The National Football League rushing championrunning back – who gains the most rushing yards from scrimmage in the regular season .
Rushing titles by season [ ] Numbers in parentheses next to a player's name indicate multiple titles for that player.[1]
NFL denotes National Football League (1920–present)
AAFC denotes All-America Football Conference (1946–1949)
AFL denotes American Football League (1960–1969)
Season
Player
Team
Yards
Games
Notes
1932 Cliff Battles Boston Braves 576
8
1933 Jim Musick Boston Redskins 809
12
1934 Beattie Feathers Chicago Bears 1004
11
Rookie season; first 1,000 yard rusher; NFL record 8.4 yards per carry
1935 Doug Russell Chicago Cardinals 499
12
1936 Tuffy Leemans New York Giants 830
12
1937 Cliff Battles (2) Washington Redskins [2] 874
10
1938 Byron White Pittsburgh Pirates 567
11
Later served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
1939 Bill Osmanski Chicago Bears 699
10
1940 Byron White (2) Detroit Lions 514
11
First repeat champion; first to win title with different teams
1941 Pug Manders Brooklyn Dodgers 486
11
1942 Bill Dudley Pittsburgh Steelers 696
11
1943 Bill Paschal New York Giants 572
9
1944 Bill Paschal (2) New York Giants 737
10
1945 Steve Van Buren Philadelphia Eagles 832
10
1946 (NFL) Bill Dudley (2) Pittsburgh Steelers 604
11
1946 (AAFC) Spec Sanders New York Yankees 709
13
Inaugural AAFC season
1947 (NFL) Steve Van Buren (2) Philadelphia Eagles 1008
12
1947 (AAFC) Spec Sanders (2) New York Yankees 1432
14
1948 (NFL) Steve Van Buren (3) Philadelphia Eagles [3] 945
11
1948 (AAFC) Marion Motley Cleveland Browns [4] 964
14
1949 (NFL) Steve Van Buren (4) Philadelphia Eagles [5] 1146
12
First 1,100 yard rusher
1949 (AAFC) Joe Perry San Francisco 49ers 783
11
Final AAFC season
1950 Marion Motley (2) Cleveland Browns [6] 810
12
1951 Eddie Price New York Giants 971
12
1952 Dan Towler Los Angeles Rams 894
12
1953 Joe Perry (2) San Francisco 49ers 1018
12
1954 Joe Perry (3) San Francisco 49ers 1049
12
First consecutive 1,000 yard rusher in NFL history
1955 Alan Ameche Baltimore Colts 961
12
1956 Rick Casares Chicago Bears 1126
12
1957 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 942
12
Rookie season
1958 Jim Brown (2) Cleveland Browns 1527
12
First 1,500 yard rusher
1959 Jim Brown (3) Cleveland Browns 1329
12
1960 (NFL) Jim Brown (4) Cleveland Browns 1257
12
1960 (AFL) Abner Haynes Dallas Texans 875
14
Inaugural American Football League season
1961 (NFL) Jim Brown (5)Cleveland Browns 1408
14
First NFL season of 14 games
1961 (AFL) Billy Cannon Houston Oilers [7] 948
14
1962 (NFL) Jim Taylor Green Bay Packers [8] 1474
14
1962 (AFL) Cookie Gilchrist Buffalo Bills 1096
14
First AFL 1,000 yard rusher
1963 (NFL) Jim Brown (6) Cleveland Browns 1863
14
First 1,800 yard rusher
1963 (AFL) Clem Daniels Oakland Raiders 1099
14
1964 (NFL) Jim Brown (7) Cleveland Browns [9] 1446
14
1964 (AFL) Cookie Gilchrist (2) Buffalo Bills [10] 981
14
1965 (NFL) Jim Brown (8) Cleveland Browns 1544
14
1965 (AFL) Paul Lowe San Diego Chargers 1121
14
1966 (NFL) Gale Sayers Chicago Bears 1231
14
1966 (AFL) Jim Nance Boston Patriots 1458
14
First AFL rusher to lead all rushers (AFL and NFL)
1967 (NFL) Leroy Kelly Cleveland Browns 1205
14
1967 (AFL) Jim Nance (2) Boston Patriots 1216
14
1968 (NFL) Leroy Kelly (2) Cleveland Browns 1239
14
1968 (AFL) Paul Robinson Cincinnati Bengals 1023
14
1969 (NFL) Gale Sayers (2) Chicago Bears 1032
14
1969 (AFL) Dickie Post San Diego Chargers 873
14
Final AFL season; last rushing title below 1,000 yards
1970 Larry Brown Washington Redskins 1125
14
First season of AFL-NFL merger
1971 Floyd Little Denver Broncos 1133
14
1972 O. J. Simpson Buffalo Bills 1251
14
1973 O. J. Simpson (2) Buffalo Bills 2003
14
First 2,000-yard NFL season; NFL record 143.1 yards per game
1974 Otis Armstrong Denver Broncos 1407
14
