Weekly Top 20 Rushers - Week 3
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Fred Taylor’s 21 carries on Sunday included many key runs on 3rd and 4th down. He also scored the Patriots’ first touchdown. |
| 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 | 12,164 |
| 12 | Franco Harris | 12,120 |
| 13 | Thurman Thomas | 12,074 |
| 14 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 11,815 |
| 15 | Fred Taylor | 11,447 |
| 16 | John Riggins | 11,352 |
| 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