Best Football Running Backs of All Time

“Kansas All-America. . .Exceptional break-away runner. . .Scored rookie record 22 TDs, 132 points, 1965. . .Led NFL rushers, 1966, 1969. . .Named all-time NFL halfback, 1969. . . All-NFL five straight years. . .Player of Game in three Pro Bowls. . .Career totals: 9,435 combined net yards, 4,956 yards rushing, 336 points. . . NFL lifetime kickoff return leader.”

“SAYERS IS NUMBER ONE! SHORT CAREER MOST TALENT MADE PROS LOOK LIKE JOES ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN!”

“Gale sayers is best of all by far.

Go on you tube and type in gayle sayers and you’ll see what i mean.”

“Heisman Trophy winner, 1968. . .No. 1 NFL draft pick, 1969. . .Career highlighted by 2,003 yards rushing, 1973. . . Unanimous All-Pro, topped 1,000 yards rushing, 1972-1976. . .Won four NFL rushing titles. . . Career record: 11,236 yards rushing, 203 receptions, 990 yards kickoff returns, 14,368 combined net yards. . .In 1969 AFL All-Star game, five Pro Bowls. . .1973 Pro Bowl Player of the Game.”

“O.J. Simpson not in the Top 10? How can that be? Just so you youngsters can relate --- that’s like saying Peyton Manning is not among the top three quarterbacks in football today. I think O.J. was the best running back ever, but I could understand why someone would vote Jim Brown over him. Walter Payton, to me, doesn’t come close, and neither does Eric Dickerson. And how did Barry Sanders get to No. 1. Not a chance.”

aquaman

“Man he could slash and cut like no other, he really took the life out of other teams. Killer mentality... knew how to finish up the job and stay cool under pressure !!!!!”

travismany

“Name a RB that combined more power, speed and could hit the hole or beat the defense to the corner more than Bo Jackson? His talent was never seen before him and hasn’t been seen since.

It was tragic to lose him to injury before we could see him get even better than he was...”

corebare32

“BO JACKSONNN. Better than all the rest and would destroy the Chargers any time.”

“Greatest running back of all time. still holds 5.4 career rushing yard average record.”

“HOF-he won’t make it because he played in Denver (come on, 2 guys in, 6 Super Bowls?). 2nd, even though his stats still prove it people say no longevity. Thanks Lepsis.”

144mango

“terrell davis is the best running back ever the only reason he doesn’t have all the records is because he had to retire because damn headaches were so bad”

big-al

“Too bad he does not get the credit he deserves because he played in denver. Been a lot of backs get 1000 in denver’s shanahan years but only one with over 2,000. Davis was scary on the super bowl teams. Elway would get them the lead and td would run out the clock. His play in super bowl 32 is amazing, prob could of set the rushing record if he didn’t have to sit out some of the game with that migrane. I really hope he will make the hof someday, elway had no rings till td came to town!”

“This says it all http://chuckforeman44.net/”

“No better all around back to play the game. Ever.”

“Rookie of the Year in 1973. Revolutionized the running back position by leading the league in receptions in 1975. His abilities set the tone for the West Coast offensive style which has been popular in the NFL for decades after. Aside from his amazing pass catching talent, he could run with power or finesse and exhibited diverse running styles that could be compared to both Gayle Sayers and Barry Sanders. Was voted NFC player of the year by The Sporting News in 1974 and by UPI in 1976. All-Pro in 1975 and played in five consecutive Pro Bowls. Held the NFC record of 21 Touchdowns in 14 games and battled O.J. Simpson head to head for the NFL record on the last day of the season. A snowball in Buffalo on the last weekend of the 1975 regular season kept Foreman from winning the 1975 NFC rushing title. It also prevented him from becoming the only player in NFL history to lead his conference in rushing and receptions and setting the NFL touchdown record. Foreman was on his way to scoring his 22nd touchdown when he was hit by an iceball to the face by an angry Buffalo fan. He developed double vision and was pulled from the game and missed the 4th quarter, which stopped him from tying Simpson. Foreman led the NFL in receptions with 73 in 1975, a record for receptions by a running back. He scored 51 touchdowns over a 3 year span (1974-1976). He also had 3 consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons while catching all those passes.”

“One of the most underrated players”

noahhurrle

“they never give my cousin his props, so I’ve been standing up for him since 1978 when my dad and I watched him win s.b. 12! he’s one of the top 5 greatest ever!”

