Who Was the Best Running Back in NFL History?

In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the best running backs in NFL history and try to answer the question: who was the best running back in NFL history?

Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith is often considered the best running back in NFL history. He played for the Dallas Cowboys for thirteen seasons and is the all-time leading rusher in NFL history. Smith was a three-time Super Bowl champion and was named the Super Bowl MVP in 1993. He was also the NFL MVP in 1993 and 1994.

His career

Emmitt Smith played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1990 to 2002 and is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. He was born in Pensacola, Florida, on May 15, 1969. Smith’s father, a former semiprofessional football player, instilled a love of the game in his son at an early age. Smith excelled as a running back in high school and was heavily recruited by colleges.

His accomplishments

Emmitt Smith is a former American football running back who played for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons. A three-time Super Bowl champion and the league’s all-time leading rusher, Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a unanimous All-American. He then played professionally for the Cowboys, where he became their all-time leading rusher and helped lead them to three Super Bowl victories. Smith is considered one of the best running backs in NFL history.

Walter Payton

Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1954 – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. Payton was known around the NFL as “Sweetness”. A nine-time Pro Bowl selectee, Payton is the only player to have ever won both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award in the same season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

His career

Walter Payton was born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. He was the youngest of three children. His father, Peter, worked in a paper mill, and his mother, Alyne, was a hall monitor at J.T. Mealy Elementary School. When he was three years old, Payton and his family moved to a new house in a segregated neighborhood in Columbia.

In high school, Payton excelled at both football and track. He set state records in the long jump and the triple jump. He was also recruited by several colleges to play running back. Payton chose to play for Jackson State University in Mississippi.

As a junior at Jackson State, Payton set an NCAA Division I-AA record with 3,500 rushing yards. He also had 42 touchdowns and an average of 8.4 yards per carry. As a senior, he rushed for 1,700 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was named an All-American and was awarded the Black College Football Player of the Year award twice.

Payton was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the fourth overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. He played for the Bears for 13 seasons from 1975 to 1987. During that time, he became one of the best running backs in NFL history.

He was selected to nine Pro Bowls and was named the NFL MVP in 1977. He holds the NFL record for most career rushing yards (16,726) and is second in career rushing touchdowns (110). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993—the first year he was eligible—and his number (34) has been retired by the Bears.

His accomplishments

Walter Payton was a NFL running back who played for the Chicago Bears from 1975 to 1987. He is considered by many to be the best running back in NFL history, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

During his 13-year career, Payton won many honors and set numerous records. He was named the NFL MVP in 1977 and 1985, and he was selected to nine Pro Bowls. He holds the NFL records for most rushing yards in a career (16,726) and most rushing yards in a season (2,105). He also holds the record for most yards from scrimmage in a career (21,803).

In addition to his on-field accomplishments, Payton was also known for his work off the field. He was active in charities and community causes, and he founded the Walter Payton Foundation to help disadvantaged youth.

Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders was the best running back in NFL history. He was a 10-time Pro Bowler, a 4-time First Team All-Pro, and a 2-time Second Team All-Pro. He was also the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 1997, and the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1998.

His career

Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is a former professional American football player who was a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). A Pro Bowl invitee in each of his ten NFL seasons and two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Sanders led the league in rushing four times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

Sanders played college football for Oklahoma State University, and was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1988. He was selected by the Detroit Lions with the third overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. In his NFL career, he had fifteen 100-yard rushing games and was ranked among the top five running backs in five different seasons.

During his time with the Lions, Sanders became known for his elusiveness and ability to break tackles, as well as his great vision and quickness. He also gained a reputation as a back who was hard to tackle, and for his Moves like “The Spin” which he used to fake out defenders. In 1997, he became just the third player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season (2,053), joining O.J. Simpson (1973) and Eric Dickerson (1984). Sanders relies on cutting back across the field rather than speed to gain yardage after being hit by a tackler; this often confuses opposing defenses.

His accomplishments

Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is a former American football running back. He played professionally for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1989 to 1998. A Pro Bowl invitee in each of his 10 NFL seasons, Sanders was named the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1997 and is considered one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

During his time with the Lions, Sanders led the league in rushing four times and posted ten 1,000-yard rushing seasons. In 1997, he ran for a then-NFL record 2,053 yards. Sanders retired from professional football after the 1998 season, holding then several NFL records related to rushing touchdowns and overall touchdowns.

His number 20 jersey is retired by both the Lions and Oklahoma State Cowboys. He was inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown is considered one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. He was a powerful runner with the ability to make people miss. He also had great speed and agility for a man his size. Some people even say he was the best ever. Let’s take a look at his career and see if he truly was the best.

His career

Jim Brown is widely considered to be the best running back in NFL history. He was a dominant force on the field, helping to lead the Cleveland Browns to an NFL Championship in 1964. He was named MVP of the league three times, and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl nine times. He retired from the NFL in 1966, at the age of 29, after a Hall of Fame career.

His accomplishments

Brown was a nine-time Pro Bowler, and was the NFL MVP in 1957 and 1965. He rushed for 12,312 yards in his career, which was an NFL record at the time of his retirement. He also held the record for most rushing touchdowns in a career with 106. In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.

Other great running backs

Before we answer this question, let’s take a look at some of the other great running backs in NFL history. Some of the other great running backs include Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Adrian Peterson.

Eric Dickerson

Eric Dickerson is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for Southern Methodist University and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. During his NFL career, he won several awards and set many rushing records.

O.J. Simpson

Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed “The Juice”, is a former American football running back, broadcaster, actor, and advertising spokesman. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977. He also had a part-time career as an actor and television commentator. In 1974, he became only the second player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983. He also had his number retired by USC.

Simpson had a highly publicised trial for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman after they werestabbed to death at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California on June 12, 1994. He was acquitted of the charges in a criminal trial in 1995 but was later found liable for their deaths in a civil trial.

Gale Sayers

Gale Sayers was a first-round pick in the 1965 NFL draft, and he immediately made an impact with the Chicago Bears. Sayers was a versatile player who could run, catch, and return kicks, and he was selected for the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. In 1968, he became the youngest player ever to be named NFL Player of the Year.

Tragically, Sayers’ career was cut short by a knee injury suffered in 1970. He made a brief comeback in 1971 but retired for good after just nine games. In all, Sayers played in 68 NFL games and rushed for 4,956 yards. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.