Bettis vs. HOF RBs

Enshrinement Published on : 1/25/2013

If 2013 Finalist Jerome Bettis is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he would become the 30th running back from the modern era to make it to Canton. Here’s how “The Bus” stacks up against those runners enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

		RUSHING				RECEIVING			HONORS
Player	Yrs.	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	No.	Yds	TD		All Pro	Pro Bowls
JEROME BETTIS	13	3,479	13,662	3.9	91	200	1,449	3		2	6
HOF RBs
Marcus Allen	16	3,022	12,243	4.1	123	587	5,411	21		2	6
Jim Brown	9	2,359	12,312	5.2	106	262	2,499	20		8	9
Earl Campbell	8	2,187	9,407	4.3	74	121	806	0		3	5
Larry Csonka	11	1,891	8,081	4.3	64	106	820	4		3	5
Eric Dickerson	11	2,996	13,259	4.4	90	281	2,137	6		5	6
Tony Dorsett	12	2,936	12,739	4.3	77	398	3,554	13		1	4
Marshall Faulk	12	2,836	12,279	4.3	100	767	6,875	36		3	7
Frank Gifford	12	840	3,609	4.3	34	367	5,434	43		4	7
Franco Harris	13	2,949	12,120	4.1	91	307	2,287	9		1	9
Paul Hornung	9	893	3,711	4.2	50	130	1,480	12		2	2
John Henry Johnson	13	1,571	6,803	4.3	48	186	1,478	7		0	4
Leroy Kelly	10	1,727	7,274	4.2	74	190	2,281	13		5	6
Floyd Little	9	1,641	6,323	3.9	43	215	2,418	9		1	5
Curtis Martin	11	3,518	14,101	4.0	90	484	3,329	10		2	5
Ollie Matson	14	1,170	5,173	4.4	40	222	3,285	23		5#	6
Hugh McElhenny	13	1,124	5,281	4.7	38	264	3,247	20		3	6
Lenny Moore	12	1,068	5,174	4.8	63	363	6,039	48		5	7
Marion Motley*	9	828	4,720	5.7	31	85	1,107	7		5	1
Walter Payton	13	3,838	16,726	4.4	110	492	4,538	15		7	9
Joe Perry*	16	1,929	9,723	5.0	71	260	2,021	12		3	3
John Riggins	14	2,916	11,352	3.9	104	250	2,090	12		1	1
Barry Sanders	10	3,062	15,269	5.0	99	352	2,921	10		8	10
Gale Sayers	7	991	4,956	5.0	39	112	1,307	9		5	4
O.J. Simpson	11	2,404	11,236	4.7	61	203	2,142	14		5	6
Emmitt Smith	15	4,409	18,355	4.2	164	515	3,224	11		4	8
Jim Taylor	10	1,941	8,597	4.4	83	225	1,756	10		2	5
Thurman Thomas	13	2,877	12,074	4.2	65	472	4,458	23		3	5
Charley Trippi	9	687	3,506	5.1	23	130	1,321	11		1	2
Doak Walker	6	309	1,520	4.9	12	152	2,539	21		5	5

*Includes honors from the All-America Football Conference (1946-49)
^All honors earned as kick returner
#Includes one year earned as defensive back and one year as both running back and DB

A number of Hall of Fame runners also accumulated yardage on punt and kickoff returns. Ollie Matson’s 3,746 yards on 143 career kickoff returns is more than any other Hall of Fame running back. Former Cleveland Browns great and Class of 1994 inductee Leroy Kelly accumulated the most punt return yards (990) of any Hall of Fame runner.

Bill Parcells' career in photos

Look at photos from the career of Class of 2013 Finalist Bill Parcells.

Jonathan Ogden's career in photos

Follow Jonathan Ogden's career through photos.