Jim Brown led the league in rushing for eight seasons, including five consecutive seasons from 1957 to 1961 and three consecutive seasons from 1963 to 1965.
In American football, rushing and passing are the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. A rush, also known as a running play, generally occurs when the quarterback hands or tosses the ball backwards to the running back, but other players, such as the quarterback, can run with the ball. In the National Football League (NFL), the player who has recorded the most rushing yards for a season is considered the winner of the rushing title for that season. In addition to the NFL rushing champion, league record books recognize the rushing champions of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the National Football League in 1970.
The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. Since the adoption of the 14-game season in 1961, all but one rushing champion have recorded over 1,000 yards rushing. Eight rushing champions have recorded over 2,000 rushing yards, a feat first accomplished by O. J. Simpson in 1973 and most recently achieved by Derrick Henry in 2020.
The player with the most rushing titles is Jim Brown, who was the rushing champion eight times over his career. Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, O. J. Simpson, Steve Van Buren, and Barry Sanders are tied for the second-most rushing titles, each having won four times. Jim Brown also holds the record for the most consecutive rushing titles with five, having led the league in rushing each year from 1957 to 1961. Steve Van Buren, Emmitt Smith, and Earl Campbell each recorded three consecutive rushing titles. The Cleveland Browns have recorded the most rushing titles with eleven; the Dallas Cowboys rank second, with seven rushing titles. The most recent rushing champion is Jonathan Taylor (American football) of the Indianapolis Colts, who led the league with 1,811 yards rushing over the 2021 season. Derrick Henry is the most recent player to win back-to-back titles.
List of NFL rushing title winners
Eric Dickerson led the league in rushing in 1983 and 1984, his first two seasons in the league, and won two more titles in 1986 and 1988.
Emmitt Smith was the league's rushing champion four times, including three consecutive years from
1991 to
1993.
Adrian Peterson led the league in rushing in the 2008, 2012, and 2015 seasons.
List of AFL rushing title winners
Most Rushing Titles
Titles
|
Player
|
Years
|
Team
|
8
|
Jim Brown
|
1957–1961, 1963–1965
|
Cleveland Browns
|
4
|
Barry Sanders
|
1990, 1994, 1996, 1997
|
Detroit Lions
|
Emmitt Smith
|
1991–1993, 1995
|
Dallas Cowboys
|
Eric Dickerson
|
1983, 1984, 1986, 1988
|
Los Angeles Rams / Indianapolis Colts
|
O. J. Simpson
|
1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
|
Buffalo Bills
|
Steve Van Buren
|
1945, 1947–1949
|
Philadelphia Eagles
|
3
|
Adrian Peterson
|
2008, 2012, 2015
|
Minnesota Vikings
|
Earl Campbell
|
1978–1980
|
Houston Oilers
|
2
|
Bill Dudley
|
1942, 1946
|
Pittsburgh Steelers
|
Bill Paschal
|
1943, 1944
|
New York Giants
|
Byron White
|
1938, 1940
|
Pittsburgh Pirates / Detroit Lions
|
Cliff Battles
|
1932, 1937
|
Boston Braves / Washington Redskins
|
Cookie Gilchrist
|
1962, 1964
|
Buffalo Bills
|
Derrick Henry
|
2019, 2020
|
Tennessee Titans
|
Edgerrin James
|
1999, 2000
|
Indianapolis Colts
|
Ezekiel Elliott
|
2016, 2018
|
Dallas Cowboys
|
Gale Sayers
|
1966, 1969
|
Chicago Bears
|
Jim Nance
|
1966, 1967
|
Boston Patriots
|
Joe Perry
|
1953, 1954
|
San Francisco 49ers
|
LaDainian Tomlinson
|
2006, 2007
|
San Diego Chargers
|
Leroy Kelly
|
1967, 1968
|
Cleveland Browns
|
See also
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General | |
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Passing | |
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Rushing | |
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Receiving | |
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Defense | |
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Special teams | |
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Scoring | |
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