototypical power back, he broke school records at Syracuse before being drafted #6 overall in 1957 by the Cleveland Browns.^note The team is not named after him, but after founding coach Paul Brown, who Jim famously clashed with. During his nine-year career, Brown broke nearly every rushing record at that time, led the league in rushing yards eight times (still four more than any other RB) and rushing TDs five times, and won one championship and three MVP awards (including one in both his rookie and final season, the only player to accomplish this).^note Technically, his first two MVP awards in '57 and '58 were for "Most Outstanding Player"; only his '65 title is recognized as an official MVP by the Associated Press. His massive size and strength often matched (and sometime exceeded) that of the would-be defenders on the opposing team, making attempted blocks a regular No-Sell. He was the first RB to amass over 10,000 career yards and remains the only one to average more than 100 yards per game. He held the rushing title for two decades before being passed by Walter Payton, is still eleventh overall for rushing yards, and remains the Browns' all-time leading rusher. If he hadn't retired before the age of 30 at the top of his game to pursue a film career, he would almost certainly still be a top five rushing yards leader, likely #1. During the height of his movie fame, Brown starred in action films like The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra, 100 Rifles, and Blaxploitation films like Three the Hard Way; later works like The Running Man, Original Gangstas, Any Given Sunday, and Mars Attacks! call back to either his football career or his blaxploitation roles. Brown was himself portrayed by Aldis Hodge in One Night in Miami..., a film that highlights his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, where he used his status as one of the most famous black men in America in the 1960s to call attention to issues of racial inequality. Brown had several legal issues during and after his playing career involving assault and battery charges, culminating in three months of jail time in 2002. He was still a first ballot inductee to the Hall of Fame, had his #32 retired by the Browns, and, since his time in prison, mostly rehabilitated his image as one of the game's elder statesmen before passing away in 2023.
• Larry Brown was initially little more than an afterthought when he was drafted by Washington in the eighth round in 1969 out of Kansas State. However, coach Vince Lombardi noticed in training camp that Brown had a delayed reaction to the snap count and realized that he had a hearing impairment; after receiving an earpiece, his reaction time became near-instant, unlocking his potential in time for his rookie debut. Brown was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, led the league in rushing in 1970, won both league MVP and the AP's first Offensive Player of the Year award in 1972 on the way to leading Washington's "Over the Hill Gang" to a Super Bowl appearance, and led the NFL in TDs in '73. Injuries greatly shortened his career, and he was out of the NFL after 1976.
• Earnest Byner was a successful multi-threat back drafted in the tenth round out of East Carolina by the Cleveland Browns in 1984. He earned two Pro Bowl nods and won a Super Bowl while with Washington (1989-91), returned to the Browns, followed them to Baltimore, gained a front office position there in '98, won another Super Bowl, was placed in the team's Ring of Honor, and coached for several other NFL teams. An impressive career by any metric. Just be careful mentioning his name and "The Fumble" anywhere around the Cleveland area...
• Ernie Caddel led the Detroit Lions to their first championship in 1935 while leading the NFL in all-purpose yards and rushing TDs. Nicknamed "the Blond Antelope" for his good looks, the Stanford grad retired after just six seasons to start a car dealership and remained a local celebrity for decades before his death in 1992.
• Earl Campbell was a star for the Houston Oilers, the #1 overall pick in the 1978 Draft after a Heisman-winning career at Texas, and one of the best power backs in NFL history. Nicknamed "The Tyler Rose"^note Tyler, in a significant rose-growing area, being his Texas hometown, he immediately broke out as a star, winning Offensive Player of the Year in his first three seasons and league MVP in his second. Campbell was known (and feared) for his punishing running style: defenders were often run over, knocked down, or knocked out trying to tackle him thanks to his large, almost tree trunk-like legs that were the source of his speed and power—even now, short running backs that use powerful legs to their advantage are compared to him. He's also known for coining the name of the famous "Luv Ya Blue" era of the late '70s Oilers after a hard-fought victory over the Dolphins in 1978. The Oilers began to decline after the firing of coach Bum Phillips, leading Campbell to demand a trade to join his old coach with the Saints in the middle of the 1984 season. The Saints didn't have a clear place for him in their offense, however, and he retired relatively early after the next season. Despite his shortened career, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, had his #34 retired by the Oilers/Titans, and made the NFL 100th Anniversary Team, a testament to how much he dominated the game. Amazingly, he accomplished all this while suffering from spinal stenosis, which wasn't diagnosed until after his playing career ended. After retirement, he underwent five back operations, was forced to use a wheelchair, developed an addiction to painkillers, beat that addiction, had five more operations, and got out of the wheelchair.
• Tony Canadeo was a Hall of Fame multi-threat player for the '40s Green Bay Packers, who drafted him in the ninth round in 1941 out of Gonzaga (the same year the school shuttered its football program for good). The "Gray Ghost" was one of the most versatile players ever, serving multiple positions on both sides of the ball; he was most consistently an RB but was the team's primary passer in 1943, played multiple roles on defense, and was also a kicker and punter. Canadeo missed most of Green Bay's '44 championship season and all of the following year due to his service in WWII, but he continued to play for the Pack until retiring after 1952 and remained closely connected to it for the rest of his life, serving as a broadcaster for their games and sitting on its executive committee until his death in 2003. His #3 was retired by the Packers.
• Billy Cannon was the #1 overall pick in 1960 by the Rams after a Heisman-winning career at LSU, but he never played for them. Instead, after he was offered a contract by the Houston Oilers that would make him the highest-paid football player ever at the time, Cannon elected to join the brand new AFL; his victory in a subsequent lawsuit from the Rams was critical in ensuring the nascent league's survival. He proved a worthy investment in the short-term, helping the Oilers win the first two AFL Championships (still the franchise's only titles) and leading the league in rushing in 1961.^note A 330 yards-from-scrimmage game that season set an NFL-AFL record that lasted for nearly three decades and has only been surpassed once by Flipper Anderson. Injuries and conflicts with management led to Cannon being traded to the Oakland Raiders, where he was converted to tight end and won a third AFL Championship in 1967 before losing Super Bowl II. He retired from football after spending the 1970 season with the Chiefs (his sole year in the NFL proper) and launched a career as a dentist. Unfortunately, his post-football life was full of controversy, as money issues caused by gambling debts and failed investments led to him spending a few years in prison for a major counterfeiting scheme; ironically, he managed to turn his life around after his release by becoming a prison dentist. Cannon passed away in 2018.
• Rick Casares was a FB most famous for his tenure with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the 2nd round in 1954 out of Florida. After sitting out the 1954 season for military obligations, he made an immediate impact in his rookie season by going to his first of five consecutive Pro Bowls and in 1956, he led the league in rushing yards and TDs. Though his production began to decline due to injuries, he helped the Bears win the NFL Championship in 1963 and retired in 1966 after disappointing single-season stints in Washington and Miami. He passed away in 2013 from a variety of health issues and has yet to be inducted in Canton, possibly due to alledged involvement in the gambling and point shaving scandals that led to the suspensions of Alex Karras and Paul Hornung.
• Larry Centers was a FB most famous for his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals, who drafted him in the 5th round in 1990 out of Stephen F. Austin. During his tenure with the Cardinals, he went to two Pro Bowls and set the then-single-season record for most receptions by a RB with 101 in 1995. He was released in 1999 by the Cardinals, finishing as the team's leader in receptions at the time. From 1999-2000, he played for Washington and helped them win their first division title since 1991. In 2001, he signed with the Bills, going to his third and final Pro Bowl and surpassed Ronnie Harmon for the most receiving yards by a non-receiver. In 2003, he signed with the Patriots, helping them win Super Bowl XXXVIII. He retired after the Super Bowl with the 7th most receptions in league history, and his 827 receptions remain the most by any RB.
• Jamaal Charles is the all-time leading rusher for the Kansas City Chiefs, who drafted him in the third round in 2008 out of Texas. After initially splitting carries with Larry Johnson, Charles exploded as one of the NFL's most exciting offensive weapons, leading the league in rushing yards and TDs in 2013 and notching four Pro Bowl nods. An ACL injury unfortunately derailed his career in 2015, and he retired after 2018 following brief stints in Denver and Jacksonville where he rarely saw the field. In a way, this trajectory turned out to be beneficial; his career yards-per-attempt average of 5.4 is second among RBs behind only Marion Motley and is the most of any RB with over 1,000 attempts.
• Nick Chubb was selected in the second round in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns. Known as a punishing back at Georgia despite some injury struggles, his first big impact in the NFL was in Week 4 of his rookie year, where he rushed for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns... on three carries. He was soon made the feature back and delivered a near-1,000 yard season. He's been to the Pro Bowl every year since until an MCL tear early in 2023 broke the streak. His 5.2 yards per attempt is the highest among active running backs, and he is the only Brown not named Jim Brown to deliver a 1,400-yard season.
• Roger Craig was a multi-threat for the San Francisco 49ers during their '80s dynasty. A second-round pick out of Nebraska in 1982, Craig lined up as both a halfback and fullback while also serving as an extremely capable receiver; he was the first player ever to both rush and receive for 1,000 yards in a single season in 1985 (actually leading the NFL in catches) and won Offensive Player of the Year in 1988. However, his performance began to decline in 1990, culminating in an incredibly ill-timed fumble in the NFC Championship that cost the Niners a chance at a Super Bowl threepeat. He was subsequently let go and retired in 1993 after brief stints with the Raiders and Vikings; he has been named a finalist for the Hall of Fame multiple times but has yet to be inducted.
• Larry Csonka^note pronounced "Zonka"; not to be confused with the wrestling dirtsheet writer of the same name was the star fullback of the "perfect" 1972 Dolphins and is the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Drafted #8 overall by the Dolphins in 1968 out of Syracuse, "Zonk" became greatly feared by opponents for his powerful, bruising playstyle, as he regularly knocked down and even knocked out opponents during his runs. His physical playstyle gave him a distinctive appearance, with a broad and very crooked nose set atop an excellent Porn Stache. He was also known for his close friendship with Jim Kiick, another back drafted in the fifth round the same year out of Wyoming whose speed complemented Zonk on the field and whose fun-loving ways complemented him off of it; their wild partying and other escapades earned them the nickname "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in the media. Csonka won Super Bowl MVP for VIII and was one of several Dolphins stars, including Kiick, to leave the team for a lucrative contract with the WFL's Memphis Southmen in 1975. He returned to the NFL the next year after the WFL folded, signing with the New York Giants before returning to Miami for One Last Job in 1979 and winning Comeback Player of the Year (Kiick attempted to come back to the NFL, too, but rarely saw play once separated from Csonka). Csonka had his #39 retired by the Dolphins, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987, served as GM of the USFL's Jacksonville Bulls, and has hosted a number of hunting and fishing TV shows. Kiick passed away in 2020.
• Sam "Bam" Cunningham was drafted #11 overall by the New England Patriots in 1973 after a stellar career at USC that played a major role in the racial integration of college football. Over his decade-long career, Cunningham became the franchise's all-time leading rusher, a record he still holds decades after his retirement. He is a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame. His younger brother Randall achieved NFL fame as a dynamic QB with the Eagles. He passed away in 2021.
• Clem Daniels went undrafted out of HBCU Prairie View A&M in 1960 and put up negative rushing yards with the upstart AFL's Texans in its first season. He landed with the Oakland Raiders the following year and emerged as one of the best players of the AFL, leading the league in rushing yards in 1962, winning league MVP the following year, and finishing his career in 1968 as the AFL's all-time leading rusher. He passed away in 2019.
• Ernie Davis never actually played a snap in the NFL, but his name and legacy looms large in the league as one of the greatest tragedies in football history. He became the first Black player to be drafted #1 overall in 1961, but he never played in the NFL due to his sudden death from cancer; despite never playing for them, the Browns retired his #62. Davis' story is featured in the sports biopic The Express, where he is portrayed by Rob Brown. For more, see his entry on Collegiate American Football Names To Know.
• Terrell Davis was a sixth round pick out of Georgia in 1995 by the Denver Broncos who broke out as one of the league's leading running backs, boosting coach Mike Shanahan's reputation for training stud runners. The quality portion of his career only lasted for four years before a devastating knee injury, but during those years he was widely regarded as unstoppable and still managed to claim the franchise's major rushing records. As one of the focal points of the Broncos' '90s Super Bowl years, Davis went to three consecutive Pro Bowls, won Offensive Player of the Year in '96 and '98 (when he led the league in rushing TDs), and was named MVP in '98 (when he also led the league in rushing yards, becoming only the fourth player to rush for 2,000+ yards in the regular season; counting the playoffs, he had the most rushing yards for any RB in a single year). In the Broncos' first of two consecutive Super Bowl wins, he was the game MVP despite (or perhaps because of) playing through an intense migraine that left him unable to see straight and still lining up in order to give the illusion that Denver wasn't solely relying on Elway's passing attack. His lack of longevity left him out of Hall of Fame consideration for over a decade before finally getting inducted in 2017.
• Joe Delaney played for the Kansas City Chiefs who drafted him in the second round in 1981 out of Northwestern State. He rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie, averaging a then-team record 4.9 YPC, and was named to the Pro Bowl. In the summer of 1983, Delaney witnessed three children drowning in a pond near his hometown. Despite his own inability to swim, he jumped in and rescued one of the children before drowning while trying to save the others. His Heroic Sacrifice earned him the Presidential Citizens Medal from Ronald Reagan, his #37 has been unofficially retired by the Chiefs, and he is enshrined the team's Ring of Honor.