1975 O. J. Simpson (3) Buffalo Bills 1817
14
1976 O. J. Simpson (4) Buffalo Bills 1503
14
1977 Walter Payton Chicago Bears 1852
14
1978 Earl Campbell Houston Oilers 1450
15
Rookie season; First NFL season with 16 regular-season games
1979 Earl Campbell (2) Houston Oilers 1697
16
1980 Earl Campbell (3) Houston Oilers 1934
15
1981 George Rogers New Orleans Saints 1674
16
Rookie season
1982 Freeman McNeil New York Jets 786
9*
*Strike -shortened season
1983 Eric Dickerson Los Angeles Rams 1808
16
Rookie season
1984 Eric Dickerson (2) Los Angeles Rams 2105 16
NFL single-season rushing record
1985 Marcus Allen Los Angeles Raiders 1759
16
1986 Eric Dickerson (3) Los Angeles Rams 1821
16
Only rushing champion with 400+ carries (404)
1987 Charles White Los Angeles Rams 1374
15*
*Strike -shortened season; White's only season with more than 350 yards rushing[11]
1988 Eric Dickerson (4) Indianapolis Colts 1659
16
1989 Christian Okoye Kansas City Chiefs 1480
15
1990 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions 1304
16
1991 Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys 1563
16
1992 Emmitt Smith (2) Dallas Cowboys [12] 1713
16
First Rushing Champion to win Super Bowl
1993 Emmitt Smith (3) Dallas Cowboys [13] 1486
14
Missed first two games (contract dispute)
1994 Barry Sanders (2) Detroit Lions 1883
16
1995 Emmitt Smith (4) Dallas Cowboys [14] 1773
16
1996 Barry Sanders (3) Detroit Lions 1553
16
1997 Barry Sanders (4) Detroit Lions 2053
16
Highest rushing total of the 1990s
1998 Terrell Davis Denver Broncos [15] 2008
16
Second consecutive season with 2,000-yard rusher.
1999 Edgerrin James Indianapolis Colts 1553
16
Rookie season
2000 Edgerrin James (2) Indianapolis Colts 1709
16
2001 Priest Holmes Kansas City Chiefs 1555
16
2002 Ricky Williams Miami Dolphins 1853
16
2003 Jamal Lewis Baltimore Ravens 2066
16
Highest rushing total of the 2000s.
2004 Curtis Martin New York Jets 1697
16
Only rushing champion to win after 30th birthday (31)
2005 Shaun Alexander Seattle Seahawks 1880
16
2006 LaDainian Tomlinson San Diego Chargers 1815
16
Also set record for rush TDs (28)
2007 LaDainian Tomlinson (2) San Diego Chargers 1474
16
Last player to repeat rushing titles
2008 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings 1760
16
NFC's last rushing champion
2009 Chris Johnson Tennessee Titans 2006
16
Also set NFL record for yards from scrimmage (2,509)
2010 Arian Foster Houston Texans 1616
16
Texans' first rushing champion
2011 Maurice Jones-Drew Jacksonville Jaguars 1606
16
Jaguars' first rushing champion
2012 Adrian Peterson (2) Minnesota Vikings 1898 15 Current Leader through 15 games
Players with multiple rushing titles [ ] Jim Brown : 8 (Cleveland Browns - 1957-1961, 1963–1965)Eric Dickerson : 4 (Los Angeles Rams - 1983-1984, 1986; Indianapolis Colts - 1988)Barry Sanders : 4 (Detroit Lions - 1990, 1994, 1996–1997)O.J. Simpson : 4 (Buffalo Bills - 1972-1973, 1975–1976)Emmitt Smith : 4 (Dallas Cowboys - 1991-1993, 1995)Steve Van Buren : 4 (Philadelphia Eagles - 1945, 1947–1949)Earl Campbell : 3 (Houston Oilers - 1978-1980)Joe Perry : 3 (San Francisco 49ers - 1949*, 1953-1954)Cliff Battles : 2 (Boston/Washington Redskins - 1932, 1937)Bill Dudley : 2 (Pittsburgh Steelers - 1942, 1946)Cookie Gilchrist : 2 (Buffalo Bills (AFL) - 1962, 1964)Edgerrin James : 2 (Indianapolis Colts - 1999-2000)Leroy Kelly : 2 (Cleveland Browns - 1967-1968)Marion Motley : 2 (Cleveland Browns - 1948*, 1950)Jim Nance : 2 (Boston Patriots (AFL) - 1966-1967)Bill Paschal : 2 (New York Giants - 1943-1944)Gale Sayers : 2 (Chicago Bears - 1966, 1969)LaDainian Tomlinson : 2 (San Diego Chargers - 2006-2007)Byron "Whizzer" White : 2 (Pittsburgh Pirates - 1938; Detroit Lions - 1940)
*AAFC rushing title Consecutive rushing titles [ ] There have been twelve occurrences in which a player has won two or more consecutive rushing titles.
