Weekly Top 20 Rushers - Week 2

General Published on : 9/22/2009

Fred Taylor was the Patriots’ leading rusher in Week 2. He added 46 yards to his career total and now trails Hall of Fame RB John Riggins by just 10 yards on the all-time Top 20 rushers list.

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 12,157
12 Franco Harris 12,120
13 Thurman Thomas 12,074
14 LaDainian Tomlinson 11,815
15 John Riggins 11,352
16 Fred Taylor 11,342
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