“TONY IS ONE OF THE NFL GREATEST RUNNING BACK HE WAS THE TRUTH HE HAS THE LONGEST RUN FROM SCRIMMAGE IN HISTORY 99 YARDS AGAINST THE VIKINGS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GIVE TONY HIS PROPS”

“Westbrook is the best. He is the 5 or 7 in history for rushing yards off the line of scrimmage”

eagles36

“easily best all purpose back ever maybe faulk has him beat but not by much”

“Brian Westbrook is one of the most explosive backs to run, catch or return the ball. He has great speed and cutting capability, still playing at a high level he will continue to push himself to be where he deserves, in the hall.”

“If you look at total stats he has more rushing TD’s in his career than your top ten guys”

“Alexander should be better higher rated than ’Adrian Peterson’ and ’Tiki”

“he should get at least 2%!!!!!
HE HAS THE 2nd MOST TDs !!!28...
BEAT THAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“The best power back of all time. The best halfback in Redskin’s History. The 2nd best halfback in nfl history, next to walter payton.”

“he got it when it was needed - a north south runner - that never let his team down.”

“The No. 1 of all time”

“Herschel is the greatest man to ever step on a football feild, he has god given talent...... he just lost his chance, he got shafted....”

“big man
big skill
fast
big heart
usfl team went to title all years when he played with them
best back id say”

“Reggie is good but he need to learn to run inside the tackle instead of trying to run outside all the time but he is a beast
”

“he is the best of this century”

“a beast
”

“Curtis Martin....What a player. He was drafted in the 3rd round and look where he got. He had 10+ 1000 yard seasons, and probably would’ve had 11 if he wasn’t injured. I’d rate him 4th. Barry #1, Walter #2, Emmit #3, and Curtis #4. He was so consistent, and even at his 10th season, he had his career year.”

“Curtis Martin was soo consistent!! I mean, not like 958 yard, 976 yards, I’m talking about 1400, 1300, 1500,1600, c’mon, he’s the 4th bet ever! Give him some credit.”

“He had the incredible consistency of 10 straight 1000 yard sesasons including 1 rushing title in 2004.”

“He rocks he only played for ten years butt he beat a lot of records”

“200 yard rushing game after 200 yard rushing game like Barry he would have got the all time record if he didnt retire early.Simply the best even with no one blocking for him like LT has. Put lt on a team with bad blockers then see what happens to this flase profit.”

“is the greatest”

“Greatest super bowl play ever”

olhrocks

“I am embarassed for everyone that he is ranked so low. Any student of the game knows he is one of the all-time greats. The fact that he is often overlooked by amateurs making lists is a testament to his humbleness. But if you question his greatness, just look at his accomplishments - they speak for themselves.”

chambon

“ok this list is not as retarted as the basketball one but its pretty damn retarted. the 1st 2 are good but number 3 does not earn it yet what happens if he gets hurt. and adrian peterson number 6 its his 2nd year! maybe they could be the greatest but you dont know what could happen to them erick deserves top 7 and jim brown deserves number 3 and larry csonca should be in there he is amazing. and jim brown had the most yards per carry. and my final one gale sayers deserves top 20. and marcus allen should up there to.”

“This guys the best i mean he has been to 5 pro bowls went to 4 super bowls and is on the bills wall of fame and hes a 2nd round pick(40) this guys the best”

“...because a bunch of morons are picking guy like bush,mcfadden,johnson and so forth.They probably were not around to watch Franco back in the 70’s.”

“how is franco harris not in the top 10!”

“10,000 yards and counting...”

“think he’s the best ever”

“Freakishly strong, amazingly fast. He’s already over 4,000 yards in college through less than three years and is sharing time with Felix Jones, who’s closing in on 3,000 yards himself.”

“wait till he gets the the league the kid is a beast”

“one of the all time greats should be top 15 way better than cedric benson”

“Larry Csonka is way higher then number 32 on the alltime best running backs. You should all go home lay down and think about where you put him. Boo hoo”

“How do you let out Priest? He came close to the TD record twice and broke it once!”

“Priest Holmes is the was the heart of Kansas City.Without him Larry Johnson would not be even close to as good as he is.”