5 consecutive titles :
Jim Brown (1957-'61); Brown is the only player to lead the league in rushing more than three consecutive times. 3 consecutive titles :
Steve Van Buren (1947-'49)
Jim Brown (1963-'65)
Earl Campbell (1978-'80)
Emmitt Smith (1991-'93) Back-to-back titles :
Bill Paschal (1943-'44)
Joe Perry (1953-'54)
Jim Nance (1966-'67)
Leroy Kelly (1967-'68)
O.J. Simpson (twice, 1972-'73 & 1975-'76)
Eric Dickerson (1983-'84)
Barry Sanders (1996-'97)
Edgerrin James (1999-2000)
LaDainian Tomlinson (2006-'07) Cleveland Browns Hall of Famer Jim Brown won 8 rushing titles in nine seasons. O.J. Simpson and Emmitt Smith won four rushing titles in five seasons; Eric Dickerson won 4 in six seasons.
Rushing titles with different teams [ ] Two players have won rushing titles with two different teams.
Byron "Whizzer" White: Pittsburgh Pirates & Detroit Lions
Eric Dickerson: Los Angeles Rams & Indianapolis Colts 2000 yard rushing seasons [ ] Main article: 2000 rushing yards club
Six players have run for more than 2,000 yards in the regular season. O. J. Simpson is the only player to have done so in a 14-game season; the others did so in 16-game seasons. No season to date has produced more than one 2,000-yard rusher. No franchise has had more than one 2,000 yard rusher.
Eric Dickerson , 1984 , Los Angeles Rams: 2,105 yardsJamal Lewis , 2003 , Baltimore Ravens: 2,066Barry Sanders , 1997 , Detroit Lions: 2,053Terrell Davis , 1998 , Denver Broncos: 2,008Chris Johnson , 2009 , Tennessee Titans: 2,006O. J. Simpson , 1973 , Buffalo Bills: 2,003Rookie Rushing Champions [ ] Since 1955, nine players have won either the AFL or NFL rushing title in their first season:
Alan Ameche , 1955 , Baltimore Colts Jim Brown , 1957 , Cleveland Browns (won title in first five seasons) Abner Haynes , 1960 , Dallas Texans Cookie Gilchrist , 1962 , Buffalo Bills Paul Robinson , 1968 , Cincinnati Bengals Earl Campbell , 1978, Houston Oilers (won title in first three seasons) George Rogers , 1981 , New Orleans Saints Eric Dickerson , 1983 , Los Angeles Rams (won title in first two seasons) Edgerrin James , 1999 , Indianapolis Colts (won title in first two seasons) Heisman Trophy Winning Rushing Champions [ ] Eight players have won both a Heisman Trophy , and an AFL/NFL rushing title:
Alan Ameche (won Heisman 1954, won NFL rushing title 1955)Billy Cannon (won Heisman 1959, won AFL rushing title 1961)O. J. Simpson (won Heisman 1968, won NFL rushing titles 1972-73, 1975–76)Earl Campbell (won Heisman 1977, won NFL rushing titles 1978-80)George Rogers (won Heisman 1980, won NFL rushing title 1981)Charles White (won Heisman 1979, won NFL rushing title 1987)Barry Sanders (won Heisman 1988, won NFL rushing titles 1990, 1994, 1996–97)Ricky Williams (won Heisman 1998, won NFL rushing title 2002)Franchises without Rushing Champions [ ] Only three active NFL franchises have not produced a rushing champion in either the AFL or NFL; incidentally, all three currently play in the NFC South, and began play after 1965:
The Cleveland Browns have produced the most rushing champions, with 12 (although the last Cleveland player to win the rushing title did so in 1968).
See also [ ] References [ ] v · d · e NFL season rushing yards leaders
v · d · e National Football League records General Passing
Rushing
Career
Touchdowns Yards Attempts Season
Yards 2000 rushing yards club
Receiving
Touchdowns Yards Defense