• Eric Dickerson is the NFL's single-season rushing leader, holding the record since 1984. After being drafted #2 overall out of SMU by the Los Angeles Rams in 1983, he exploded onto the scene, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and setting the rookie rushing yards record (1,808) which stands to this day. He set the single-season rushing yards record (2,105) the next year and won Offensive Player of the Year in 1986, the same season he set the record for most rushing yards in a playoff game (248). The very next year, following a contract dispute with the Rams, Dickerson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts during the strike-shortened 1987 season in what is, to this day, one of the largest trades in NFL history in terms of assets moved.^note It involved three teams—the Rams, Colts, and Bills—trading four players and five 1st or 2nd round draft choices. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in just 8 games with the Colts during the strike-shortened season, taking them to their first playoff appearance since the move to Indy. Dickerson had several more productive years with the team (despite being widely maligned by many of its fans due to perceptions of him being a "diva") and retired in 1993 after two seasons with the Raiders and Falcons, sitting behind only Walter Payton in career rushing yards at that time. He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, led the league in rushing four times (and rushing TDs once), had his #29 retired by the Rams, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Dickerson also had one of the most distinctive looks in NFL history, as he famously wore prescription goggles while playing because of his myopia. He currently serves as an analyst for FS1, but has recently admitted to health struggles and suspects he may have CTE.
• Corey Dillon began his career with the Cincinnati Bengals and finished it with the New England Patriots. Drafted in the second round (#43) in 1997 out of Washington, he quickly became a force in the Bengals backfield, breaking the rookie single-game rushing record (plus the Bengals single-season franchise record for all players). In 2000, he set the then-record for single game rushing yards with 278, breaking the previous mark of 275 set by Walter Payton over two decades prior^note since broken by Jamal Lewis and Adrian Peterson. After becoming the Bengals all-time leader in rushing yards, he was traded to the Patriots in 2004 and became a major piece in the team's third Super Bowl championship that season. He retired after 2006.
• Tony Dorsett spent nearly his entire career as a star with the Dallas Cowboys. Drafted #2 overall in 1977 following a Heisman and National Championship winning season at Pittsburgh, Dorsett told the expansion Seattle Seahawks (who originally held the pick) that he would not play for them if selected. This prompted Dallas, a perennial playoff team, to trade up for him. The move paid immediate dividends, as in his first year he rushed for over 1,000 yards, scored 13 touchdowns, won Offensive Rookie of Year, and led the Cowboys to a Super Bowl XII victory. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight of his first nine seasons (save for the strike-shortened 1982 season). He is one of only two players (Derrick Henry being the other, see below) to accomplish a 99-yard run. Dorsett was traded to the Broncos in 1988 after two years of declining performance; he improved slightly in Denver but retired before the next season due to injury problems. He is also one of only two players in league history (along with Marcus Allen, see above) to win a Heisman, a college national championship, a Super Bowl, and be enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Sadly, he has struggled with CTE and related memory issues in retirement.
• Bill Dudley was a halfback, defensive back, punter, kicker, and return specialist throughout the '40s and '50s. A star halfback from Virginia, he was drafted #1 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942. "Bullet Bill" made an immediate impact in Pittsburgh, leading the NFL in rushing yards and guiding the Steelers to their first winning season. Dudley enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps after the season ended and didn’t return to football until the final month of the 1945 season, after which he had an MVP 1946 season when he led the NFL in rushing yards, punt returns, and interceptions. However, his relationship with head coach Jock Sutherland had greatly deteriorated, and he forced a trade to the Detroit Lions in 1947. He spent three years in Detroit, leading the team in scoring all three seasons, before being traded to Washington in 1950, where he again led the team in scoring three times before retiring in 1953. For decades, he was the only player known to have scored touchdowns in six different ways (rushing, receiving, kickoff return, punt return, interception return, fumble recovery). He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1966 and died after a stroke in 2010.
• Warrick Dunn was a very good back who was perhaps even better known for his quality off-field character. Just two days after his 18th birthday, his single mother, an off-duty police officer, was murdered, and Dunn became the legal guardian of his five younger siblings while attending Florida State, where he still became the then-leading rusher in program history. Dunn was drafted #12 overall in 1997 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite being quite undersized (listed at 5'9", 187 lbs). He won Offensive Rookie of the Year, earned two Pro Bowl nods, and ran for over 1,000 twice in his five years in Tampa, pairing well with bruising power runner Mike Alstott (see above) in a tandem backfield. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent in 2002, making another Pro Bowl and being named Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2004. He returned for a final season in Tampa in 2008, going over 10,000 rushing yards for his career before retiring. He continues to be extremely active in charitable efforts, including establishing a program that provides homes to single-parent families. He also owns a minority stake in the Falcons, who placed him in their Ring of Honor.
• Austin Ekeler is one of the great UDFA success stories of the current NFL. Widely overlooked by NFL scouts at D-II Western Colorado due both to the program and his small size, he was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. He quickly emerged as one of the NFL's most prolific scorers thanks to his dual-threat use as both a runner and receiver, leading the NFL in total TDs in 2021 and '22. Despite his capability at reaching the end zone, he was never named to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro, and he signed with Washington after a regression in '23.
• Ezekiel Elliott was drafted #4 overall in 2016 by the Dallas Cowboys. Already renowned for his role in winning a college national championship at Ohio State, Elliott led the league in rushing yards in his rookie season (and helped to popularize a midriff-baring trend for RBs in the late 2010s). A suspension related to a domestic violence investigation interrupted his second season, but he again led the league in rushing the following year and remained one of the NFL's more prominent rushers. The Cowboys rewarded him with one of the biggest contracts ever for a running back, but while he remained a red zone threat, his overall production steadily receded. He was released in 2023 and signed with the Patriots.
• Marshall Faulk was a first-ballot Hall of Famer best known for his time as one of the key members of the "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams. Originally drafted #2 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1994 out of San Diego State, he was traded to the Rams after his fifth season when he demanded a new contract. A well-rounded back capable of carrying the ball, catching passes, and pass blocking, he was an incredible fit in the Rams' wide-open passing attack offense. In the Rams' Super Bowl-winning season of 1999, Faulk became only the 2nd player in NFL history to have a 1,000/1,000 rushing yards/receiving yards season^note The first being Roger Craig in 1985, since accomplished a third time by Christian McCaffrey in 2019. while his 1,048 receiving yards are the single-season record for a RB. He tied Earl Campbell's record by winning Offensive Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons (1999-2001), won league MVP in 2000 after setting a then-record for single season TDs (he'd lead the NFL again the following year), became one of only four players with over 5,000 rushing and receiving yards, and was featured on the cover of Madden NFL 2003. The seven-time Pro Bowler retired in 2006, had his #28 retired by the Rams (he remains the franchise's all-time TD leader), and moved into a career as an analyst.
• Beattie Feathers was the first player to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. Following a stellar career at Tennessee, he signed with the Chicago Bears in 1934, joining a backfield that already featured Hall of Famers Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski. Feathers outperformed both of those legends that season, leading the NFL with 1,004 rushing yards and eight touchdowns (plus another 174 yards receiving, in an era where the forward pass was relatively rare); the Bears posted the NFL's best ever offense to that point, as well as its first ever undefeated regular season. To give an idea of how impressive Feathers was, no other player would rush for 1,000 yards in a season until Steve Van Buren in 1947; the fact that Feathers did so in just 11 games, averaging 8.44 yards per attempt (still the single-season record), made it even more ground-breaking. Unfortunately, Feathers was limited to just those 11 games due to a shoulder injury late in his rookie season, which took him out of commission and likely cost the Bears a championship. Feathers had to wear a brace the rest of his career that greatly limited his mobility, and his rushing numbers over his next six seasons combined amounted to fewer than 1,000 yards. After three more middling seasons with the Bears, he bounced around the Dodgers and the Packers before retiring in 1940, finishing his career as one of the NFL's first prominent examples of a One-Hit Wonder.
• Chuck Foreman, nicknamed "The Spin Doctor" for his elusiveness, was one of the NFL's first great pass-catching backs. Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings #13 overall in 1973 out of Miami (FL), Foreman gave the Purple People Eaters a potent offensive weapon. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year, made the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons, led the NFL in TDs in '74 and '76, and helped the Vikings visit three Super Bowls. Injuries ultimately derailed his career, and he retired after spending 1980 with the Patriots.
• Arian Foster went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2009 to the Houston Texans but had a major breakthrough season in his second year, leading the league in rushing yards and total TDs (he'd do so again in the latter category in 2012). While Foster set multiple all-time franchise records, earned four Pro Bowl nods, and played a key role in the Texans' first successful seasons, he quickly became more famous for his eccentric personality, which manifested on the field in his "Namaste" bow TD celebrations and off the field in his love of conspiracies. He retired after spending 2016 with the Dolphins and is currently pursuing a music career under the name "Bobby Feeno".
• John "Frenchy" Fuqua played for the multiple Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s. The eleventh round pick out of the HBCU Morgan State in 1969 was productive for several seasons. However, he is best known as the intended receiver of a last-ditch pass attempt by Terry Bradshaw during their 1972 playoff match against the Raiders before he was tackled by Raiders safety Jack Tatum; the deflected ball was caught by Franco Harris, resulting in the "Immaculate Reception".^note Fuqua refuses to say whether the ball hit him, which under the rules of that time would have required the greatest play in NFL history to be called dead. Outside of this play, Fuqua was best known for having a flashy dress sense that would put even Cam Newton to shame,^note He occasionally wore platform shoes that featured live goldfish in the transparent, water-filled heels. and he played with the Steelers through two Super Bowl victories before retiring in 1976.
• Willie Galimore was one of the fastest players of the late '50s and '60s, drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round in 1956 out of Florida A&M. While he only made one Pro Bowl and fought through knee injuries for several years, "the Wisp" was one of the most elusive runners of his time and a component in the Bears championship win in '63. Off the field, he was a major civil rights advocate, notably participating in demonstrations at his hometown of St. Augustine in 1964 during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. Unfortunately, a few weeks afterwards, Galimore and his teammate, Bo Farrington, died in a car accident while driving to training camp, with the Bears posthumously retiring his #28 and a Freedom Trail marker being placed in St. Augustine in his honor.
• Eddie George was a workhorse back who spent most of his career with the Tennessee Titans, who drafted him #14 overall in 1996 after a Heisman-winning career at Ohio State. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, the Titans franchise leader in rushing yards, and a major catalyst in helping Tennessee reach Super Bowl XXXIV. He rushed for 1,000 yards every season he played for Tennessee except for 2001 and carried the ball over 300 times every year. George and Jim Brown are the only running backs to rush for 10,000 yards without missing a start, and his 130 consecutive starts are second only to Walter Payton's 170. That streak was broken when he was let go from Tennessee in 2004 after struggling with toe and ankle injuries and declining performance. He played one disappointing season for the Cowboys and officially retired in 2006. His #27 was retired by the Titans, and he was inducted into their Ring of Honor; as of 2023, he has the most career rushing attempts of any player not enshrined in Canton.
• Frank Gifford was a star player for the New York Giants. The #11 overall pick out of USC in 1952, Gifford won most publications' MVP awards in the Giants' 1956 Championship season,^note The AP introduced its MVP award the following year. contributing as a halfback, a "flanker" (an early term for a wide receiver), a defensive back, and even as a passer; he still holds the franchise record for total career touchdowns over a half-century after his retirement in 1964. Gifford then entered an extremely successful broadcasting career that arguably outshone his playing career. He reported for numerous sports and TV programs, including the Olympic Games, and commented from the broadcast booth on Monday Night Football from 1971-97. He served as a color commentator in Super Bowl I, then returned to the Big Game's booth nearly two decades later for four more with ABC. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his playing career in 1977 and awarded its Radio-Television Award for his broadcasting achievements in 1995. While working at ABC, Gifford met and married Kathie Lee Johnson, co-host of The Morning Show with Regis Philbin and 23 years his junior, a few years before her show went national. Gifford, long a notorious womanizer, lost most of his TV jobs and mostly retreated from public life following a major scandal in which a tabloid paid a woman to seduce and take pictures of him in 1997. Gifford died in 2015, and his #16 is retired by the Giants.
• Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist was among the most successful pro football players to never go to college. Gilchrist signed with the Browns in 1953 as a junior in high school, violating NFL rules; when Paul Brown failed to get the NFL to grant an exception, Gilchrist went to Canada, where he won a Grey Cup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1957. He returned to the States in 1962 to sign with the AFL's Buffalo Bills when they failed to sign their draft choice, Ernie Davis (who ironically went to the Browns, see above). Gilchrist became the AFL's MVP in his first year, becoming the league's first 1,000-yard rusher and setting the league's record for single-season touchdowns. He won a championship with Buffalo in 1964 and played a few more years with the Broncos and Dolphins before retiring after 1967. Cookie was well-known for his strong moral and personal standards, famously leading a successful boycott of the 1964 All-Star Game to get it moved from the strictly segregationist New Orleans; he also refused entry into the Canadian Hall of Fame and the Bills' Wall of Honor during his life due to feeling like he was never paid well enough for his talents. He passed away in 2011.
• Marshall Goldberg was a two-way FB drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in the 2nd round in 1939 out of Pitt. He established himself as one of the Cardinals' leaders, playing well as a triple-threat back and earning a Pro Bowl in 1941 after leading the NFL in interceptions and kickoff returns. His career was briefly halted in 1943 when he joined the U.S. Navy to serve in World War II, but returned to the Cardinals in 1946 in time to join their "Million Dollar Backfield" that won the 1947 NFL Championship and made another appearance in 1948, after which he retired. He was inducted to the Cardinals Hall of Honor in 2006, several months after he passed away, and his #99 was retired by the team (though it was later unretired for J.J. Watt).
• Frank Gore is a well-traveled RB renowned for his longevity in one of football's most punishing positions. Ironically, his NFL career was almost over before it even started, as he tore the ACL in each knee while in college at Miami. After the second tear, he considered quitting football but was talked out of it by his position coach. Despite his talent and production when healthy, Gore dropped to the 3rd round of the 2005 Draft, where he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers. After splitting time as a rookie, he took over as starter in his second season and rattled off four straight 1,000+ rushing yard seasons twice during his decade with the team, becoming the franchise's all-time rushing yards leader. Despite coming off of one of those 1,000 yard seasons, the 49ers allowed him to leave in free agency, believing that he was on the downside of his career at 31 years old. He remained a very capable journeyman, signing with the Colts, Dolphins, and Bills, where he became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for more than 15,000 yards and the oldest to rush for over 100 yards in a game at age 36 (breaking the record previous held by John Riggins) and passed Barry Sanders to move into third place on the league's all-time rushing list. In 2020, he signed a one-year contract with the Jets where he continued to break records including most games played by a RB (241), oldest player to rush for over 500 yards in a season (37), and most consecutive seasons with at least 500 yards rushing (16, having done so in every year of his career). After not being signed in 2021, Gore signed a ceremonial contract to retire with the 49ers.
