Around the NFL

May 20, 2023

Jim Brown

Brown stands above NFL's other running backs

There have been a bunch of great running backs in NFL history, but when it comes to settling on the No. 1 guy, it’s not even close. Jim Brown’s body of work stands well above anybody else.

He was in the league for nine years, and he won the rushing title in eight of them. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his career. He averaged 104 rushing yards per game for his career.

Brown played before the Super Bowl was created (the first championship game came the year after he left the league). So some will argue that players weren’t as good at that time. The league wasn’t fully, properly integrated, for example. But I think the defenses trying to stop Brown were plenty capable. Consider O.J. Simpson. He’s also one of the greatest running backs and came into the league in 1969 (just 4 years after Brown left), yet averaged only 3.9 and 4.1 yards per carry in his first two seasons. If players weren’t as good at that time, why wasn’t Simpson averaging 6 yards per attempt?

To me, there are a bunch of great, great running backs. If you look at the best seasons of guys like Earl Campbell, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Adrian Peterson, Eric Dickerson and LaDainian Tomlinson, they’re all really good. When those guys were at their peak, I wouldn’t want to say any one of them (including Brown) stood above the rest.

It's when you get out the total body of work that Brown separates. Despite playing a punishing position, he played in all 118 games of his career. He also lifted the Browns to their last NFL championship.

If you want to consider numbers, think about rushing yards per game. That helps to level the playing field, with the size of the season growing from 12 to 14 to 16 to now 17 games. In league history, there have been 66 seasons with a player averaging 100 yards (dividing his production by his team’s scheduled number of games). Brown has done it 7 times. He’s got more than twice as many such seasons as all but one other running back. (Eric Dickerson had 4, while O.J. Simpson, LaDainian Tomlinson and Walter Payton each had 3).

Brown was the greatest at his position, and given the way the position has evolved, I don’t see there being anyway another back will ever even get in the conversation.

RUNNING BACKS AVERAGING 100 YARDS IN A SEASON
Year	Player	G	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Yds/G
1973	O.J. Simpson, Buff.	14	332	2,003	6.0	12	143.1
1963	Jim Brown, Cle.	14	291	1,863	6.4	12	133.1
1977	Walter Payton, Chi.	14	339	1,852	5.5	14	132.3
1984	Eric Dickerson, LAR	16	379	2,105	5.6	14	131.6
2012	Adrian Peterson, Min.	16	348	2,097	6.0	12	131.1
1975	O.J. Simpson, Buff.	14	329	1,817	5.5	16	129.8
2003	Jamal Lewis, Balt.	16	387	2,066	5.3	14	129.1
1997	Barry Sanders, Det.	16	335	2,053	6.1	11	128.3
1958	Jim Brown, Cle.	12	257	1,527	5.9	17	127.3
2020	Derrick Henry, Ten.	16	378	2,027	5.4	17	126.7
1998	Terrell Davis, Den.	16	392	2,008	5.1	21	125.5
2009	Chris Johnson, Ten.	16	358	2,006	5.6	14	125.4
1980	Earl Campbell, Hou.	16	373	1,934	5.2	13	120.9
2003	Ahman Green, G.B.	16	355	1,883	5.3	15	117.7
1994	Barry Sanders, Det.	16	331	1,883	5.7	7	117.7
2005	Shaun Alexander, Sea.	16	370	1,880	5.1	27	117.5
2005	Tiki Barber, NYG	16	357	1,860	5.2	9	116.3
2002	Ricky Williams, Mia.	16	383	1,853	4.8	16	115.8
1998	Jamal Anderson, Atl.	16	410	1,846	4.5	14	115.4
2014	DeMarco Murray, Dall.	16	392	1,845	4.7	13	115.3
1986	Eric Dickerson, LAR	16	404	1,821	4.5	11	113.8
2006	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	16	348	1,815	5.2	28	113.4
1983	Eric Dickerson, LAR	16	390	1,808	4.6	18	113.0
2006	Larry Johnson, K.C.	16	416	1,789	4.3	17	111.8
1995	Emmitt Smith, Dall.	16	377	1,773	4.7	25	110.8
1959	Jim Brown, Cle.	12	290	1,329	4.6	14	110.8
1965	Jim Brown, Cle.	14	289	1,544	5.3	17	110.3
2008	Adrian Peterson, Min.	16	363	1,760	4.9	10	110.0
1985	Marcus Allen, Oak.	16	380	1,759	4.6	11	109.9
2005	Larry Johnson, K.C.	16	336	1,750	5.2	20	109.4
1997	Terrell Davis, Den.	16	369	1,750	4.7	15	109.4
1985	Gerald Riggs, Atl.	16	397	1,719	4.3	10	107.4
1976	O.J. Simpson, Buff.	14	290	1,503	5.2	8	107.4
1992	Emmitt Smith, Dall.	16	373	1,713	4.6	18	107.1
2000	Edgerrin James, Ind.	16	387	1,709	4.4	13	106.8
2021	Jonathan Taylor, Ind.	17	332	1,811	5.5	18	106.5
2008	Michael Turner, Atl.	16	376	1,699	4.5	17	106.2
2004	Curtis Martin, NYJ	16	371	1,697	4.6	12	106.1
1979	Earl Campbell, Hou.	16	368	1,697	4.6	19	106.1
2004	Shaun Alexander, Sea.	16	353	1,696	4.8	16	106.0
2006	Frank Gore, S.F.	16	312	1,695	5.4	8	105.9
1992	Barry Foster, Pitt.	16	390	1,690	4.3	11	105.6
1962	Jim Taylor, G.B.	14	272	1,474	5.4	19	105.3
1984	Walter Payton, Chi.	16	381	1,684	4.4	11	105.3
2002	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	16	372	1,683	4.5	14	105.2
1960	Jim Brown, Cle.	12	215	1,257	5.8	9	104.8
1981	George Rogers, N.O.	16	378	1,674	4.4	13	104.6
1997	Jerome Bettis, Pitt.	16	375	1,665	4.4	7	104.1
2006	Tiki Barber, NYG	16	327	1,662	5.1	5	103.9
1988	Eric Dickerson, Ind.	16	388	1,659	4.3	14	103.7
1964	Jim Brown, Cle.	14	280	1,446	5.2	7	103.3
1981	Tony Dorsett, Dall.	16	342	1,646	4.8	4	102.9
2003	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	16	313	1,645	5.3	13	102.8
2003	Deuce McAllister, N.O.	16	351	1,641	4.7	8	102.6
1947	Spec Sanders, NYY	14	231	1,432	6.2	18	102.3
2004	Corey Dillon, N.E.	16	345	1,635	4.7	12	102.2
2016	Ezekiel Elliott, Dall.	16	322	1,631	5.1	15	101.9
2010	Arian Foster, Hou.	16	327	1,616	4.9	16	101.0
2002	Priest Holmes, K.C.	16	313	1,615	5.2	21	100.9
2012	Alfred Morris, Was.	16	335	1,613	4.8	13	100.8
1979	Walter Payton, Chi.	16	369	1,610	4.4	14	100.6
1961	Jim Brown, Cle.	14	305	1,408	4.6	8	100.6
1974	Otis Armstrong, Den.	14	263	1,407	5.4	9	100.5
2013	LeSean McCoy, Phil.	16	314	1,607	5.1	9	100.4
2011	Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac.	16	343	1,606	4.7	8	100.4
1979	Ottis Anderson, St.L.	16	331	1,605	4.9	8	100.3

—Ian Allan

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