“whoa! Priest should be way up there. He was way better than Larry Johnson. They both excelled with great offensive lines, so they had a lot of help, but at least Priest could block and catch! (Look now, Chiefs have average offensive line now and Larry Johnson can’t do a thing , just goes to show you)”

“He should be way up there
he is better than Marshel Faulk and Faulk is in like the top 10
just cuz he is smokin the mary jane doesnt mean he shouldn’t b higher”

ballanico23

“are you guys kiddin me! ricky williams is the best ever.”

“i’m not upset that he has to share time with julius jones... but if he was gettin’ the carries every other teams... he would def. be one of the best backs in the league... and he’s fun to watch... caus’ he’s gonna run every defender ova!”

schmidyschmidybangbang

“Marion barber should be the number 1 running back.”

“most rushing yards of 2006 season did very well last year and did not even start all the games better then some of the other backs listed”

“One of the greatest all around Running Backs of all time....stats dont lie and neither did his play.”

“As soon as he stops sharing carries with Fred Taylor Maurice will be dominating defenses. He’s extremely fast and he can blow over defenders.”

“lead the team in receptions last year and may very well lead the team this year and rushed for 1000 2 of his first 3 years in the league only played in 7 games his rookie year and led the team in rushing beat that”

“led league inrushing the year J. Brown didn’t... was the bread and butter for the Packers during their "sweep" rushingyears”

“he is da bomb”

“Dude cedric benson is suuuupper tight”

“2007 super bowl champ as a rookie didn’t even get rookie of the year he is young but truly the best gonna do great things for the colts!”

“two Heisman Trophy awards”

“hey "Fast Willie" should be at least in the top 20 list. regie bush is not very good at all but willie needs to improve on runnig this season. GO STEELERS!”

“OHIO STATE BEAST”

“Best Fullback Ever!!!”

“Rushed for over 2,000 a couple of years ago and still going strong!!”

“beast
”

“Yo give the cat some love. Lets be serious when he was on the Colts and healthy you were guaranteed at least 1,300 yards. He could have been better but playing alongside Manning, Manning got more touches. He also made Manning better by removing pressure through the play-action. Manning, Harrison, and James (The Modern Triplets), sure they don’t have 3 rings like Aikman, Smith, and Irvin but don’t doubt their skills. If James didn’t "run" for the money he might also have a ring by now. Should be in top 20.”

yougnr1116

“EDGERRIN, THIS FAR DOWN ON THE LIST, YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING. WON TWO RUSHING TITLES, SETS 13TH ON THE ALL TIME RUSHING LIST. WITH JUST A DECENT YEAR THIS YEAR, HE WILL BE 7TH ALL TIME. NOT IN THE TOP 20 IS A JOKE.”

“He’s averaging more than LT”

“So underrated hes twice the back that Ricky Williams and Cedric Benson are.”

Chris-1

“AMAZING 5 ONE THOUSAND YARD RUSHING SEASONS!”

“maybe not the best but a pioneer, and an excellent runner, and for that he deserves recognition”

“Best stiff arm ever...no doubt about it.”

“a beast”

“big dude dig heart runs people ever. Best ever period.”

“Only Division I player in history to run for more than 2000 yards in back to back seasons”

“5.9 yard average, needs to stay healthy. will be something special if he is started next year.”

“Beast”

“beast from the southeast”

“Only Jim Brown, Walter Payton, and Earl Cambel are ahead of Marion Motlley.”

“As one of the first black players in modern pro football, Motley was a pioneer for his sport, much like his baseball contemporary, Jackie Robinson. And like Robinson, Motley had to endure far more physical and verbal abuse than white ballplayers of his era. The Cleveland Browns’ fullback often took extra shots to his head or hands on the bottom of the pile after being tackled. However, that pile was usually several yards beyond the line of scrimmage because Motley, a bruiser at 6-1, 240, was very hard to tackle. “If you didn’t stop him at the line of scrimmage, you were in trouble,” Baltimore Colts’ Hall of Fame defensive tackle Art Donovan said.

Motley, along with quarterback Otto Graham, helped Cleveland win the All-American Football Conference title for four straight seasons. The Browns joined the NFL in 1950 and Motley, at age 30, led his new team to a championship and his new league in rushing with 810 yards and a gaudy 5.8 yards-per-carry average. In 1968, Motley became the first black player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

“One of the first, greatest running back in football history. Paving the way for newer legends. Easily one of the best backs ever to play the sport.”