• Harold "Red" Grange, aka "The Galloping Ghost", was a halfback and defensive back for the Chicago Bears in the 1920s. A major college star at Illinois, Grange was one of the first true "superstars" in the neophyte NFL. As a college senior, he was one of the first athletes to appear on the cover of Time magazine, and his signing by the Bears helped to popularize and legitimize the league at a time when the American sports scene was still heavily dominated by baseball. That's not to say his signing came without controversy—he joined the Bears just weeks after finishing his college season, which was met with scorn by a public that generally looked down on pro football and believed it should be played only by unpaid amateurs; the NFL passed a rule the following year to prevent anyone else from doing so again (for what it's worth, Grange got paid so little to play football that he still had to deliver ice during the off-season). After his rookie year, Grange left the NFL when he and his agent decided to make their own pro league, the first incarnation of the AFL; he starred in his own team, the New York Yankees, for two years. An injury led him to "retire" for a year before he returned... to the Bears, where he would win two championships and lead the league in TDs in 1932. Without its star, the first AFL folded not long after. Grange retired from football in 1934, was elected into both the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame as a charter member, had his #77 retired by the Bears, and died from Parkinson's in 1991.
• Ahman Green is the Green Bay Packers' all-time rushing yards leader. Initially drafted by the Seahawks in the third round in 1998 out of Nebraska, Green saw little playing time for the Seahawks and was traded to Green Bay in 2000, where he immediately broke out with four straight Pro Bowl seasons. In 2003, Green became just the second NFL RB (after Tony Dorsett) to record a run of 98+ yards when he scored a touchdown on a 98-yard run in the final game of the regular season. Green spent 2007-08 with the Texans before returning to the Packers for one more season, where he just edged out Jim Taylor (see below) for the franchise rushing yards record. After a few years in the CFL, he retired after 2011 and is now part of the Packers Hall of Fame.
• Todd Gurley had an impactful NFL career that blazed bright but burned out fast. Drafted #10 overall in 2015 out of Georgia as the first RB off the board, Gurley won Offensive Rookie of the Year with the St. Louis Rams before their move to Los Angeles. In Sean McVay's first year at the helm in 2017, Gurley broke out as a key part of the Rams' revival, amassing over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, leading the league in TDs, and winning Offensive Player of the Year. Gurley was granted a historic contract and was the NFL's total TD leader again the following year in the Rams' run at the Super Bowl, only for a knee injury in the NFC Championship to severely diminish his (and the team's) offensive capabilities, contributing to their loss in the Big Game. Subsequent inspections of Gurley's knee revealed that he had arthritis in the joint, and his production was never the same; the Rams released him the following season still owing him millions, and he played one more disappointing year with the Falcons before calling it a career.
• Joe Guyon was a Native American T and HB during the early years of the NFL who spent most of his career playing alongside fellow Native American Jim Thorpe, a teammate of his at Carlisle Indian School. While Guyon was a highly talented and versatile player, his accomplishments were often overshadowed by Thorpe's popularity. He eventually made a name for himself in 1927, his final season, when he was a key component in the New York Giants winning the NFL Championship. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1966 and passed away in 1971.

H-M

• Pat Harder was a key part of the Chicago Cardinals' "Million Dollar Backfield" of the 1940s. Like his other teammates, Harder was a Jack of All Trades who contributed in a number of ways to the team, most notably as a fullback and as the team's primary placekicker. Drafted #2 overall in 1944 out of Wisconsin, Harder joined the moribund franchise in 1946 after serving with the Marines in WWII. He led the NFL in scoring from 1947-49, helped the Cards win their second (and final) championship in '47, and was named league MVP in '48 by UPI (the first such award given by UPI, and the only such award given that season by a major publication). The six-time All-Pro was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1951, winning another two titles before retiring in 1953. He would subsequently serve for many years as an NFL official, wearing the stripes in a number of the most iconic NFL games of the '60s and '70s. He passed away in 1972.
• Franco Harris was the legendary star back of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty and still the franchise's leader in touchdowns and rushing yards. A #13 overall pick out of Penn State, Harris is best known for his famous "Immaculate Reception", often considered to be the most memorable play in NFL history, in which he caught a deflected ball for a game-winning touchdown in a 1972 playoff match against the Raiders. This was the first playoff touchdown in the Steelers' forty-year history and brought them their first postseason victory, completely turning around the fortunes of what is now one of the greatest franchises in the NFL—and it was just his rookie season. Harris had many, many other memorable moments in his career: he won Offensive Rookie of the Year, played with the Steelers through four Super Bowl wins (including winning MVP for Super Bowl IX, the first African-American to win the honor, and notching the record for most rushing yards in Super Bowl history), led the NFL in TDs in 1976, garnered a vocal fanbase called "Franco's Italian Army"^note While black on his father's side, his mother had Italian heritage., and was selected to nine consecutive Pro Bowls. He retired in 1983 after a forgettable year with the Seahawks, coming just short of breaking Jim Brown's career rushing record, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first eligible year. He died suddenly in 2022 on the week of the 50th Anniversary of the Immaculate Reception and just days before the Steelers were set to retire his #32 jersey, only the third Steeler to receive that honor.
• Abner Haynes was originally drafted by the Steelers in the 5th round in 1960 out of North Texas but opted to sign for the AFL's Dallas Texans instead. He quickly broke out as arguably the biggest star of the AFL's first season and of the Texans iteration of the future Kansas City Chiefs franchise, being named not just the fledging league's first Rookie of the Year but its MVP after leading it in rushing yards and TDs. During his tenure with the Texans/Chiefs, he was named a four-time All-Star, claimed two more rushing TD titles, won the AFL Championship in 1962, and was named Comeback Player of the Year in 1964. He was traded to the Broncos in 1965 and finished his career with brief stops with the Dolphins and Jets before retiring in 1967. His #28 is retired by the Chiefs.
• Garrison Hearst was drafted #3 overall by the Phoenix Cardinals in 1993 after a Heisman-finalist career at Georgia, but initially saw some difficulty translating his college success to the pros. Even after putting up a fairly solid season in Arizona in '95 that saw him be named co-Comeback Player of the Year, he was cut before the next season. He spent a year in Cincinnati, and then bounced back in a major way with the San Francisco 49ers, even breaking some franchise season rushing records in '98. Hearst's strong showing resulted in him being featured on the cover of some versions of Madden NFL 99, the first athlete to be given that treatment. It turned out to also be the first instance of the legendary "Madden Curse", as he suffered a horrific ankle injury in the playoffs just days after he was selected. Complications from surgery led to necrosis in his foot, normally considered a career-ending condition. He endured rehab for over two years before returning to the field and putting up a very solid showing, winning Comeback Player of the Year a second time^note This time from the Associated Press, who had resurrected the award since Hearst's first win, which was issued by the Pro Football Writers of America. Hearst played a final 2004 season in Denver before retiring from football.
• Derrick Henry was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 2nd round in 2016 after a Heisman-winning career at Alabama (and, before that, setting the all-time career rushing record for high school football). Listed at 6'3" 245 lbs, "King" Henry is larger than many linebackers and has a bruising, battering ram rushing style which makes him extremely difficult to tackle. Henry's success as a power runner is especially notable as the NFL in The New '10s saw offenses shift towards being much more pass heavy, with teams using smaller and speedier backs who often double as receivers. He is one of two players in NFL history to pull of a 99-yard run (the other being Tony Dorsett, see above). He led the league in rushing in 2019 and '20, joining a list of exclusively Hall of Fame players to do so in back-to-back years; in the latter season, he became only the eighth to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season and won Offensive Player of the Year. Injuries have slightly slowed his production since, but he still tied O. J. Simpson and Adrian Peterson for most career games with over 200+ rushing yards in 2022 while becoming the Titans all-time leader in rushing and total TDs (an impressive feat considering the quality of his RB predecessors) as well as the leader in rushing yards and TDs among all active NFL players. He signed with the Ravens in free agency in 2024. Outside of football, he's one of the ever-increasing number of celebrities who have invested in soccer teams; he's one of several minority investors in Major League Soccer's Nashville SC.
• Craig "Ironhead" Heyward was a FB who was drafted #24 overall in 1988 out of Pitt by the New Orleans Saints, who primarily used him as a blocker. After spending 1993 with the Bears, he joined the Atlanta Falcons, going to a Pro Bowl in 1995 with a 1,000 yard season (the last by a FB). He retired in 1998 after disappointing stints with the Rams and Colts due to being diagnosed with a chordoma. During his playing career, he received attention for his endorsement of Zest, which led to the luffa becoming a household fixture. He died from brain cancer in 2006. His sons, Cameron and Connor, currently play with the Steelers.
• Calvin Hill was one of the most successful athletes in Ivy League history. Drafted #24 overall in 1969 out of Yale by the Dallas Cowboys, he immediately broke out as one of the NFL's standout backs, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and four Pro Bowl nods. He was one of the most high-profile players to leave the NFL for the WFL in 1974, which turned out to be a poor decision when he got injured and that league folded. He bounced around a few more NFL teams before retiring after 1981. Somewhat overshadowed by his son Grant, a basketball Hall of Famer with the Duke Blue Devils and multiple NBA teams.
• Mack Lee Hill was a FB who played for the Kansas City Chiefs after they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of HBCU Southern in 1964. He made an immediate impact on the team, being named an AFL All-Star as well as earning the nickname "The Truck" for his name matching the truck manufacturer. He was having an equally impressive sophomore season, but a knee injury ended his season and was forced to undergo surgery, during which he tragically died from an embolism, leaving his life and career as a massive What Could Have Been. Despite the brevity of his career, the Kansas City Chiefs retired his #36, inducted him into their Hall of Fame, and created an award for the team's best rookie named in his honor.
• Clarke Hinkle was Jack of All Trades fullback/linebacker/kicker/punter for the '30s Green Bay Packers. Hinkle signed with the Packers in 1932 out of Bucknell and quickly broke out as one of the best players in the young league, frequently leading it in scoring and being named an All-Pro seven times. He famously developed a friendly rivalry with his Bears' counterpart on both sides of the ball, Bronko Nagurski. Hinkle's career was cut short in 1941 when he enlisted in the Coast Guard for World War II; he still retired as the young NFL's career rushing leader. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964 and passed away in 1988.
• Priest Holmes was a star with the 2000s Kansas City Chiefs, though he initially signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Texas (where he had been overshadowed by Ricky Williams, see below) in 1997. In his second year, he greatly exceeded his draft position by rushing for over 1,000 yards, but he was supplanted as the starter in 2000 by Jamal Lewis (see below), winning a Super Bowl ring as a second stringer. He signed with the Chiefs in 2001 on an inexpensive contract and proceeded to become one of the NFL's best running backs, rushing for 1,400+ yards every year from 2001-03 and being named to the Pro Bowl all three seasons. He led the NFL in rushing yards in 2001, was named Offensive Player of the Year after leading in rushing/total TDs in '02, and broke the single-season rushing and total TD records in '03; while these records have since been surpassed, his streak of 38 games with 50+ rushing yards compiled in this period may be unbeatable. Injuries caused his career to decline after that, leading to his retirement in 2007 after a freak neck injury. He ran for more yards and TDs than any undrafted player in NFL history, holds the Chiefs franchise rushing TD record, and was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2014.
• Paul Hornung^*pronounced "Horning" was a Hall of Fame halfback (as well as kicker, punter, fullback, safety, and sometimes quarterback) of the Green Bay Packers during their '60s dynasty. He won the Heisman Trophy in college, becoming the only player to ever win it from a losing team (his Notre Dame team went 2-8 that year), and was selected by Green Bay #1 overall in 1957. The "Golden Boy" won the first AP NFL MVP award in 1961 and won five championships, including Super Bowl I. His versatility at multiple scoring positions helped him set the record for most single-season points scored in 1960 (176), a record that stood for 46 years until it was finally passed by LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.^note L.T. did not kick field goals, but he did beat the record by only ten points while playing in a season with four more games than Hornung had. In a more negative light, Hornung was one of two players suspended for the 1963 season, (Alex Karras" being the other), when it was discovered that they were illegally betting on NFL games. He was reinstated for 1964 after intense lobbying from head coach Vince Lombardi, only to retire two years later after playing hurt with a pinched neck nerve for most of the Packers' first Super Bowl season, although he successfully hit a 52-yard fair catch kick, which remains the longest successful attempt. The annual college football award for the "most versatile" player is named after him. Hornung passed away in 2020.
• Mark Ingram Jr. (son of former player Mark Ingram Sr.) was drafted #28 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2011 after winning the Heisman at Alabama. Ingram earned three Pro Bowl nods as a reliable back for the team, particularly after being paired with Alvin Kamara (see above), while becoming the franchise leader in rushing TDs. Ingram signed with the Ravens in 2019 and briefly with the Texans in 2021 before returning to the Saints in the middle of the season, allowing him to become the franchise leader in rushing yards as well. He retired after the following season and now works as a college football analyst for Fox.
• Bo Jackson was one of the most highly anticipated and marketed athletes ever. Coming off a Heisman-winning run at Auburn, he played for the Los Angeles Raiders in the late '80s. He also played in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals; baseball was his preferred sport, but he was so good at football he was permitted to be a part-time player and became a league-leading rusher despite missing a full quarter of games every year. Unfortunately, he was tackled hard and suffered a major injury to his hip in a playoff game against the Bengals in 1990, which ended his football career after only four seasons. Still, he is arguably the best American two-sport athlete in history (one could make a case for Jim Thorpe or Babe Zaharias). He eventually had a hip replacement and played Major League Baseball again, though without much of the speed that had made him such an asset. After all of this, he's still probably best remembered for being absolutely unstoppable in Tecmo Super Bowl.
