List_of_National_Football_League_career_rushing_yards_leaders
This is a list of National Football League running backs by total career rushing yards, and includes the 31 running backs who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards, for which sixteen of them have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Emmitt Smith leads with 18,355 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. He has held the all-time rushing yards record since 2002 and is the only player with over 17,000 regular season rushing yards.
| ^ | Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who is still active |
Through 2023 season
Through end of 2023 playoffs[1]
| Rank | Player | Team(s) by season | Carries | Yards | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emmitt Smith^ | Dallas Cowboys (1990–2002) Arizona Cardinals (2003–2004) |
349 | 1,586 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Franco Harris^ | Pittsburgh Steelers (1972–1983) Seattle Seahawks (1984) |
400 | 1,556 | 3.9 |
| 3 | Thurman Thomas^ | Buffalo Bills (1988–1999) Miami Dolphins (2000) |
339 | 1,442 | 4.3 |
| 4 | Tony Dorsett^ | Dallas Cowboys (1977–1987) Denver Broncos (1988) |
302 | 1,383 | 4.6 |
| 5 | Marcus Allen^ | Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1992) Kansas City Chiefs (1993–1997) |
267 | 1,347 | 5.0 |
| 6 | Terrell Davis^ | Denver Broncos (1995–2001) | 204 | 1,140 | 5.6 |
Eight players have been recognized as having held the career rushing yards record in the NFL. Since reliable yardage statistics were not recorded prior to 1932, the first NFL player recognized as the career leader in rushing yards was Cliff Battles, who played from 1932 to 1937 for the Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins.[2] He led the NFL with 576 yards in 1932 and held on to the record throughout his career. Emmitt Smith has held the record since surpassing Walter Payton's long-standing total in 2002.[3]
| Reign | Player | Team(s) by season | Carries | Yards | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932–1940 (9 years) | Cliff Battles^ | Washington Redskins (1932–1937) | 839 | 3,511 | 4.2 |
| 1941–1949 (9 years) | Clarke Hinkle^ | Green Bay Packers (1932–1941) | 1,171 | 3,860 | 3.3 |
| 1949–1957 (9 years) | Steve Van Buren^ | Philadelphia Eagles (1944–1951) | 1,320 | 5,860 | 4.4 |
| 1958–1962 (5 years) | Joe Perry^ | San Francisco 49ers (1948–1960, 1963) Baltimore Colts (1961–1962) | 1,737 | 8,378 | 4.8 |
| 1963–1983 (21 years) | Jim Brown^ | Cleveland Browns (1957–1965) | 2,359 | 12,312 | 5.2 |
| 1984–2001 (18 years) | Walter Payton^ | Chicago Bears (1975–1987) | 3,838 | 16,726 | 4.4 |
| Since 2002 (22 years) | Emmitt Smith^ | Dallas Cowboys (1990–2002) Arizona Cardinals (2003–2004) | 4,409 | 18,355 | 4.2 |
- In 1995, the Los Angeles Rams became known as the St. Louis Rams after the franchise relocated; they returned in 2016.
- In the 1996 season, George's first, the Tennessee Titans were known as the Houston Oilers; the franchise relocated prior to the commencement of the 1997 season, and were renamed the Titans in 1999.
- General
- "NFL History – Rushing Leaders". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- "NFL Rushing Yards Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- Footnotes
- "NFL Rushing Yards Career Playoffs Leaders". ProFootballReference.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- Frye, Brian (June 28, 2016). "History of the Career Rushing Yards Record". thegridfe.com. GridFe. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- "Smith's Firm Hold on Coveted Record". Pro Football Hall of Fame. August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.