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.