  • Interestingly, despite his all-star status, Jackson shows up fairly often on lists of all-time NFL draft busts. After his final year of college play, he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the #1 overall pick in 1986, even though Jackson still wanted to play a final season of college baseball and flat out told the Bucs that he had no interest in playing football at that time. Regardless, the Bucs flew him out for a meeting on their dime, telling him that it would not break any NCAA regulations to do so. The aftermath cost Jackson any further amateur eligibility, with the obvious hope being that he would sign with the Bucs because now he had no other choice. Instead, he declined to sign any contract whatsoever, choosing instead to sign for far less money to play pro baseball, meaning the Bucs spent the most valuable pick in the draft and got nothing in return. The next year, Jackson was drafted again after his rights reverted and was fully prepared to sit out again, but Raiders owner Al Davis offered him "full-time" pay for a "part-time" deal where he would be allowed to play only in games following the end of the baseball season. The Raiders only made the playoffs once with this arrangement and then immediately lost their superstar to injury.
• Steven Jackson most famously played for the St. Louis Rams, who drafted him #24 overall in 2004 out of Oregon State. He didn't see much action his rookie year, as he spent most of the season recovering from an injury suffered in college. In 2005, he was named the starter to replace the aging Marshall Faulk (see above), at which point he became one of the few bright spots on a team that never reached the playoffs. He rushed for 1,000+ yards every season from 2005-12, including over 1,500 in 2006 (a season he also posted over 800 receiving yards), and was named to three Pro Bowls. In 2013, he signed with Atlanta for two unimpressive seasons and finished his career in 2015 after a year on New England's bench. He ran for over 10,000 career yards and holds the Rams' franchise rushing record.
• Brandon Jacobs was drafted in the fourth round in 2005 by the New York Giants. Notable for his large size for a modern RB (6'4", 264 lbs.) and a journeyman college career that saw him bounce at juco Coffeyville, Auburn, and Southern Illinois, Jacobs greatly outperformed his draft position, never being named to a Pro Bowl but becoming the franchise leader in rushing TDs and contributing to two Super Bowl victories. After a very brief stint with the 49ers in 2012 (barely playing and being cut from the team after publicly complaining about it), he returned to the Giants for one more season before retiring.
• Josh Jacobs was drafted by the then-Oakland Raiders #24 overall in 2019. Though his production in college at Alabama had been somewhat limited by injury, he immediately emerged as a productive RB for the Raiders as they moved to Las Vegas. In 2022, he responded to not being given the fifth-year option on his contract by posting his best season, leading the NFL in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. His production was nearly halved the following year, and he subsequently signed with the Packers.
• Edgerrin James most famously played for the Indianapolis Colts, who drafted him #4 overall out of Miami in 1999. Some analysts were critical of the Colts for selecting him over reigning Heisman winner Ricky Williams (see below), but James silenced the critics by leading the NFL in rushing yards and total touchdowns and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. He continued to put up great numbers with the Colts, making four Pro Bowls during his tenure. In 2006, he signed with Arizona (just missing winning a Super Bowl with Indy, though the Colts gave him a ring anyways) and had 1,000+ yards in his first two seasons. His production dropped sharply in 2008, but played a big part in the Cardinals reaching the Super Bowl that season. He played one more unimpressive season in Seattle and retired in 2011. He ran over 12,000 career yards, holds the Colts franchise records for rushing yards and TDs, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
• Chris Johnson was a three-time Pro Bowler who most famously played for the Tennessee Titans. Despite coming out of a smaller school at East Carolina, he shot up to a first round position in the 2008 Draft thanks to a break-out senior season and a then-record breaking 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine. In his rookie season with the Titans, he split carries with fellow back LenDale White, forming a duo that gained the nickname "Smash and Dash" for White's power and Johnson's speed. Johnson took the lead in his sophomore season, which was one of the best ever for a RB. He became the sixth ever to rush for over 2,000 yards, all while also receiving for another 503, setting the current record for single-season total yards from scrimmage. His feat earned him the nickname "CJ2K" and the Offensive Player of the Year award. He continued to put up 1,000+ yard performances for the next four seasons, but his production was never enough to help the Titans get to the playoffs and he was released in 2014. After a mediocre year with the Jets, Johnson was injured in a drive-by shooting that also killed one of his friends. He recovered from the injury and nearly had a comeback year with the Cardinals before a broken leg ended his season prematurely. He retired in 2018.
• John Henry Johnson was a fullback who played for 14 years during the '50s and '60s. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round in 1953 out of Arizona State but opted to play with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL instead. He returned to the NFL a year later and spent 3 seasons apiece with the San Francisco 49ers (where he was a member of the "Million Dollar Backfield") and Detroit Lions, where he gained fame for his highly vicious blocking abilities^note He ended the career of Hall of Fame RB Charley Trippi when he delivered a vicious blow that left numerous fractures throughout Trippi's face. Johnson was traded back to the Steelers in 1960. Despite being at the ripe old age of 30, he went through a major Career Resurrection in Pittsburgh, where he became one of the premier runners of the NFL. In 1964, he rushed for 200 yards in a single game at age 34 and finished the season with over 1,000 rushing yards at age 35, both league records for production that late in a back's career. He played his last season with the Houston Oilers in 1966 before announcing his retirement, was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1987, and died in 2011.
• Daryl Johnston played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys. Drafted in the 2nd round in 1989 out of Syracuse, he earned the nickname "Moose" from his fellow teammates due to his immense stature compared to the rest of the RB corps, as he stood at 6'2" and weighed 242 lbs. He helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls in the '90s and was named to two Pro Bowls in 1993-94. He was the main reason for the NFL creating the FB position in the Pro Bowl, as blocking FBs like him had little chance of making it over the flashier RBs, even though Johnston was a major piece behind Emmitt Smith's (see below) rushing yards record. He started 149 consecutive games from 1989-97 before a neck injury ultimately derailed his career, causing his early retirement in 1999. After retiring, he entered into a career in broadcasting, currently serving with Fox. At the same time, he has dabbled with being executive in a number of spring leagues that Fox has partnered with; he is currently the executive VP of football operations for the UFL.
• Thomas Jones was a RB most famous for his tenures with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets. Originally drafted by the Cardinals #7 overall in 2000 out of Virginia, he initially struggled with injuries and was traded to the Buccaneers in 2003, putting up average stats. In 2004, he signed with the Bears and began to break out, posting five straight 1,000 seasons from 2005-10 and helping the Bears reach Super Bowl XLI. He was traded to the Jets in '07, where he made his only Pro Bowl in '08 and had his best year stats-wise in '09. He retired in 2011 after two seasons with the Chiefs. One of the most productive runners in NFL history with over 10,000 career rushing yards, he has been nominated but not yet inducted into the Hall of Fame. He has since dabbled in acting, with roles in Straight Outta Compton and Luke Cage (2016).
• Maurice Jones-Drew was a Pintsized Powerhouse most famous for his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Listed at 5'7" (and that being rather generous), he fell to the 2nd round of the 2006 Draft despite a highly productive college career at UCLA and exceptional Combine performance. Despite his size, he proved to be a fierce power runner and supplanted the Jags' prior talented RB, Fred Taylor (see below). MJD made three Pro Bowls and led the league in rushing in 2011 before injuries and contract disputes derailed his career. He retired with the Jags after spending 2014 with the Raiders and remains the franchise leader in rushing TDs and kick return yards. He currently serves as an analyst for NFL Network.
• Kyle Juszczyk^note Pronounced "Yoosh-Check" is a fullback for the San Francisco 49ers and is one of the last at his position to see regular use outside of blocking. Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 4th round in 2013 out of Harvard, he has been an eight-time Pro Bowler and would likely have that many All-Pro nods as well if the league had not stopped including the dying position on its All-Pro teams in 2015. He joined the 49ers in 2017 and became an important part of Kyle Shanahan's creative offense, regularly being used as a receiver. He became the first Harvard alum to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, doing so in LIV. In 2021, he signed a record five-year, $27 million deal for a fullback, in spite of the fact that most teams don't even have a true fullback on their roster anymore.
• Alvin Kamara was drafted in the third round in 2017 out of Tennessee by the New Orleans Saints. He immediately filled a unique role in coach Sean Payton's offense; while veteran Mark Ingram Jr. (see above) put up the majority of the team's rushing yards, Kamara was extremely prolific as a secondary back and gadget player, putting up even more receiving yards than rushing yards, serving on special teams as a productive returner, and joining with Ingram to become the first RB duo in league history to both put up over 1,500 yards from scrimmage. Kamara won Offensive Rookie of the Year for his efforts and proceeded to become the team's main rusher, a perennial Pro Bowler, and the Saints' all-time leader in touchdowns. In 2020, he led the league in TDs and became only the second player ever to put up six rushing TDs in a single game and the first since Ernie Nevers (see below) did so over 90 years before him.^note He was only the fourth player to put up six TDs of any sort in one game.
• Leroy Kelly was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the eighth round in 1964 out of HBCU Morgan State. After spending his first two years as a backup, winning a championship in his rookie season, Kelly was given the tall order of replacing the legendary Jim Brown following his abrupt retirement in 1965. He quickly proved himself a worthy replacement, leading the NFL in rushing TDs in each of his first three full seasons and leading in rushing yards twice in that span. He continued to put up strong numbers for the rest of the decade, helping the Browns reach back-to-back NFL Championship appearances. Kelly struggled with knee injuries towards the end of his career, being cut after 1973, after which he spent one year with the WFL’s Chicago Fire before retiring. The six-time Pro Bowler was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1994.
• John "Shipwreck" Kelly was a successful back in the early NFL (leading the league in receptions and receiving TDs in 1933) but is here because he was one of only a few player-owners in league history; he purchased the Brooklyn Dodgers while playing for them. While the Dodgers eventually folded, Kelly had a long and successful business career prior to his death in 1986.
• John Kuhn was a fullback for the Green Bay Packers, although he began his career as an undrafted free agent in 2005 out of D-II Shippensburg with the Pittsburgh Steelers.^note He won a ring in Pittsburgh but was largely a bench player who saw no playoff action in his two seasons there. In an era where the fullback position is facing extinction, Kuhn became a folk hero in Green Bay and a true Ensemble Dark Horse for the Packers after arriving in 2007. As a blocker and special teams player, he was directly responsible for countless highlight-reel moments and was instrumental in the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl season, particularly as a runner, where he emerged as a near-unstoppable short-yardage specialist (leading to fans cheering “KUUUUUUHN” in 3rd and short situations^note which led to a bit of confusion as casual viewers often mistook this for booing). After spending his last two years in the NFL with the Saints, Kuhn signed a ceremonial contract to retire with the Packers.
• Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans was one of the first major stars for the New York Giants. Drafted during the 2nd round in 1936 out of George Washington^note He played his freshman season at Oregon before transferring to GW, whose football program went defunct in 1966, he made a major splash his rookie season after leading the NFL in rushing yards and yards per game. In addition to being a capable runner, he also proved a viable passer, throwing 25 TDs in his career, and a lethal safety on defense. He was named All-Pro every season of his career and was so popular in New York that in the final game of the 1941 season, the Giants held “Tuffy Leemans Day” to celebrate their star player (which infamously coincided with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor). Leemans attempted to enlist in the military afterwards but was rejected on several occasions, instead playing two more seasons before retiring in 1943, after which his #4 was retired by the Giants. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1978 and died a year later from a heart attack.
• Jamal Lewis was the all-time leading rusher and TD scorer for the Baltimore Ravens, which drafted him #5 overall in 2000 out of Tennessee. He became the team's primary rusher in his rookie season and was a key component of their Super Bowl XXXV win, becoming the youngest player ever to play in and win a Super Bowl at 21 years and 155 days old. In 2003, Lewis won Offensive Player of the Year after putting up over 2,000 rushing yards and breaking the single-game rushing record^note since broken by Adrian Peterson. Unfortunately, a brief prison sentence for cocaine distribution after the 2004 season derailed his career. He signed with Cleveland in 2007, but his performance continued to decline. He was released after 2009, didn't sign with another team, and has struggled with his health and finances following his retirement.
• Keith Lincoln was a five-time AFL All-Star best known for his time with the San Diego Chargers, which drafted him in the second round in 1961 out of Washington State.^note The Bears picked him in the fifth round. Lincoln's overall play was solid, but his performance in the 1963 AFL Championship Game sealed his spot in football history when he compiled 329 yards from scrimmage,^note 206 yards rushing, 123 receiving (and 20 passing) leading the Chargers to their sole league title with the greatest running back performance in a pro-level championship. After a few years with the Bills, he retired with the Bolts after 1968, became part of the team's Hall of Fame, and died in 2019.
• Floyd Little was drafted #6 overall by the Denver Broncos in 1967 out of Syracuse, where he was viewed as the Spiritual Successor to prior Orangemen RBs Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. Little became the first-ever first round pick to sign with the Denver Broncos in their eighth year of existence, being compelled to sign with what was widely seen as the worst team in pro football due to the AFL and NFL sharing the draft for the first time. He thus gained the nickname "The Franchise", as his presence helped to ensure the team could still attract enough fans to not fold or move cities even as they continued to flounder. While the Broncos still never reached the playoffs during Little's career (Denver did not achieve its first winning season until 1973), he enjoyed individual success, earning five Pro Bowl selections and leading the league in rushing yards in 1971 and rushing TDs in 1973. The Broncos retired his #44 when he retired after 1975, and he was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. He passed away in 2021. A bit of trivia: Chadwick Boseman's first feature film credit was his One-Scene Wonder portrayal of Little in the Ernie Davis biopic The Express.
• Paul Lowe went undrafted out of Oregon State in 1959 but landed with the upstart AFL's Los Angeles Chargers the following year. He played in the AFL every year of its existence (playing his last two with the Chiefs), won MVP in 1965 after leading it in rushing yards and touchdowns, and finished his career as its leader in average yards per carry.