“he was just cold”

“Great White Hope ! The man was amazing come playoff time ! Oh and don’t forget Sydney Thorton , Tim Worley , Bam Morris , Barry Foster , Rocky Blier , Gordy Lockbomb , Yeah you read that right Gordy from Holly Cross drafted by the Mighty Steelers !!!!”

“One of the best college backs ever but got injured in the pro level”

“Fat boy can run the ball.”

“Helped Broncos reach SuperBowl XXIV!”

“In 1956 Abner Haynes attended North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), where he helped make the school one of the first in Texas to integrate its football program. In 1960, Haynes chose to play for the Dallas Texans and led the American Football League in rushing attempts, yards, and TDs in the league’s first year. Haynes helped launch the AFL in 1960, when he was the fledgling league’s first Most Valuable Player, and its first Rookie of the Year. He captured the AFL’s first rushing crown with 875 yards, and also led the Texans in receiving, punt returns, and kickoff returns. Haynes spent three years in Dallas and two with the Kansas City Chiefs. Haynes still owns 11 franchise records, including most points in a game (30), most touchdowns in a season (19), most touchdowns in a game (5), most career 100-yard rushing games (12), most career rushing touchdowns (39) and most career combined yards (8, 442). Over his career he was regularly among the American Football League’s top ten rushers, ranking third all-time, and the all-time leader in touchdowns, with 46. He was Hall of Fame head coach Hank Stram’s most versatile and dangerous weapon from 1960-62, amassing 43 touchdowns and 4, 472 yards on rushes and receptions. In 1962, he helped the Texans win the American Football League championship in the classic double-overtime victory over the defending champion Houston Oilers, scoring touchdowns on a 28-yard pass reception from quarterback Len Dawson, and on a 2-yard run.
"He was a franchise player before they talked about franchise players, " praised Stram. "He did it all - rushing, receiving, kickoff returns, punt returns. He gave us the dimension we needed to be a good team in Dallas. "

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Haynes, who had great speed and dazzling moves in the open field, set AFL records with 5 touchdowns in a game and 19 touchdowns in a season in 1961, and with 46 career rushing touchdowns. He also played for the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins, and the New York Jets. During his 8 professional seasons, Haynes carried the ball 1, 036 times for 4, 630 yards, a 4. 5 average; caught 287 passes for 3, 535 yards, a 12. 3 average, and 20 touchdowns; returned 85 punts for 875 yards, a 10. 3 average, and 1 touchdown; and ran back 121 kickoffs for 3, 025 yards, a 25. 0 average, and 1 touchdown, and ran a recovered fumble back for a td: 69 total touchdowns, for 414 points. His 12, 065 combined yards is the American Football League record. Haynes had three games in which he gained 100 or more yards on 14 or fewer carries.”

“Paul Lowe of Oregon State University played for the Los Angeles and San Diego Chargers from 1960 through 1968. His blazing speed helped him gain nearly 5, 000 yards, the Chargers’ all-time best, as is his 4. 89 yards-per-carry average, which was also the AFL’s all-time best. He returned his first touch of the football in the American Football League for a 105 yard touchdown in the Chargers first-ever exhibition game, and had the Chargers’ longest run from scrimmage with an 87-yard run in 1961. He had 1, 010 yards on just 136 carries for a 5. 7 yard average in 1963 and was the American Football League MVP in 1965 with 1, 121 yards rushing (14-game schedule), a two-time all-American Football League selection, and a halfback on the AFL’s All-Time Team. Lowe had the American Football League’s all-time highest rushing average, at 4. 89 yds/carry, and set a pro football record with six games in which he gained 100 or more yards on 14 or fewer carries. He is one of only twenty players who were in the American Football League for its entire ten-year existence.”

“Clem Daniels of PRAIRIE VIEW A&M University was voted to All-Conference honors during his sophomore and junior years, and captained the NAIA National Championship team in his senior year. He was voted into Prairie View’s Hall of Fame in 1992 and the California Black Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. Daniels was drafted in 1960 by the Dallas Texans. He was on the Texans’ roster for 14 games in 1960, but saw little playing time behind Hall of Famer Abner Haynes. In 1961, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders, and spent seven stellar years there. He was an American Football League All-Star in 1963, ‘64, ‘65, ‘66 and ‘67.
In 1963, Daniels was the Sporting News’ American Football League Most Valuable Player, with a 5. 1 yards/carry average, gaining 1, 099 yards. He was the All-Time leading rusher in the American Football League and was selected to the All-Time All-AFL Team.”