In today’s NFL, it’s far less common to see workhorse running backs who dominate their team’s rushing workload. Most teams use a committee approach in order to keep their running backs fresh. Even with the expanded 17-game season, there wasn’t a single running back who had 300 carries last season. For comparison, 20 years ago, there were nine players with more than 300 carries (and the league leader, Curtis Martin, had 371).
Looking through NFL history, let’s examine running backs’ single-season records, career records, and all-time rookie performances. Given how much the game has changed over the decades, some of these records may prove to be unbreakable.
NFL Running Back Single-Game Rushing Records
NFL Single Game Rushing Yards Record
1. Adrian Peterson, 296 yards (2007)
2. Jamal Lewis, 295 yards (2003)
3. Jerome Harrison, 286 (2009)
One name you are going to see a lot on this list is Adrian Peterson. The once-in-a-lifetime running back holds a number of records, including the most rushing yards in a single game with 296. He accomplished the impressive feat against the then-San Diego Chargers back in 2007. Oh, and it was during his rookie season.
Most Rushing Yards in a Game By a Rookie
1. Adrian Peterson, 296 yards (2007)
T-2. Jonathan Taylor: 253 (2021)
T-2. DeMarco Murray: 253 (2011)
T-4. Doug Martin: 251 (2012)
T-4. Mike Anderson: 252 (2000)
NFL Single-Game Rushing Touchdown Record
1. Alvin Kamara, 6 (2020)
2. Clinton Portis, 5 (2003)
3. James Stewart, 5 (1997)
NFL Running Back Season Records
Who holds the season-long running back records for rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and rushing attempts?
NFL Season Rushing Yards Record
1. Eric Dickerson, 2,105 yards (1984)
2. Adrian Peterson, 2,097 yards (2012)
3. Jamal Lewis, 2,066 yards (2003)
Dickerson’s record of 2,105 rushing yards has stood the test of time. He also remains the only player to rush more than 2,100 yards in NFL history. Peterson came close in 2012 but fell an agonizing 8 yards short of matching Dickerson after a 199-yard performance in the final game of that season.
O.J. Simpson’s 1973 season deserves a mention, as he became the first player to cross 2,000 rushing yards. He somehow achieved this feat in a 14-game season, averaging 143.1 rushing yards per game (which is 12 yards more per game than Dickerson in 1984). If we extrapolate that out to a 16-game season, Simpson would have rushed for a ridiculous 2,289.6 yards.
NFL Season Rushing Touchdowns Record
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, 28 touchdowns (2006)
T-2. Shaun Alexander, 27 touchdowns (2005)
T-2. Priest Holmes, 27 touchdowns (2003)
Over the span of four seasons, the NFL rushing touchdown record was broken or tied three times. First, in 2003, Priest Holmes broke Emmitt Smith’s record of 25 rushing touchdowns that he set in 1995.
Then, Shaun Alexander tied the record in his 2005 MVP season before LaDanian Tomlinson ultimately broke the record the following year. Perhaps most impressive about Tomlinson’s 28 rushing touchdowns is he scored all of them in the first 14 games of the season, failing to add another touchdown in his final two games that year. The closest anyone has come to Tomlinson’s record was Peterson in 2009 (18) and LeGarrette Blount in 2016 (18).
NFL Season Carries Record
1. Larry Johnson, 416 attempts (2006)
2. Jamal Anderson, 410 attempts (1998)
3. James Wilder, 407 attempts (1984)
Nowadays, there aren’t any 300-carry backs in the NFL. But back in the day, some RBs were topping 400 carries in a single season! Larry Johnson holds this record, as he had a whopping 416 rushing attempts in 2006. Unfortunately, that was the peak of Johnson’s career. Over the next five years, he totaled just 535 rushing attempts.
It is a similar story for Jamal Anderson, who set the record in 1998 before being dethroned by Johnson. He played just three more years in the NFL, totaling 356 carries throughout that span. James Wilder was a slightly different story. After his record-setting 1984 season, he backed that up with another 365 rushing attempts in 1985. However, his career quickly fell off after that, never topping 200 rushing attempts again.
NFL Running Back Career Records
Who holds the career running back records, and are any of the all-time records that could potentially be broken in the coming years?
NFL Career Rushing Yards Record
1. Emmitt Smith, 18,355 yards (1990-2004)
Emmitt Smith had a legendary career, and his numbers seem primed to last for a while — especially the career rushing yards record. Smith averaged 1,223.7 yards per season over the course of a 15-year career.
Smith took the crown from Walter Payton, who held the record from 1984 until Smith broke it in 2002. Payton passed Jim Brown in his ninth NFL season…then added an additional 4,414 yards on top of Brown’s old record.
2. Walter Payton, 16,726 yards (1975-1987)
Smith took the crown from Walter Payton, who held the record from 1984 until Smith broke it in 2002. Payton passed Jim Brown in his ninth NFL season…then added an additional 4,414 yards on top of Brown’s old record.
3. Frank Gore, 16,000 yards (2005-2020)
In recent years, Frank Gore (16,000 rushing yards) and Adrian Peterson (14,918) came closest to Smith. Gore ranks third all-time, while Peterson ranks fifth. LaDainian Tomlinson is the other running back who played the majority of his career in the 21st century to crack the top 10. Tomlinson led the league in rushing in back-to-back seasons in 2006-07, and ranks seventh all-time.