• Marshawn Lynch was a power back most famous for his time with the Seattle Seahawks. Selected #12 overall in 2007 by the Buffalo Bills out of Cal, his first four seasons were marred by injury and a suspension for misdemeanor firearm possession. He was traded to Seattle in 2010 and broke out as one of the league's premier backs, helping Seattle win the franchise's first Super Bowl, making five Pro Bowls, and being named to the 2010s All-Decade Team. A quintessential Lightning Bruiser, he earned the nickname "The Beast" thanks to his aggressive running style; when at his most dominant, it was known throughout the league as "going into Beast Mode." His biggest career highlight came in a 2011 playoff game against the defending champion Saints: As he broke 9 tackles on a 67-yard TD run, the reaction from the fans at the stadium set off a local seismograph, registering as a small earthquake, entering NFL lore as the "Beast Quake". Known as The Quiet One as far as media interaction goes (famously repeating "I'm just here so I don't get fined" at one press conference), Lynch still stood out as one of the league's more colorful characters. He had a notorious Sweet Tooth, to the point where his love for Skittles^note For international readers, a popular form of fruity multi-flavored candy in America reached Memetic Mutation status (at the Seahawks' home stadium, the "Beast Mode Burger" is always sold with a bag of Skittles on the side). He led the league in TDs in 2014 but announced his retirement the following year in typical Lynch fashion, with a cryptic tweet showing a picture of his cleats hanging on a wire, a play on the phrase "hanging up the cleats." It proved to be a 10-Minute Retirement, as he returned in 2017 with his hometown team, the Raiders. He played reasonably well but missed the last half of the 2018 season due to injury and retired again the following offseason. During the final week of the 2019 season, the Seahawks, assured of a playoff berth but down to one healthy RB due to a rash of injuries and facing a key matchup with the Niners for the NFC West title, signed Lynch for One Last Job. He played through their playoff run, contributing four touchdowns as a short-yardage and goal line back. He hasn't been back in football since but remains in the spotlight as a frequent celebrity spokesman and an analyst for Amazon's NFL coverage. He's also an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry and another of the ever-growing list of sports celebrities to have invested in American soccer teams, joining the ownership group of Oakland Roots SC, a team in the second-tier USL Championship. He's also dabbled in acting, even being nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his role in the comedy Bottoms.
• Clarence "Pug" Manders was a FB/LB for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the defunct franchise's all-time rushing leader. Drafted in the 2nd round out of Drake in 1939, he opened his career with three straight Pro Bowls and an All-Pro in '41 after he led the league in rushing (albeit with only 486 yards, the lowest rushing total to ever lead the NFL). He left the Dodgers after their merger with the Yanks in '45, playing with the New York Yankees and Buffalo Bills of the AAFC before retiring in 1947 and dying in 1985. His older brother, Jack Manders, was among the first kicking specialists in the NFL.
• Curtis Martin was a five-time Pro Bowler who ranks in the Top 5 in career rushing attempts and Top 10 in rushing yards. A third-round draft pick out of Pittsburgh for the New England Patriots in 1995, Martin won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Once a free agent, he followed coach Bill Parcells to the New York Jets in 1998, becoming the franchise's all-time leading rusher before retiring in 2006, at which point the Jets retired his #28. Alongside Barry Sanders, Martin is one of the only running backs in NFL history to amass 10 straight 1,000+ rushing yard seasons to start their career. He also broke the record for oldest person to win the league rushing title (31 years old) in 2004. Off the field, Martin had a reputation as a real Nice Guy, an attitude best encapsulated in an extremely sincere Hall of Fame induction speech, in which he admitted to never really loving football while he played the sport and instead spoke mostly of his gratitude for his mother and coaches for helping him survive a violent childhood.
• Ollie Matson was one of the NFL’s biggest stars during the 1950s. Drafted by the Chicago Cardinals #3 overall in 1952 out of the now-defunct program at San Francisco, Matson won silver and bronze track medals in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games before winning All-Rookie honors in the NFL. After spending 1953 serving in the U.S. Army, Matson exploded as one of the league's most dynamic and versatile runners despite playing on some very abysmal Cardinals teams. He earned six Pro Bowl nods with the Cardinals before being traded to the Rams in 1959 in what was, at the time, the largest trade in league history, with the Rams giving up 8 players and a draft pick in exchange for Matson, hoping his presence alone would return them to championship contention; instead, their performance plummeted as well.^note The Rams GM who orchestrated the trade was none other than future NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. He spent the last 8 years of his career with the Rams, Lions, and Eagles before retiring in 1966. Despite his teams' lack of success, he was still inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1972. Matson died from dementia complications in 2011.
• George McAfee was a Jack of All Trades back drafted #2 overall in 1940 by the Chicago Bears out of Duke. An excellent return specialist and defensive back in addition to his tailback role, the versatile player soon became a favorite of George Halas and helped take the team to three championships in the '40s. The prime of his career (1943-45) was interrupted by his WWII Navy service, but he was still inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966 and his #5 was retired by the Bears. He briefly served as a referee after retiring in 1950 before entering the oil business. McAfee died in 2009 under controversial circumstances, drinking chemicals that weren't properly locked up in his assisted living home while struggling with dementia.
• Deuce McAllister became a cult hero for the New Orleans Saints after they drafted him #23 overall out of Ole Miss in 2001, as he became the franchise's all-time leading rusher (since surpassed by Mark Ingram, see above) and earned two Pro Bowl nods. After being cut due to cap issues and declining performance after 2008, McAllister sat out of the NFL for a full year, only to sign back onto the Saints roster for 2010 for minimal pay. While he did not see the field that season, being given a roster spot and a role as team captain meant he could claim a ring when the franchise proceeded to win its first Super Bowl. He retired immediately afterward and was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.
• Christian McCaffrey was drafted #8 overall in 2017 by the Carolina Panthers out of Stanford. A dual threat as both a runner and receiver, McCaffrey set the record for receptions by a RB in his second season with 107 . The following year, he became only the third player in league history with a 1,000/1,000 rushing/receiving yard season (while breaking his own receptions record) and led the league in TDs. Despite an overall stagnation in RB salaries around the league, McCaffrey agreed to a new deal with the Panthers during the 2020 offseason that made him the highest paid RB in league history. However, he struggled with injuries in the following years and was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in the middle of the 2022 season as the Panthers continued to struggle on the field. Since returning to the Bay Area, "CMC" has reemerged as a potent scoring threat, breaking the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown (17 when including playoffs) and leading the NFL in rushing and scrimmage yards and total TDs in 2023 on the way to winning Offensive Player of the Year and making a Super Bowl appearance (the first for a rushing leader since Shaun Alexander). Christian is the son of former Denver Broncos WR Ed McCaffrey, a fellow Stanford product who won two Super Bowls with the team in the late '90s.
• LeSean McCoy is the all-time leading rusher for the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him in the second round out of Pitt in 2009. McCoy broke out as a major star, leading the league in rushing/total TDs in 2011 and rushing yards in '13. Conflicts with coach Chip Kelly contributed to him being traded to the Buffalo Bills in 2015, where he picked up the last three of his total six Pro Bowls nods. He rounded out his career with one-year stops with the Chiefs and Buccaneers, winning two Super Bowl rings despite rarely leaving the bench, and retired in 2021 after signing a ceremonial contract with the Eagles.
• Hugh McElhenny was a Hall of Fame all-purpose back who excelled as a halfback, receiver, and return specialist. Drafted #9 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 1952 out of Washington, McElhenny amassed over 1,700 all-purpose yards during his rookie season, immediately becoming a key part of the Niners' "Million Dollar Backfield". McElhenny was highly revered as one of the most elusive players in the NFL, making him one of the league's biggest stars—the frequent comparisons of his fame to Elvis Presley's earned him the nickname "the King". He was drafted by the expansion Vikings in 1961 and bounced around the Giants and Lions before retiring in 1964; his #39 was retired by the Niners. He died in 2022.
• Willis McGahee is a prime example of a player overcoming a significant college injury to have a successful NFL career. While in college at Miami, he had a monster 2002 season and was projected as a sure-fire top five draft pick. However, during the BCS National Championship game, McGahee suffered a devastating knee injury (which was replayed several times during the nationally televised broadcast) tearing all three major knee ligaments. Still, he declared for the 2003 Draft despite being projected as a mid-round pick due to the injury and was surprisingly selected #23 overall by the Buffalo Bills. He sat out his entire rookie season while recovering, then returned and paid off Buffalo's gamble with two straight 1,000+ rushing yard seasons. The Bills traded him to the Ravens in 2007 after he made disparaging remarks about Buffalo and supported the proposal to move the team to Toronto. He made his first Pro Bowl in Baltimore but then suffered a string of injuries leading to his release in 2011. He signed with Denver, making another Pro Bowl in his first season there as the primary piece of the Tim Tebow-led offense, but again fell to injuries his next season. After one more season with the Browns, he retired.
• John McNally, better known as Johnny Blood, was a halfback who played for six teams over 17 years (1925-41), most famously for the Green Bay Packers, which he helped win four championships in the early '30s. McNally had an off-field reputation for heavy drinking, womanizing, and dramatic stunts that became the stuff of many a legend and Tall Tale.^note These involved him playing through a collapsed kidney, getting to practices and games by jumping onto moving trains, and frequently leaving his hotel room through the window to either avoid or read poetry to female suitors. He later became coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he became infamous for being one of the only coaches in NFL history that had to be looked after and rounded up by the players rather than the other way around. McNally was a charter member of the Hall of Fame. He died from a stroke in 1982.
• Freeman McNeil was drafted #3 overall in 1981 by the New York Jets. The UCLA product quickly broke out, leading the NFL in rushing in his second season, and is enshrined in the Jets Ring of Honor for his 12-year career with the team. However, he ironically is most notable for his efforts to get away from the Jets, who had him split his carries for most of his career. In the last three years of his career, McNeil was the lead plaintiff in an antitrust case against the NFL's "Plan B" free agency system; while his career ended before the case was resolved, the jury ruled in his favor, leading to the adoption of the current free agency system.
• Lydell Mitchell was a second round pick by the Baltimore Colts in 1972. He was a key part of the team's offense, leading the NFL in receptions twice, but his tenure ended acrimoniously when he accused Colts owner Robert Irsay of racial discrimination during a contract dispute. Mitchell was traded out of town and was out of the league in 1980.^note Fun fact: Lydell was college teammates with Hall of Famer Franco Harris at Penn State. Mitchell set multiple program records there that still stand; it was a surprise at the time that Harris was drafted first.
• Lenny Moore was a Hall of Fame halfback and seven-time Pro Bowler who played for the Baltimore Colts in the '50s and '60s. Moore won Rookie of the Year after being drafted #9 overall out of Penn State in 1956 and quickly developed a reputation as one of the league's toughest players, leading the NFL in touchdowns in his second season. After helping the Colts to win two Championships, Moore won MVP and Comeback Player of the Year honors in 1964 for playing through appendicitis and scoring a then-record 20 TDs the year after a knee injury cost him his starting position. This peak came in the midst of Moore setting one of the NFL's longest standing records, as he reached the end zone in 18 straight regular season appearances (since tied by Christian McCaffrey). He was also an incredibly versatile player; he often lined up as a flanker, actually amassing more career receiving yards than rushing, becoming the first of only four players ever with 5,000 yards in both categories, and is the only NFL player ever to score more than 40 rushing and receiving touchdowns. He retired in 1967, and his #24 was retired by the Colts.
• Eugene "Mercury" Morris was another star back for the "perfect" '72 Dolphins, which drafted him in the third round in 1969 out of West Texas State^note now West Texas A&M. With a name that reflected his quick and elusive playing style, Morris joined star fullback Larry Csonka (see above) to become the first rushing tandem to put up 1,000 yards apiece during that 14-0 season; Morris also led the league in rushing touchdowns that year. However, he didn't see the sustained, Hall of Fame-worthy success of his partner due to injuries that shortened his playing career, though that earlier end gave him one of the better average yards-per-attempt numbers in NFL history. During his playing career, Morris co-starred in the Blaxploitation film The Black Six with several other NFL players. After his retirement in 1976, Morris saw jail time for cocaine trafficking in the '80s but has stayed out of trouble since.
• Raheem Mostert has had one of the more bizarre late bloomer careers in football. Primarily a return specialist in college at Purdue, Mostert went undrafted in 2015 and bounced around seven different rosters in his first two seasons before finally securing a permanent roster spot with the 49ers. His speed made him a good fit in Kyle Shanahan's scheme, and he was the team's feature back in 2019 on their way to a loss in Super Bowl LIV. Injuries soon derailed his time in San Francisco, missing almost all of 2021. He subsequently signed with the Miami Dolphins, where he emerged as one of the most productive backs in the NFL as he entered his 30s, posting his first 1,000 yard season and leading the NFL in rushing/total TDs in 2023 at an age most players at the position are on their way out.
• Marion Motley was a two-way RB/LB who played for the Cleveland Browns. A few months before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Motley and defensive end Bill Willis were hired to play for the Cleveland Browns in the inaugural 1946 season of the All-America Football Conference by Paul Brown, who had coached Motley during his stint in the Navy during WWII. The two became the first black professional football players since 1933, breaking the informal color barrier that had existed in the sport for over a decade.^note That same year, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, two African-American players who had actually played college football with Robinson at UCLA, were hired to play for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, but they did not have starting positions that season. Motley soon stood out as one of the greatest all-around football players ever, a big man with blistering speed who could play every position he was asked to better than almost anybody. Despite facing intense racism on the field, he was still unanimously voted All-Pro in 1950, the Browns' first season in the NFL, in which they won their fifth consecutive championship with him at the lead. Knee trouble hurt his productivity in subsequent seasons, mostly keeping him off the field, which turned out to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise—when left the Browns in 1953 and retired for good in 1955 after attempting to come back as a linebacker, he held a record yards-per-carry average of 5.7 that has never been matched by another running back, having put up more rushing yards than any back at the time save Steve Van Buren despite only having five strong years. Motley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968 but struggled after his career ended and was unable to find work in the NFL as a coach, even with the Browns, something he attributed to continued racial discrimination. He died of cancer in 1999.
