List of National Football League rushing champions
In American football, rushing and passing are the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field.[1] A rush, also known as a running play, generally occurs when the quarterback hands or tosses the ball backwards to the running back,[2] but other players, such as the quarterback, can run with the ball.[1] In the National Football League (NFL), the player who has recorded the most rushing yards for a season is considered the winner of the rushing title for that season.[3] In addition to the NFL rushing champion, league record books recognize the rushing champions of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the National Football League in 1970.[4]
The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season.[5] Since the adoption of the 14-game season in 1961, all but one rushing champion have recorded over 1,000 yards rushing. Eight rushing champions have recorded over 2,000 rushing yards, a feat first accomplished by O. J. Simpson in 1973 and most recently achieved by Derrick Henry in 2020. [6]
The player with the most rushing titles is Jim Brown, who was the rushing champion eight times over his career. Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, O. J. Simpson, Steve Van Buren, and Barry Sanders are tied for the second-most rushing titles, each having won four times. Jim Brown also holds the record for the most consecutive rushing titles with five, having led the league in rushing each year from 1957 to 1961. Steve Van Buren, Emmitt Smith, and Earl Campbell each recorded three consecutive rushing titles. The Cleveland Browns have recorded the most rushing titles with eleven; the Dallas Cowboys rank second, with seven rushing titles. The most recent rushing champion is Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, who led the league with 2,027 yards rushing over the 2020 season. Henry is also the most recent player to win back-to-back titles. [7]
List of NFL rushing title winners
^ | Pro Football Hall of Fame member |
---|---|
* | Player is active |
Player won the AP Most Valuable Player award in the same year | |
Player won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in the same year |
List of AFL rushing title winners
Season | Winner | Team | Yards | Games |
---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Abner Haynes | Dallas Texans | 875 | 14 |
1961 | Billy Cannon | Houston Oilers | 948 | 14 |
1962 | Cookie Gilchrist | Buffalo Bills | 1,096 | 14 |
1963 | Clem Daniels | Oakland Raiders | 1,099 | 14 |
1964 | Cookie Gilchrist (2) | Buffalo Bills | 981 | 14 |
1965 | Paul Lowe | San Diego Chargers | 1,121 | 14 |
1966 | Jim Nance | Boston Patriots | 1,458 | 14 |
1967 | Jim Nance (2) | Boston Patriots | 1,216 | 14 |
1968 | Paul Robinson | Cincinnati Bengals | 1,023 | 14 |
1969 | Dickie Post | San Diego Chargers | 873 | 14 |
Most Rushing Titles
Titles | Player | Years | Team |
---|---|---|---|
8 | Jim Brown | 1957-1961, 1963-1965 | Cleveland Browns |
4 | Barry Sanders | 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997 | Detroit Lions |
Emmitt Smith | 1991-1993, 1995 | Dallas Cowboys | |
Eric Dickerson | 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988 | Los Angeles Rams / Indianapolis Colts | |
O. J. Simpson | 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976 | Buffalo Bills | |
Steve Van Buren | 1945, 1947-1949 | Philadelphia Eagles | |
3 | Adrian Peterson | 2008, 2012, 2015 | Minnesota Vikings |
Earl Campbell | 1978, 1979, 1980 | Houston Oilers | |
2 | Bill Dudley | 1942, 1946 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Bill Paschal | 1943, 1944 | New York Giants | |
Byron White | 1938, 1940 | Pittsburgh Pirates / Detroit Lions | |
Cliff Battles | 1932, 1937 | Boston Braves / Washington Redskins | |
Cookie Gilchrist | 1962, 1964 | Buffalo Bills | |
Derrick Henry | 2019, 2020 | Tennesse Titans | |
Edgerrin James | 1999, 2000 | Indianapolis Colts | |
Ezekiel Elliott | 2016, 2018 | Dallas Cowboys | |
Gale Sayers | 1966, 1969 | Chicago Bears | |
Jim Nance | 1966, 1967 | Boston Patriots | |
Joe Perry | 1953, 1954 | San Francisco 49ers | |
LaDainian Tomlinson | 2006, 2007 | San Diego Chargers | |
Leroy Kelly | 1967, 1968 | Cleveland Browns |
See also
Notes
- The NFL did not have a set number of games for teams to play until the 1935 season, instead setting a minimum.[9]
- The Boston Braves played 10 games in a non-standardized season.[10]
- The Boston Redskins played 12 games in a non-standardized season.[11]
- The Chicago Bears played 13 games in a non-standardized season.[12]
- The 1982 season was reduced from 16 to 9 games due to a 57-day players' strike.[13]
- The 1987 season was reduced from 16 to 15 games due to a 24-day players' strike.[13]
References
- General
- "AP MVP Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- "AP Offensive Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- "Hall of Famers – Alphabetically". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- "NFL Players". NFL.com. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- Footnotes
- "Beginner's Guide to Football". National Football League. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- "The Run". NFL360.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- "Miami's Bush Eyeing NFL Rushing Title". Foxsports.com. August 16, 2012. Archived from the original on November 23, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- "2012 NFL Record and Fact Book" (PDF). NFL.com. pp. 625–626. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- "NFL's Passer Rating". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- Wyatt, Jim (January 3, 2021). "DH2K: Titans RB Derrick Henry Eclipses 2,000-Yard Mark in Win Over Texans". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- Gordon, Grant (January 3, 2021). "Titans RB Derrick Henry rushes for 2,000 yards in division-clinching win". NFL.com. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- "NFL Year-by-Year Rushing Yards Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- "NFL Regular Season Games Played per Season". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- "1932 Boston Braves". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- "1933 Boston Redskins". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- "1934 Chicago Bears". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- "NFL History by Decade: 1981–1990". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2013.