Below are the rest of the players in NFL history who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards.
4. Barry Sanders, 15,269 yards (1989-98)
5. Adrian Peterson, 14,918 yards (2007-2021)
6. Curtis Martin, 14,101 yards (1995-2005)
7. LaDainian Tomlinson, 13,684 yards (2001-2011)
8. Jerome Bettis, 13,662 yards (1993-2005)
9. Eric Dickerson, 13,259 yards (1983-1993)
10. Tony Dorsett, 12,739 yards (1977-1988)
11. Jim Brown, 12,312 yards (1957-1965)
12. Marshall Faulk, 12,279 yards (1994-2005)
13. Edgerrin James, 12,246 yards (1999-2009)
14. Marcus Allen, 12,243 yards (1982-1997)
15. Franco Harris, 12,120 yards (1972-1984)
16. Thurman Thomas, 12,074 yards (1988-2000)
17. Fred Taylor, 11,695 yards (1998-2010)
18. Steven Jackson, 11,438 yards (2004-2015)
19. John Riggins, 11,352 yards (1971-1985)
20. Corey Dillon, 11,241 yards (1997-2006)
21. O.J. Simpson, 11,236 yards (1969-1979)
22. LeSean McCoy, 11,102 yards (2009-2020)
23. Warrick Dunn, 10,967 yards (1997-2008)
24. Ricky Watters, 10,643 yards (1992-2001)
25. Jamal Lewis, 10,607 yards (2000-2009)
26. Thomas Jones, 10,591 yards (2000-2011)
27. Tiki Barber, 104,49 yards (1997-2006)
28. Eddie George, 10,441 yards (1996-2004)
29. Marshawn Lynch, 10,413 yards (2007-2019)
31. Derrick Henry 10,206 yards (Current)
31. Ricky Williams, 10,009 yards (1999-2011)
NFL Career Rushing Touchdowns Record
1. Emmitt Smith, 164 touchdowns (1990-2004)
2. LaDainian Tomlinson, 145 touchdowns (2001-2011)
3. Marcus Allen, 123 touchdowns (1982-1997)
Smith may have played 15 seasons in the NFL, but he broke the career rushing touchdown record within nine years. Then, over the final six years of his career, he added 39 more TDs. Tomlinson looked like he might break this record when he totaled 138 rushing touchdowns through nine seasons. However, he could only play two more seasons after that, falling 19 TDs short Smith.
Among active players, Henry has the most career rushing touchdowns with 90, which ranks 13th all-time. Elliott is second among active running backs with 71, which ranks 32nd in NFL history.
NFL Career Carries Record
1. Emmitt Smith, 4,409 attempts (1990-2004)
2. Walter Payton, 3,838 attempts (1975-1987)
3. Frank Gore, 3,735 attempts (2005-2020)
Smith averaged an insane 293.9 rushing attempts per season throughout his NFL career. In 2023, there wasn’t a single running back who had that many carries. Walter Payton actually topped this with an average of 295.2 rushing attempts per season throughout his 13-year career. This is one all-time RB record that seems virtually unbreakable.
Among active running backs, Elliott has the most career rushing attempts with 2,065, which ranks 40th all-time. Henry is just behind him with 2,030 career carries, which puts him at 42nd all-time.
NFL Running Back Rookie Records
Which running backs hold the record for the most rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and rushing attempts as a rookie?
NFL Rookie Rushing Yards Record
1. Eric Dickerson, 1,808 yards (1983)
2. George Rogers, 1,674 yards (1981)
3. Ezekiel Elliott, 1,631 yards (2016)
Dickerson is the king of rookie running back records. Unlike quarterback rookie records, which seem to be under threat every single season, the all-time RB rookie records are safe. It seems very unlikely that a rookie RB will be able to threaten Dickerson’s records.
Since 2010, only Elliott in 2016 (1,631 yards) and Alfred Morris in 2012 (1,613 yards) have even come close to Dickerson’s number.
NFL Rookie Rushing Touchdowns Record
1. Eric Dickerson, 18 touchdowns (1983)
T-2. Ickey Woods, 16 touchdowns (1998)
T-2. Mike Anderson, 16 touchdowns (2000)
T-2. Clinton Portis, 16 touchdowns (2002)
T-2. Ezekiel Elliott, 16 touchdowns (2016)
This is another record of Dickerson’s that has a chance to stand for the long haul. Outside of Elliott, the only player to even get within five touchdowns of Dickerson since 2010 was quarterback Cam Newton.
NFL Rookie Carries Record
1. Eric Dickerson, 390 attempts (1983)
2. George Rogers, 378 attempts (1981)
3. Edgerrin James, 369 attempts (1999)
Since 2010, only Alfred Morris has topped 330 rushing attempts as a rookie, with Elliott the next highest at 322. Rookie running backs are simply not used as the bell-cow back for an offense that much anymore.
Again, there wasn’t a single running back who had 300 carries during the 2023 season, much less a rookie. Of Dickerson’s rookie records, this one has the chance to last the longest.