• DeMarco Murray had a relatively short but highly impactful NFL career laden with questions of What Could Have Been. Oklahoma's all-time leader in touchdowns as the successor to Adrian Peterson, he was drafted in the third round in 2011 by the Dallas Cowboys. He immediately settled in as the team's #1 back but truly exploded in 2014, leading the NFL in rushing yards and TDs and being named Offensive Player of the Year. Despite setting multiple franchise records, the Cowboys let him go in free agency to the Eagles, which turned out poorly for both parties, as the Cowboys regressed and Murray disappeared in Chip Kelly's speed-based offense. He was traded after a year to the Titans, where injuries and having to split carries with an emerging Derrick Henry led him to retire after 2017; he is now an assistant coach with his alma mater.

N-Z

• Bronko Nagurski was a two-way player who played fullback, linebacker, and tackle for eight seasons with the '30s Chicago Bears, signing with the team out of Minnesota in 1930. An extremely powerful man, Nagurski was renowned for being a nearly immovable Stone Wall who even fellow greats just bounced off of; there's a (probably apocryphal) story of him going on a touchdown run in which he broke four tackles without losing speed, ran full-force into Wrigley Field's brick wall behind the goal post hard enough to crack it, and said in the next huddle "That last guy hit me awfully hard." During and after his football career, Nagurski became a very successful pro wrestler who laid claim to numerous Heavyweight Championships. In 1943, six years after he retired from football, the Bears called the 36-year-old back for One Last Job due to having a shortage of players because of WWII—Nagurski helped the Bears win the NFL Championship that season. He was a charter member of the Hall of Fame, had his #3 retired by the Bears, and is the namesake of college football's most prestigious award for defensive players. He passed away in 1990.
• "Big Jim" Nance posted the most productive rushing season in the AFL. Drafted in the fourth round by the Bears in 1965 out of Syracuse, Nance elected to go to the Boston Patriots (who took him in the 19th round). After a poor rookie season, he ran for a then-record 1,458 yards and won league MVP. He posted a few more productive seasons, took a 10-Minute Retirement in 1972, and played a few more years for the Jets and the WFL before retiring from play after 1975. He died of a heart attack in 1992 at 49 years old and was posthumously inducted into the Patriot Hall of Fame; he still holds the franchise record for rushing TDs.
• Lorenzo Neal was a long-tenured and highly acclaimed blocking fullback. Despite having negligible offensive production (he only exceeded 100 rushing yards in two of his sixteen seasons), Neal blocked for a 1,000-yard RB in eleven straight seasons (1997-2007), a feat made more impressive considering that he bounced around nine different teams after the Saints drafted him in the fourth round out of Fresno State in 1993. The four-time Pro Bowler and All-Decade Team member experienced his most stable and successful stretch late in his career with the San Diego Chargers (2003-07), where he notably cleared the way for LaDainian Tomlinson's record-shattering MVP season. By his retirement in 2009, Neal had racked up the most games of any RB in NFL history, a record only narrowly passed by Frank Gore a decade later.
• Ernie Nevers, like Red Grange, was one of the first major stars in the early history of the NFL, being such a big name at the time from his success as a college star at Stanford that the Duluth Eskimos rebranded themselves as "Ernie Nevers and his Eskimos" when they signed him in 1926. Before and during his time with the NFL, Nevers also saw play as a pitcher for the MLB's St. Louis Browns. He played and coached for two years with the Eskimos before sitting out in 1928 to nurse a back injury. He returned to football a year later with the Chicago Cardinals, where he played three more years before retiring. His most notable performance came on Thanksgiving Day in 1929, when he set the single-game record for most points scored at 40 (6 touchdowns and 4 PATs), which currently remains the oldest standing record in league history. Despite his short career, he was a first team All-Pro every year he played and was part of the Hall of Fame’s charter class. Nevers passed away in 1976.
• Robert Newhouse played his whole career for the Dallas Cowboys. Drafted in the 2nd round out of Houston in 1972, he made the unselfish switch to fullback to better help the team as a rookie. He was considered undersized for the position at 5'10" and 209 lbs, but he had massive 44-inch thighs; tackling him was likened to tackling a fire hydrant, earning him the nicknames "The House" and "The Human Bowling Ball". This Ensemble Dark Horse also played a key role in helping the Cowboys win Super Bowl XII, completing a pass to Golden Richards (the first touchdown pass by an African-American player and RB in the Big Game). He retired after 1983 and passed away in 2014 from heart disease.
• Christian Okoye, nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare", played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the late '80s/early '90s. As his nickname suggests, Okoye was born in Nigeria and did not play football in his youth. A star track and field athlete, he won numerous titles in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. After Nigeria passed him over for selection to their Olympic team, he tried out for the football team at Azusa Pacific, a small NAIA school^*now in NCAA D-II, and no longer has a football team in Southern California. At 6'1", 260 lbs, he had the size of a lineman, but his blazing 4.45 40-yard dash speed convinced the coaches to try him out at running back, where he excelled on his way to setting multiple NAIA and school records. Despite his success, he was not initially selected for any of the college all-star games after his final season and was only added to the Senior Bowl as an injury replacement where he set the still-standing bowl record by scoring four touchdowns. The Chiefs selected him in the 2nd round of the 1987 Draft. Okoye played well in limited action despite battling injuries in his first two seasons, then broke out in his third, leading the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, being named AFC Offensive Player of the Year and selected to his first Pro Bowl. Knee injuries slowed him down over the next several seasons, though he did manage one more 1,000+ yard season before ultimately ending his career early in 1992. He remains something of a cult hero to Chiefs fans and, along with Bo Jackson (see above), is known for being a virtually untacklable Game-Breaker in Tecmo Bowl.
• Walter Payton was the offensive star for the Chicago Bears in the '70s and '80s. Nicknamed "Sweetness" for his Nice Guy persona and unexpectedly soft and gentle voice, Payton was drafted #4 overall out of the HBCU Jackson State in 1975. When he retired after 13 seasons, he had shattered Jim Brown's record for most career rushing yards and touchdowns by a running back with 16,726 (only since surpassed by Emmitt Smith), having only missed a single game in his career during his rookie season and setting a standing RB record of 170 consecutive starts. Payton was known for refusing to deliberately run out of bounds, bringing back the practice of stiff-arming would-be tacklers, and defeating many goal-line stands by leaping up and over piles of linemen. These abilities helped him win MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Man of the Year in 1977 after he led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns. He was also a versatile player; he holds the Bears' franchise record for receptions (yes, more than any Bears receiver before or since), set the record for the most receptions for a non-receiver (since passed as receiving has become much more common), and lined up as a passer more than any other non-QB in the modern era, even holding the record for most non-QB touchdown passes since the merger. He infamously did not score a touchdown in his sole Super Bowl appearance; his prowess ensured he was double- and triple-teamed every play, opening up the field for the rest of the team to dominate. Payton retired after 1987, won a first-ballot induction to Canton, and had his #34 retired by the Bears. He died in 1999 at just 46 years old due to a rare liver disease, becoming a spokesman for organ donation in his final months (his disease had progressed too far for a transplant); the league's Man of the Year Award for off-field humanitarian work was subsequently renamed in his honor.
• Don Perkins was an early star for the Dallas Cowboys. Signed by the expansion team in 1960 out of New Mexico, he sat out a year to recover from an injury before joining the franchise and serving as one of its few bright spots in the lean early years, earning six Pro Bowl nods. Perkins made use of his on-field success to push for change off the field, speaking out against the discrimination he faced as a Black man in Texas and successfully campaigning for the Cowboys to desegregate their housing arrangements. He retired still at the peak of his performance in 1968 and was later enshrined in the team's Ring of Honor.
• Joe "The Jet" Perry was one of the great football stars of the '50s and a trailblazer for African-American players in the league. After playing one year of football at Compton Junior College, he enlisted in the Navy during WWII. He was recruited by the San Francisco 49ers in 1948 while playing for his naval base, joining the then-AAFC team as its first African-American player and becoming part of their “Million Dollar Backfield”. Perry was listed as a fullback but played more like a modern halfback due to his smaller size, incredible speed, and great elusiveness while running up the middle; he regularly led the AAFC in rushing stats and continued to do so when the Niners joined the NFL. He was the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, briefly held the record for most career rushing yards^note ending with almost double the yards of Steve Van Buren, the previous record holder, shortly before being passed by Jim Brown, was the first black player to be honored as league MVP in 1954, and still holds the 49ers' all-time rushing TD record. Perry played in the AAFC and NFL for 16 years, a massive stretch for a running back. After a brief stint in Baltimore, he retired in 1963 with the 49ers (which retired his #34), was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, and died in 2011.
• Adrian Peterson is the greatest rusher in the history of the Minnesota Vikings, which drafted him #7 overall out of Oklahoma in 2007. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year after setting a slew of NFL records, including most yards rushed in a single game (296), most yards rushing in the first eight games of a season (1,036), and most 200-yard rushing games for a rookie (2). He only continued to improve in following years, leading the NFL in rushing yards in his second season and total/rushing TDs in his third. In 2012, he was chosen as the league's MVP for falling nine yards short of the single-season NFL record for rushing yards after tearing his ACL the year before (an injury that typically takes at least a year to recover from). Peterson had become one of the most respected figures in the league, to the point of being featured on the cover of Madden NFL 25; it was thus sudden and unexpected when he was indicted for child abuse in 2014 after disciplining his son with a tree branch to cause injury. With the NFL already dealing with heavy criticism of its handling of domestic abuse cases (such as with Ray Rice), the Vikings deactivated him within days. Although he accepted a plea deal that kept him out of jail in exchange for probation and community service, the NFL suspended him for the remainder of the season, stating that he had failed to show proper remorse for his actions. Peterson was reinstated in 2015, again led the league in yards and rushing TDs, and tied O. J. Simpson for most career games with 200+ rushing yards (6). However, he suffered a torn meniscus the next year that took him out for most of the season and was released from the Vikings the next year. He subsequently bounced around to far less remarkable stints with six different teams and has not played since 2021. He has the most career TDs of any player not in the Hall of Fame, but only because he's not yet eligible.
• Brian Piccolo was a FB for the Chicago Bears in the late '60s. Despite leading the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns as a senior at Wake Forest, he was considered too small to play fullback professionally (5'11", 195 lbs) and went undrafted in 1965. Still, he was signed by the Bears, making their "taxi squad" (a precursor to practice squads) as a rookie and then the main roster the following year where he contributed as a special teamer. When star RB Gale Sayers was lost for the season due to injury, Piccolo assumed the starting role and had his best statistical season as a pro. Later, they played in the backfield at the same time with Piccolo at FB and Sayers at RB. They became close friends and eventually roommates on the road, during an era where hotel room assignments were otherwise still segregated. Sadly, Piccolo died from cancer in 1970 at the age of 26; his #41 was subsequently retired by the Bears. His and Sayers' friendship was featured in Brian's Song, a popular made-for-TV movie that debuted in 1971 with James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as Sayers.
• Fritz Pollard was a truly groundbreaking NFL player, even though he played for teams that few today have even heard of. He was a Genius Bruiser, a chemistry student at Brown who became the school's first black football player and college football's first black All-American. Fritz was one of only two black athletes in the inaugural season of the American Professional Football Association and helped lead his team, the Akron Pros, to the first ever league championship.^note At that time, the championship winner was determined by the end of season record; the Pros went 8-0-3. The following season, Pollard was promoted to co-head coach of the team while remaining as a player, technically making him the league's first black head coach.^note One of his players that year was Paul Robeson. The APFA renamed itself the National Football League the following season. Pollard played for numerous teams in the nascent league over the next several years before he and the NFL's other nine black players were all removed in 1926. He spent the next several years coaching all-black barnstorming teams before moving on to a career in publishing and producing. Pollard was inducted into Canton in 2005, twenty years after his death, for his contributions to both pioneering the league and paving the way for generations of black football players.
• Clinton Portis was a notable and interesting RB throughout the 2000s. A second round pick in 2002 out of Miami by the Denver Broncos, Portis was part of Mike Shanahan's series of 1,000 yard rushers. He exploded onto the scene, rushing for over 1,500 yards in each of his first two seasons at 5.5 yards per carry, an NFL record for that span. Following his second season, he was traded to Washington in exchange for Pro Bowl CB Champ Bailey (see the "Defensive and Special Teams Players" page), one of the rare "elite player for elite player" trades in recent NFL history. While still productive, his performance regressed in his first year with Washington. He still ran for 1,200+ yards in four of his first five years there, but injuries and ineffectiveness derailed the final two seasons of his career (though his 87.8 yards per game sits in the top ten all-time and is the highest of any eligible player not in the Hall of Fame). Beyond his on-field production, Portis was known for the bizarre outfits he wore to press conferences and interviews, looking something like a cross between a prop comic and a pro wrestler with a healthy dose of Rummage Sale Reject—Behold! Following his retirement, Portis admitted to playing through at least 10 concussions, joining a lawsuit against the NFL over the league's concussion handling. Five years after his retirement, he was forced to declare bankruptcy due to poor money management.
• John Riggins, nicknamed "the Diesel" for his semi-truck running style (or simply "Riggo"), was a Hall of Fame power back most famous for his time in Washington in the '70s and '80s. Originally drafted by the New York Jets #6 overall in 1971 out of Kansas, Riggins made the move to Washington in 1976, where he won Comeback Player of the Year in 1976 and Super Bowl MVP in XVII (1982) after setting a record for most carries in the Big Game. Known for his incredible longevity for a running back at 15 seasons, he was in some ways a late bloomer; in 1983, at age 34, he set a single-season rushing TD record (24) that stood for over a decade. The next year, he became the oldest player to ever rush for more than 1,200 yards, carry the ball 300+ times, and have 10+ touchdowns. His eight games of 100+ rushing yards over the age of 35 are the most of any player, as are his three rushing TDs in a single game. He is also the only player over 35 to have 30+ carries in a single game. He retired holding most of the Washington franchise rushing records (and still holds them). Bizarrely, he was only selected to one Pro Bowl, which may have had to do with his off-field persona: Riggo was famous for his eccentric personality that veered from Fratbro to Elective Mute, his various wild hairstyles, and a tendency to go Off the Grid (Joe Gibbs once had to go out into the wilderness to find him after he sat out the 1980 season over a contract dispute). He had a modest acting career following his retirement in 1985.
