Top 25 seasons by a running back ever: Which Kansas City Chiefs make the cut?
22. Jim Brown, 1965
Jim Brown is considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time. In only nine years in the NFL, from 1957 to 1965, he posted seven 1,000 yard rushing seasons. For his career, he rushed for an incredible 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns.
He’s the only player in NFL history to rush for over 100 yards per game for his entire career. He’s currently 11th all time in career rushing yards and 5th in total rushing touchdowns. He was also a solid receiving threat, posting 2,499 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns for his career.
Brown made the Pro Bowl every single year he played, was named to the rough equivalent of First Team All-Pro every year but one, was voted the NFL’s most valuable player three times, and won the NFL Championship as a member of the Cleveland Browns in 1964.
Brown’s first season on this list is his 1965 campaign. During this season, Brown played in 14 games and had1,544 rushing yards, 328 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns. Impressively, what was a fantastic season is actually Brown’s third best as you’ll see later on.
NORMALIZED SEASON SCORE: 2374.45
21. Eric Dickerson, 1983
Eric Dickerson had one of the most prolific careers for a running back in the history of football. As part of the “Pony Express,” a duo of star running backs for the Mustangs that included Craig James, Dickerson ran for a combined 3,045 yards and 36 rushing touchdowns his junior and senior seasons in college.
The Mustangs would be honored as the national champion in 1981 according to the National Champion Foundation, national champion in 1982 according to the Helms Athletic Foundation, and Dickerson himself would individually finish third in the Heisman voting in 1982 behind only Herschel Walker and John Elway.
Following his spectacular college career, Dickerson was chosen second overall by the Los Angeles Rams. He has two entries on this list, and the first was his rookie season of 1983. Dickerson burst onto the scene with 1,808 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 404 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns in 16 games. He was voted to the Pro Bowl, voted First Team All-Pro, and voted the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. His rookie season only underscored the spectacular years that would follow.
NORMALIZED SEASON SCORE: 2379.92
20. Todd Gurley, 2017
Todd Gurley is a star, there is no doubt about it. His rare blend of speed, athleticism, elusiveness, and strength make him an expert at getting to the outside and a nightmare to bring down in the open field. Gurley was an early star for the Georgia Bulldogs, rushing for 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns in his freshman season. He would finish his career early, forgoing his senior season for the NFL Draft, and be selected 10th overall by the current Los Angeles Rams.
Gurley has done nothing but dominate since he entered the league. In his four years he has averaged over 1,000 yards rushing, 450 yards receiving, and 14 total touchdowns. His most impressive year, and the one that checks in as 20th on this list, is his 2017 season.
During 2017, Gurley played in 15 games, ran for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns and added 788 yards and six touchdowns through the air. He was voted to the Pro Bowl, voted First Team All-Pro, and voted the AP Offensive Player of the Year. All he did since was follow that up with a monster year in 2018. Simply put, Gurley is only beginning to scratch the surface.
NORMALIZED SEASON SCORE: 2382.20