Top 20 Rushers
Four runners who were active during the 2005 NFL season rank among the Top 20 rushers of all-time. The group battled injuries and age to add yardage to their impressive career totals.
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Jerome Bettis
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Jerome Bettis of the Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers ended his outstanding career as the fifth ranked runner of all-time. Bettis, who served a role player during his 13th and final NFL season, finished his career with 13,662 yards gained on 3,479 carries and scored 91 rushing touchdowns.
The New York Jets Curtis Martin became just the fourth player in NFL history to rush for 14,000 yards in a career as he joined Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders in achieving that feat. However, the 11-year veteran had his streak of 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons snapped as he gained 735 yards during an injury-shortened 2005 season.
Corey Dillon of the New England Patriots managed a team-high 733 yards and 12 TDs in 2005 despite being hampered by injuries during much of his 9th NFL season. He climbed two spots to finish the year in 17th place all-time. The St. Louis Rams' Marshall Faulk reached the 12,000-yard career mark in 2005 as he moved into 9th place by season's end.
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Pro Football Hall of Fame Top 20 - Leading Lifetime Rushers
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(At the Start of the 2006 NFL Season)
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| Rank | Player | League |
Yrs.
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Att.
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Yards
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Avg.
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TD
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| 1 | (1) | Emmitt Smith | NFL |
15
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4,409
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18,355
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4.2
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164
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| 2 | (2) | Walter Payton * | NFL |
13
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3,838
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16,726
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4.4
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110
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| 3 | (3) | Barry Sanders * | NFL |
10
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3,062
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15,269
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5.0
|
99
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| 4 | (4) | CURTIS MARTIN | NFL |
11
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3,518
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14,101
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4.0
|
90
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| 5 | (5) | JEROME BETTIS | NFL |
13
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3,479
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13,662
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3.9
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91
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| 6 | (6) | Eric Dickerson * | NFL |
11
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2,996
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13,259
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4.4
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90
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| 7 | (7) | Tony Dorsett * | NFL |
12
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2,936
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12,739
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4.3
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77
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| 8 | (8) | Jim Brown * | NFL |
9
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2,359
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12,312
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5.2
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106
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| 9 | (12) | MARSHALL FAULK | NFL |
12
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2,836
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12,279
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4.3
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100
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| 10 | (9) | Marcus Allen * | NFL |
16
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3,022
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12,243
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4.1
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123
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| 11 | (10) | Franco Harris * | NFL |
13
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2,949
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12,120
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4.1
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91
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| 12 | (11) | Thurman Thomas | NFL |
13
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2,877
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12,074
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4.2
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65
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| 13 | (13) | John Riggins * | NFL |
14
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2,916
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11,352
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3.9
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104
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| 14 | (14) | O.J. Simpson * | AFL-NFL |
11
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2,404
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11,236
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4.7
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61
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| 15 | (15) | Ricky Watters | NFL |
10
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2,622
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10,643
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4.1
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78
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| 16 | (16) | Eddie George | NFL |
9
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2,865
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10,441
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3.6
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68
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| 17 | (19) | COREY DILLON | NFL |
9
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2,419
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10,429
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4.3
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69
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| 18 | (17) | O.J. Anderson | NFL |
14
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2,562
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10,273
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4.0
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81
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| 19 | (18) | Joe Perry * | AAFC-NFL |
16
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1,929
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9,723
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5.0
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71
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| 20 | (20) | Earl Campbell * | NFL |
8
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2,187
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9,407
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4.3
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74
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| 2005 Notes: | ||||||||
| There were no new additions to the Top 20 during the 2005 NFL season. | ||||||||
| Next in Line: | ||||||||
| Players active in 2005 who rank closest to a Top 20 ranking: EDGERRIN JAMES (9,226), TIKI BARBER (8,787), FRED TAYLOR (8,367), WARRICK DUNN (8,321), PRIEST HOLMES (8,035), STEPHEN DAVIS (7,875), SHAUN ALEXANDER (7,817), AHMAN GREEN (7,432), and LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON (7,361). | ||||||||
| ACTIVE IN 2005 | ||||||||
| * Pro Football Hall of Fame Member | ||||||||
| ( ) - indicates rank at the start of the 2005 season | ||||||||
 BACK TO TOP 20>>> |
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