Weekly Top 20 Rushers - Week 1

History Published on : 9/15/2009

San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson added 55 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown to his career totals on Monday night.

RUSHING YARDS
1	Emmitt Smith	18,355
2	Walter Payton	16,726
3	Barry Sanders	15,269
4	Curtis Martin	14,101
5	Jerome Bettis	13,662
6	Eric Dickerson	13,259
7	Tony Dorsett	12,739
8	Jim Brown	12,312
9	Marshall Faulk	12,279
10	Marcus Allen	12,243
11	Edgerrin James	12,151
12	Franco Harris	12,120
13	Thurman Thomas	12,074
14	LaDainian Tomlinson	11,815
15	John Riggins	11,352
16	Fred Taylor	11,296
17	Corey Dillon	11,241
18	O.J. Simpson	11,236
19	Warrick Dunn	10,967
20	Ricky Watters	10,643

Italics denotes Hall of Famers
Bold denotes players active during the 2009 season

Statistics courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau

AAFC Stats: The Pro Football Hall of Fame began tracking the Top 20 career leaders at the conclusion of the 1968 season. These lists were maintained in a museum display and later on our website. One difference from the Hall of Fame’s lists from other similar statistical lists was that they included the stats from the defunct All-America Football Conference (AAFC) that operated from 1946-49.

When the Hall’s Top 20 debuted in 1968, there were nine players on the lists that had connections to the AAFC. Today, there are only two players who would rank among the Top 20 if their stats from the AAFC were included. Otto Graham’s passer rating combining AAFC and NFL stats would equal 86.63. Lou “The Toe” Groza’s career point total would be 1,608 points if the 259 he scored in the AAFC were recognized by the NFL. That would place him among the Top 20 scorers of all-time.

Related Links:
Top 20 at start of 2009 season - leaders in 15 statistical categories

Weekly Top 20 Passers - Week 1

Rules don’t apply here

The debut of rookie QB Mark Sanchez with the New York Jets conjures up memories of some Hall of Fame quarterbacks.