• Gerald Riggs was drafted #9 overall in 1982 out of Arizona State by the Atlanta Falcons. He set franchise records for rushing yards and TDs (the latter since surpassed by Michael Turner) in just seven year before his performance began to decline; he was then traded to Washington, where he won a Super Bowl ring before retiring after 1991. He is enshrined in the Falcons Ring of Honor. Fun fact: His 201 career receptions are the most by any player to not score a receiving TD.
• George Rogers was the #1 overall pick in 1981, going to the New Orleans Saints after a Heisman-winning career at South Carolina. In his first year in the NFL, Rogers won Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading the entire league in rushing yards, becoming a rare bright spot for the destitute franchise. However, his individual skills weren't enough to break the team's long losing streak, and he never saw that level of success in New Orleans again; he checked into rehab for cocaine addiction that offseason and his production declined. He had a solid comeback after being traded to Washington in 1987, leading the league in TDs in 1986 and winning Super Bowl XXII before deciding to retire after just seven years in the pros due to nagging injuries. He continued to have cocaine-related legal issues after football, leaving some to wonder whether he could have had a longer/better pro career if he hadn't struggled with addiction or been saddled on such a bad team.
• Barry Sanders currently sits fourth on the all-time rushing list. Drafted #3 overall by the Detroit Lions in 1989 after winning the Heisman at Oklahoma State, Sanders is unquestionably one of the greatest players in that team's history, if not the greatest ever (especially in recent memory). In a game that often focuses on size, strength, and durability, the 5'8" Sanders relied on speed, elusiveness, and incredible athleticism. Thus, despite frequently being the smallest man on the field, he often produced mind-blowing plays that made him seem impossible to stop or tackle. When he was active, it was an oft-repeated cliché that fans could watch him run for a loss and come away convinced that he was the greatest running back of all time. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year in '89, Offensive Player of the Year in '94 and '97, and league MVP in '97, spent four seasons as the NFL's rushing yards leader and two as the total TD leader, recorded the most games with over 150 rushing yards (25), and made the Pro Bowl every season of his career. His immense success and accolades are all the more notable because of the length of his career—he retired suddenly in 1999 when he was in striking distance of the all-time rushing yardage record.^note He was less than 1,500 yards short of then-record holder Walter Payton and was averaging more than that per season. His 5.0 yards per carry average was and still is better than anyone else in the top 25 of career rushing yards. He didn't retire because of old age or health issues—he later confessed that he was just tired of playing for such a perennially losing organization.^note Though he has never said it, some at the time speculated that Sanders wanted the terminally ill Payton to keep the record until he died; the fact that people thought that highly of his character speaks to his general reputation as a Nice Guy. Despite the shorter length of his career, Sanders was a first-ballot inductee to the Hall of Fame and had his #20 retired by the Lions.
• Orban "Spec" Sanders was drafted by Washington #6 overall in 1942 out of Texas but skipped out on the NFL to enlist in the Navy during World War II, serving in the Pacific theater before being discharged in 1945 and finishing his college degree. A year later, Sanders, now 28 years old, signed with the New York Yankees of the upstart AAFC and cemented himself as one of the league’s superstars. He led the AAFC in rushing yards in consecutive seasons, including a record-breaking 1947 season where he rushed for 1,432 yards and 18 touchdowns while also throwing for 1,442 yards and 14 touchdowns, guiding the Yankees to consecutive championship appearances in the process. Injuries limited Sanders to just 9 games in 1948, after which he underwent knee surgery and decided to retire. His retirement was short lived, though, as he signed with the NFL’s New York Yanks a year later but was limited to playing DB due to his lingering knee issues; he hauled in a then-record 13 interceptions and earned a Pro Bowl appearance before retiring for good at the end of the season. He passed away in 2003.
• Gale Sayers was a legendary halfback and return specialist for the Chicago Bears in the late '60s and early '70s. A decorated track athlete from Kansas nicknamed "the Kansas Comet",^*He was born in Wichita and went to college at KU, but grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. Sayers played with incredible speed and was a dominant ball carrier despite having a longer and lankier frame more like that of a wide receiver. Drafted by both the Bears (#4 overall) of the NFL and the Chiefs (#5) of the AFL in 1965, he chose to play for Chicago and won Rookie of the Year after setting the NFL rookie single-season TD record with 22 total touchdowns, a record which still stands today; to give you a bigger idea of the enormity of the achievement, it was the single-season record for all players at the time. He also tied the single-game TD record during that year, with six in one game (only the third player to do so). After several dominant seasons, including one where he led the league in rushing yards, he badly injured his right knee. He returned to lead the league in rushing again, winning Comeback Player of the Year, only to badly injure his left knee the following season. As reconstructive knee surgery was much more primitive during his era, he was never able to return to form despite several more comeback attempts. He retired at 28, had his #40 retired by the Bears, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at age 34, the youngest person ever to be so honored and one of only a handful to never reach the playoffs.^note Most worthy players play at least into their early 30s, and then there is a five-year waiting period once you have played your final game. His 30.6 yard average for kickoff returns is the best in league history. The aforementioned Brian's Song was adapted from his autobiography.^*He did have a credited ghostwriter, as is common with sports autobiographies. He passed away in 2020.
• O. J. Simpson was one of the greatest running backs in NFL history whose 1973 season might be the best ever for the position, but that's likely not what you know him for. See his entry in National Football League Notorious Figures.
• Billy Sims was the #1 overall pick of the 1980 Draft coming off a Heisman-winning career at Oklahoma. Sims provided a rare glimmer of hope to the long-suffering Detroit Lions: he rushed for three touchdowns in his first game (a first in NFL history), led the league in total TDs, and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. He earned three Pro Bowls in the Motor City, helped break the Lions' twelve-year playoff drought, and earned the nickname "Kung Fu Billy Sims" when he memorably delivered a Diving Kick to an Oilers defender. Unfortunately, he suffered a Career-Ending Injury to his knee in 1984 and spent several years in financial ruin due to a number of failed business ventures, though he has since stabilized by lending his name to a fairly successful BBQ fast-service chain. A decade after Sims was drafted, the Lions selected the great Barry Sanders (see above), who wore Sims' #20 in tribute.
• Frank Sinkwich was the #1 overall pick in 1943 after a Heisman-winning RB career at Georgia, going to the Detroit Lions after a winless season. Like most great young players of his era, he enlisted in the military to fight in World War II; however, the multi-threat back got a medical discharge from the Marines for flat feet and got to play two seasons for the Lions, turning the franchise back around and winning MVP in 1944 while playing against generally weak competition. However, he was drafted back into the armed forces the following year, mostly to keep playing football for the Merchant Marine and Air Force. A Game-Breaking Injury sustained there hampered his play greatly, and he never returned to the NFL, instead putting up a few middling years in the AAFC before retiring in 1947. Sinkwich passed away in 1990.
• Emmitt Smith is the all-time leader in rushing yards (18,355) and rushing touchdowns (164) in NFL history and the only running back ever to score over 1,000 points.^note He is also the only back to be a single franchise's all-time leading scorer, which speaks as much to the Cowboys' lack of stock in the kicking position as it does his prolific skill. He spent 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him #17 overall out of Florida in 1990, before ending his career with two years with the Cardinals. As one of the Cowboys' "Triplets" that helped lead them to three Super Bowl victories, his offensive dominance cannot be understated. In the 1993 season alone, he won the Super Bowl, was awarded the season and Super Bowl MVP, and led the league in rushing yards, the only player to ever do all four in the same season. That only scratches the surface of his accomplishments: he also won Offensive Rookie of the Year, was named to eight Pro Bowls, led the league in rushing yards four times and total TDs thrice, and is the only player to post eleven 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He wasn't known for being particularly big, strong, or fast, instead relying on his phenomenal vision to predict where the holes in the defense would be. His records seem safe for the time being, as the ground game and star RBs in particular have become less and less important to NFL offenses; the active leading rusher (Derrick Henry, above) isn't even halfway to meeting his career tally. Unsurprisingly, Smith was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Fun fact: he also won Season 3 of Dancing with the Stars.
• Matt Snell was drafted #3 overall in 1964 out of Ohio State by the New York Jets, who swooped up the power back from their crosstown competitors the Giants, who took him in the fourth round in the NFL Draft. Snell made an immediate impact, winning AFL Rookie of the Year. Despite his stats not popping off the page, Snell was an excellent pass blocker who helped facilitate Joe Namath's record-breaking campaigns, and he was a key contributor to the Jets' Super Bowl III win, scoring New York's sole touchdown in the game (many still argue that he was more deserving of the MVP award for the game than Namath, especially since Snell was playing through a knee injury). The three-time All-Star retired in 1972 after several injury-plagued seasons; he is enshrined in the Jets Ring of Honor, though he has shunned his former team for over half a century due to a personal beef with the team's ownership.
• Ken Strong was a Hall of Fame Jack of All Trades RB throughout the '30s and considered one of the most versatile players in NFL history. A multi-sport star at NYU, he excelled in both baseball and football; after graduating in 1929, he took up minor league baseball while simultaneously starring for the NFL's Staten Island Stapletons, playing as a RB, QB, and K while earning two All-Pros. A wrist injury brought his baseball career to an end in 1932, after which he took to the NFL full-time, signing with the New York Giants a year later after the Stapletons folded. He earned two more All-Pros and won a championship with the Giants, but a salary dispute led to him leaving the team for the New York Yankees of the second AFL in 1936; after that league folded, he returned to the Giants in 1939, where he was used almost strictly as a kicker, before stomach ulcers led to him retiring that offseason. He came out of retirement in 1944 due to the Giants suffering player shortages from World War II, once again assuming a kicking role before retiring for good after 1947. Strong's #50 was later retired by the Giants, and he died of a heart attack in 1979.
• Fred Taylor was a college star at Florida and carried that fame to nearby Jacksonville after the Jaguars drafted him #9 overall in 1998. Despite rushing for over 1,000 yards as a rookie and posting many more such seasons in the years that followed, Taylor gained the disparaging nickname "Fragile Fred" for his constant injury issues, which caused a general lack of consistency and ensured he only earned one Pro Bowl nom. Despite that reputation, however, he proved his toughness by keeping his job with the Jags for 11 seasons, becoming the franchise's all-time rushing leader before leaving for two reserve seasons in New England, finally retiring in 2010. Taylor has the most career rushing yards of any eligible player not enshrined in Canton, though he is honored in Jacksonville's "Pride of the Jaguars".
• Jim Taylor was the tough-as-nails Hall of Fame fullback for the '60s champion Green Bay Packers. Drafted in the second round (#15 overall) in 1958 out of LSU, he developed a reputation as one of the game's grittiest players, frequently playing through truly nasty injuries and illness while dishing out relentless trash-talk to his opponents. Paired with the "Golden Boy" halfback Paul Hornung (see above), Taylor was the powerful "Thunder" to Hornung's speedy "Lightning". However, he also developed a reputation as the league's second-best power fullback, since his career largely overlapped with that of Jim Brown. Taylor did successfully claim the season rushing yards title in 1962, the only year of Brown's career where he did not, and won league MVP for his efforts. He missed out on a chance at a fifth championship in Green Bay when he left to play with the New Orleans Saints in their inaugural season. His return to his home state wasn't as successful as his time in Wisconsin, and he retired after one year^note though the Saints strangely retired his #31, one of two numbers the poorly run franchise retired for short-tenured players who had been successful on other teams before they realized they only had 97 more of them to go. Taylor passed away in 2018; he still holds the Packers franchise record for rushing TDs.
• Thurman Thomas was one of the dominant backs of the early '90s as an excellent rusher and receiver in the Buffalo Bills' K-Gun offense, where he became the only player in NFL history to lead the league in yards from scrimmage for four straight seasons. A teammate of Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State (Thomas was a year ahead of Sanders), he was drafted in the second round in 1988. He was a key part of the Bills' four consecutive visits to the Super Bowl. Infamously, a few weeks after winning MVP in 1991, Thomas missed the first series of Super Bowl XXVI after losing his helmet on the sideline, kicking off the first of three straight Super Bowls where he put up poor performances; his showing in his first Super Bowl, on the other hand, would have likely won him game MVP had Scott Norwood's final kick not sailed wide right. After a single season with the Dolphins in 2000, Thomas signed a ceremonial contract with the Bills and retired; he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 and had his #34 retired by the Bills.
• LaDainian Tomlinson was a dominant RB of the '00s. The Heisman finalist from TCU was drafted by the San Diego Chargers #5 overall in 2001 and soon helped to revive the trend of RBs also being reliable pass catchers. He even saw some time as a passer himself in halfback option plays, throwing more touchdowns than any non-QB in the modern era save Walter Payton. Tomlinson scored a TD in an NFL record 18-straight games from 2004-05; he followed that up by setting the current single-season TD record (31) and winning MVP (and Offensive Player of the Year and Walter Payton Man of the Year) in 2006, his first of two seasons as the NFL's rushing leader.^note He also set the single-season record for fantasy football points that year, if that's your cup of tea. Some believed that he had a chance to break Emmitt Smith's rushing record, but injuries and a couple of down years put an end to that. Regardless, when he retired after playing two years with the Jets and signing a ceremonial contract to return to the Chargers in 2012, "L.T." ranked high in most rushing stats, including being behind only Smith in career rushing TDs. The Chargers retired his #21, and he entered the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He currently serves as an analyst for NFL Network.
• "Deacon" Dan Towler was drafted by the LA Rams in the 25th round in 1950 out of Washington & Jefferson. One of the largest backs of his time at 6'2" and over 220 lbs., "Towering Towler" established himself as one of the best runners in the game by his second year, finishing third in rushing yards (854) while averaging 6.8 yards per carry, the second highest single season average for a RB in NFL history. He appeared in four straight Pro Bowls, led the NFL in rushing yards once and rushing TDs twice, and won a championship with the Rams. Following an injury plagued '55 season, Towler shockingly announced his retirement to become a Methodist minister while pursuing a degree in education, later spending over two decades on the LA County School Board. He died in 2001.
