Tony Dorsett was one of the most legendary RBs of his generation. He ran for 12,739 career rushing yards. He was in Dallas for the first 10 of his 11 year career. He then joined the Broncos for one season before calling it quits. Dorsett received 4 Pro Bowl and one First Team All-Pro selection. In 1994, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
During the 1980s, Eric Dickerson was surely one of the best RBs there was. He covered 13,259 rushing yards in his 10 year-long career. He started off with the Rams, where he spent 4 seasons before moving to Colts. That was followed by two short stints with the Raiders and Falcons before hanging his boots. He earned 6 Pro Bowl and 5 First-Team All-Pro selections in his career, and he made it to the Pro Football HOF in 1999. He currently holds the single season rushing yards record.
"The Bus" is former Steelers' Super Bowl winning RB. He was at Pittsburgh for 9 years. He ran for 13,662 rushing yards in his career. Jerome Bettis amassed 2× First-team All-Pro honors, One Second-team All-Pro honor, and 6 Pro Bowl selections.
Former Chargers and Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson covered 13,684 career rushing yards. In his 10 years in the NFL, he earned 5 Pro Bowl selections, 3 First-team All-Pro nods, and 3 Second-team All-Pro selections. In 2017, Tomlinson was inducted into Pro Football HOF.
In his 14 years career, Curtis Matin ran for 14,101 rushing yards. In his 11 year career, Martin played for the Patriots for the first two years before moving to the Jets where he remained for 8 years before calling it a career. He received 5 Pro Bowl selections and 2 Second team ALL-Pro honors. He was inducted into the HOF in 2012.
Former Vikings RB Adrian Peterson is the 5th name on this list with 14,918 rushing yards. Apart from the Vikings, where he spent the majority of his NFL career, he was also a part of the Saints, the Lions, the Cardinals, Washington, the Titans, and the Seahawks. Although he failed to win a Super Bowl, he did get selected for 5 Pro Bowl, 4 first-team All-Pro and 3 second team All-Pro honors.
Barry Sanders is no doubt one of the greatest players in Lions history. He was at the club for his entire career, giving 11 years to the club. He stands fourth in this list with 15,269 career rushing yards. During his time in Detroit, he earned 10 Pro Bowl selections, 6 First-Team All-Pro honors and 4 Second-Team All-Pro selections. Sanders was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Frank Gore started off his NFL career with the 49ers in 2005. Since then he's played for the Colts, the Bills and the Dolphins, before ultimately ending his career with the Jets. In his 15 year career, Gore has covered 16,000 rushing yards. Although he never experienced Super Bowl glory, Gore did earn 5 Pro Bowl selections.
Walter Payton was a life long Bear. He joined the club in 1975 and was there for 12 years before retiring in 1987. "Sweetness" ran for 16,726 rushing yards. Payton won one Super Bowl with the Bears. He earned 9 Pro Bowl selections, 5 First-team All-Pro honors, and 3 Second-team All-Pro selections. The legendary RB was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
One of the best RBs of all time, Emmitt Smith tops this list with 18,355 rushing yards under his belt in his 14 years NFL career. He spent majority of his career with the Cowboys, but joined the Cardinals for one season before retiring. Smith won 3 Super Bowls and amassed 8 Pro Bowl and 4 First-Team All-Pro selections. Given the way modern NFL RBs are used, it's a virtual certainty his record will never be broken.