• Charley Trippi was among the last of the triple threat backs who excelled at offense, defense, and special teams. A highly popular college athlete at Georgia, Trippi was a major figure in the bidding wars between the NFL and AAFC. The Chicago Cardinals drafted him as the #1 pick in 1945 as a “future selection”^note His college career was interrupted by a 2-year stint in the Army during World War II, with Cardinals owner Charles Bidwill agreeing to let Trippi finish it after he returned from the war., but he also received offers from the AAFC's New York Yankees. Upon graduating in 1947, he signed with the Cardinals after they offered him the richest contract in league history at the time, worth $100,000. The Cardinals won the NFL Championship in his rookie season, still the franchise's only league title earned via a championship game^note the other was earned by another team's disqualification. Trippi became the ultimate Swiss Army knife player throughout his career, playing as a halfback, quarterback, receiver, defensive back, punter, and return specialist. He led the NFL in all-purpose yards twice in his career and finished it as the only player to collect 1,000 yards passing, rushing, and receiving. He retired in 1955 after a hit in the preseason left him with several fractures in his face. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1968 and remained very active well into his nineties, becoming only the Pro Hall's second member to live past 100 years after Ace Parker; he passed away in October 2022, less than two months before what would have been his 101st birthday.
• Michael Turner, nicknamed "the Burner", was originally drafted in the fifth round in 2005 by the Chargers. The NIU product mostly sat on the bench behind Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego for four seasons before signing with the Atlanta Falcons in 2008. He soon broke out as one of the most dominant runners in the league, setting the franchise record for rushing TDs in just five years before retiring. Turner likewise holds the Falcons franchise record for rushing yards per game, leaving many to wonder what his career might have looked like had he been a starter during his athletic prime.
• Steve Van Buren was a Honduran-American halfback for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1940s. Nicknamed "Wham Bam Van", "Moving Van", "Blockbuster Van Buren", and "Supersonic Steve", Van Buren was the #5 overall pick in 1944 out of LSU and arguably the greatest running back of his era, setting the young NFL's career records for rushing yards and touchdowns, leading in both categories over four different seasons, and taking the Eagles to back-to-back championships. He did all this despite a defect in one of his eyes (which was the reason he was able to avoid military service in WWII). Knee injuries led him to retire after just eight seasons (shortly after he got the Eagles to draft his brother Ebert in the first round), at which time he held the NFL's career rushing record. He was the first Eagle to be inducted into the Hall of Fame (an honor he accepted with a four sentence speech) and still holds the Eagles' franchise record for rushing touchdowns. He passed away in 2012.
• Doak Walker was drafted #3 overall in 1949 by the New York Bulldogs after an immensely successful college career at SMU (he is the namesake for the most prestigious award for college running backs). The rights for the multi-talented halfback were almost immediately traded to the Detroit Lions for their #2 pick, QB John Rauch, after Walker decided to play one more season in college.^note This proved to be a terrible trade, as Rauch never secured the starting position and the Bulldogs/Yanks folded after 1951. Walker joined the Lions in 1950 (reuniting with high school teammate and best friend Bobby Layne) and briefly became the league's leading scorer as the hybrid player ran, passed, kicked, and punted the Lions to two championship titles and was selected to five Pro Bowls. He left pro football in 1955 after just six seasons, not because he was injured, but because he stood to make far more money with his various businesses and endorsements; the Lions retired his #22 before the season even ended. He was drawn back to football in 1967 to coach for the Continental Football League's Akron Vulcans, which collapsed when its owner was revealed to be a con artist; Walker paid out of pocket to keep the team afloat through the season. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985, somewhat controversially—even though his productivity had been historic, he played fewer games than any Hall of Famer outside those of the 1920s and '30s. Walker was paralyzed in 1998 after a skiing accident and died from the complications later that year.
• Herschel Walker is one of the most unique figures in the history of pro sports, and he left a big footprint in the NFL despite seeing his greatest success outside of it. He became one of the greatest players in college football history in his three years at Georgia, winning the Heisman in his junior year. Rather than play out his senior season, as was a requirement at the time to enter the NFL Draft, Walker decided to enter pro football early by joining the new USFL in its inaugural 1983 season and signing with the New York Generals. He led the nascent league in rushing the first season and utterly dominated in his third, breaking pro football's all-time season record for rushing yards with a whopping 2,411, more than 300 yards over the still-standing NFL record set by Eric Dickerson the year before.^note This was also the period Walker began a friendship with Generals owner Donald Trump that persists today. Though the USFL collapsed after that season, Walker's rights had already been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. He couldn't replicate his record productivity against the NFL's higher level of competition, but he still performed well and was viewed as one of the league's leading running backs. He became the centerpiece of the largest trade in NFL history—the Vikings traded away five players and eight draft picks effectively just for him in the middle of the 1989 season.^note They also received three lower-value picks from Dallas and one from San Diego. For more details, see ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary The Great Trade Robbery, or The Other Wiki. If that seems like an obvious mistake, it was—those picks were critical in building the Cowboys' '90s dynasty, most significantly allowing them to draft Emmitt Smith as his replacement. While the Cowboys started on the road to three Super Bowl victories, Walker's production with the Vikings never matched his previous heights. He left Minnesota in '92, put up his only post-Dallas 1,000+ yard season in Philly, and played one miserable year with the Giants. Ironically, he did finally return to Dallas in '96 to finish his NFL career with the Cowboys... the year they stopped winning Super Bowls. Walker was also known for the extreme and unique workout regime he developed in high school. Rather than lifting weights, he performed—and reportedly continues to perform—thousands of push-ups and sit-ups each day. He is also a tremendously versatile athlete, having danced with the Fort Worth Ballet during his time in Dallas, competed in the '92 Olympic bobsled races while with the Eagles, and won multiple mixed martial arts matches in his late forties.
• Curt Warner (not to be confused with Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner) had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history, breaking onto the scene with the Seattle Seahawks in 1983 after being drafted #3 overall out of Penn State. The rookie helped lead the franchise to their first playoff run and sole AFC Championship game appearance, and he would have led the entire league in rushing were it not for the player drafted directly before him, Eric Dickerson, having the best rookie RB season the league has ever seen. A torn ACL knocked him out for his second season, but he still managed to recover to have several more Pro Bowl years before retiring in 1990 after a year with the Rams. The Seahawks enshrined him in their Ring of Honor, commemorating his role in making the team contenders for the first time in franchise history.
• Ricky Watters entered the NFL in 1991 as a second round pick after a distinguished college career at Notre Dame, where he was a key contributor to the 1988 team that won the Fighting Irish's last national championship to date. After missing his rookie season to injury, "Running" Watters became one of the NFL's most versatile backs, running for more than 1,000 yards seven times and catching 60 passes thrice over 10 seasons spent with the San Francisco 49ers (with whom he won Super Bowl XXIX in 1995), Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks. Despite the consistency of his performance, Watters has yet to reach the Hall of Fame, reaching only the semifinal round of voting.
• Brian Westbrook is the Philadelphia Eagles all-time leader in yards from scrimmage. Drafted in the third round in 2002 out of FCS Villanova, where he set the NCAA's all-time record for all-purpose yards—he remains the only college player ever to rush and receive for 1,000 yards in a single season—Westbrook soon developed into a potent dual-threat back, catching and running the ball for the team through the rest of the 2000s before retiring after an unspectacular 2010 with the Niners.
• Byron "Whizzer" White was one of the NFL's first star players. After graduating from Colorado, he was taken on by the Pittsburgh Football Pirates (they weren't the Steelers yet) in 1938 as the #4 overall pick. During his rookie season, he was the most highly-paid player in the NFL... until he dropped football to take up a Rhodes Scholarship. After coming back from Oxford, he played two years (1940-41) in Detroit, where he had a contract for the then-obscene sum of $15,000 (about a quarter of a million in today's dollars, still well below the minimum annual salary for a modern player). In 1941, White joined the Navy for WWII and never played pro football again; after the war he went to Yale Law School, became Deputy Attorney General in 1961, and was appointed an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1962, where he served until 1993. Nevertheless, he kept up his relationship with football (for instance, when interviewing a prospective law clerk, the conversation inevitably revolved around football rather than legal issues). The annual NFLPA community service/humanitarian award was named after him until 2018. (Interesting trivia: one recipient of the award, Michael McCrary, was the plaintiff in a major Supreme Court case^note Runyon v. McCrary, 427 U.S. 160 (1976) about whether it was acceptable for private secondary schools to deny black students admission based on race. The Court found for McCrary, but ironically White dissented—not because he agreed with the schools' racial politics, but because he was afraid that the contrary ruling would be bad for private groups and institutions intended to advance the interests of Blacks and other minorities.) White passed away in 2002.
• James White was drafted out of Wisconsin by the New England Patriots in the 4th Round in 2014. After a quiet rookie year, he broke out in the next two seasons. While his rushing numbers don't jump off the page, his versatility in the passing game meant that he racked up plenty of receiving yards and touchdowns in third-down or game-deciding situations, and his skill in blitz pick-up made him an integral blocker in New England's passing offense. He made his greatest impact in Super Bowl LI, where he was the game's leading receiver (his rushing attempts limited by the Patriots' need for a 25-point comeback) and scored 3 TDs. His prolific receiving and scoring set records: the most receiving yards and receptions in a Super Bowl by a RB and the most points scored by any individual player, as well as the first overtime TD scored in the Big Game that sealed the victory. His stellar performance, without which New England would have assuredly lost, had many commentators, players, and fans believing he (not Tom Brady) should have been named MVP. Nicknamed "Sweet Feet" by fandom, he was a beloved member of the late Patriots dynasty for his unerring knack for making important plays in big moments. He played in two more Super Bowls, winning one, and retired in 2022.
• James Wilder is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' all-time rushing leader and one of very few bright spots for the franchise during their terrible 1980s seasons. The second round pick out of Missouri in 1981 was a potent rushing and receiving threat (he held the Bucs' franchise record for receptions for several decades) but was mostly just a servicable offensive weapon on the mostly ignored team save for his sole Pro Bowl season in 1984 in which he broke the NFL records for single-season carries and touches (since surpassed). He almost broke the NFL record for all-purpose yards in that year; notably, coach John McKay's last action in his maverick NFL career was letting the other team score to try to give Wilder a few more shots at the record. Wilder retired after spending 1990 in Washington and Detroit.
• DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were the Carolina Panthers' dual-headed rushing threat for nearly a decade. Williams was drafted #27 overall in 2006 out of Memphis, Stewart #13 overall out of Oregon in 2008. Despite eating into each other's numbers during their tenure, Williams led the NFL in rushing TDs in 2008 and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2009. Williams was cut from the team in 2015, which actually benefitted both players; Williams signed with the Steelers and led the NFL in rushing TDs, while Stewart stayed on with Carolina during their run to the Super Bowl appearance and picked up his sole Pro Bowl nod. Williams retired after 2016, attempted a pro wrestling career, and later competed on The Amazing Race; Stewart holds most of the Panthers' franchise rushing records and retired with the team after spending 2018 with the Giants.
• Jamaal Williams was drafted by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2017 Draft out of BYU. After serving as a solid no. 2 RB in Green Bay, Williams signed with the rival Detroit Lions in 2021 and became the starting back. He broke out fully in 2022, leading the NFL with 17 rushing TDs.^note breaking the previous franchise record set by Barry Sanders, albeit with an extra game. He signed with the Saints the following year and notably didn't score a TD until the very last play of New Orleans' season, controversially running it in on a fake kneel down with the win already secured. This play was organized by the players without permission from the coaches, a testament to how beloved he is by his teammates. Aside from his play, Williams is known for his playful, goofy personality and giving off-the-wall or hilarious media interviews; it takes someone who's either a Cloudcuckoolander or truly One of Us to give a Naruto-themed SNF intro.
• Ricky Williams was a Heisman winner at Texas and a heavily-hyped player when he was drafted in 1999. In an especially notable case, Mike Ditka, then coach of the New Orleans Saints, traded away all of his team's draft picks, plus another two high picks for the next year, to ensure he could take him #5 overall (an event immortalized by this◊ infamous cover of ESPN The Magazine featuring Ditka and Williams in a photo shoot dressed as a bride and groom). As a player, he rushed at about what you would expect for a good rookie RB, i.e. not nearly well enough to carry a bad team on his back alone. The Saints went 3-13, with few options for improving in the Draft for the next year, which was enough to end Ditka's coaching career. Williams put up consecutive 1,000 yard seasons the next two years before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he immediately became a dynamic, unstoppable force after leading the NFL in rushing his first year—until he suddenly retired in 2004 when it was revealed he had tested positive for marijuana, just a few months after being featured on the cover of NFL Street. After he retired, he spent a year Walking the Earth to "find himself", which included living in a tent in the Australian outback and working for a holistic medicine college in California. He unretired in 2005, played solidly for a season, tested positive for marijuana a third time, jumped to the Canadian Football League in 2006, missed most of the 2007 season, played in one game before a hard stomp to the chest ended his season, played for the Dolphins again through 2010, put up one last year for the Ravens in 2011, then retired.
• Claude "Buddy" Young, nicknamed the "Bronze Bullet", was one of the first Black players in the NFL during the late '40s reintegration period, the first African-American hired by the NFL to an executive position, and, at a generous 5'4", one of the shortest people to ever play pro football. A track and football star in college at Illinois and during his military service in WWII, Young signed with the AAFC's New York Yankees before making the jump to the NFL's New York Yanks (no direct relation) after that league folded, then had his rights sold to the Dallas Texans after that team collapsed. After the Texans also collapsed, he landed with the Baltimore Colts, where his speed and elusiveness made him a threat as a runner, receiver, and returner and his effervescent personality made him a beloved figure amongst fans and teammates. He retired from play after 1955 and continued to blaze trails behind-the-scenes, becoming the NFL's Director of Player Relations by 1966; his #22 was retired by the Colts in recognition of his contributions to the game. Young died in a car crash in 1983.