About This Quiz
They ran their way into fans' hearts and the Hall of Fame. How much do you know about the NFL's Hall of Fame running backs? Take this quiz and find out!Emmitt Smith played for both Dallas and Arizona, amassing 18,355 yards in his legendary career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
Marcus Allen was not only a good runner, but he had great hands. This helped him to amass more than 5,000 receiving yards.
In 1984, Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 yards, a feat that has never been topped. His average yardage per carry was 5.6.
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Allen joined Joe Montana in Kansas City, and the duo helped KC reach the AFC Championship game, where they lost to Buffalo.
Brown was a machine in 1963, to the tune of 133 yards per game. He ran for 1,863 yards, which is still Cleveland's franchise record.
He was never Little Man, but he was sometimes called Little Monk or Sugarman. The name that really stuck, though, was Sweetness.
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He scored 110 rushing TDs, which was the all-time record during his playing days. He was also the emotional leader of the Bears during their Super Bowl run.
Payton burst onto the NFL scene in 1975. He rushed for 679 yards that year and then blossomed the following season.
Jim Brown set all sorts of records as Cleveland's star back. He also appeared in dozens of movies, such as "The Dirty Dozen" and "L.A. Heat."
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Jerome Bettis was a large, powerful running back who was called "The Bus." In his early days with the Rams, he was also called "The Battering Ram."
He ran for total of 1 yard … and he scored three TDs. Bettis was often used for very short yardage situations where his large, powerful body made him virtually unstoppable.
Thomas suffered a painful knee injury that seriously affected his draft stock. He was taken by the Bills as the 40th overall pick.
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Martin was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the draft. When he became a free agent, he signed with the Jets.
Emmitt Smith was inducted into the Hall in 2010, making him the first player from the 1990 draft to become a Hall of Famer.
Martin didn’t hit his yardage peak until 2004, his tenth season in the NFL. That year, he ran for 1,697 yards and scored 14 total TDs.
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Barry Sanders was born and raised in Wichita. During his high school days, he was stuck behind his brother on the team's depth chart.
In college, Sanders didn't get many carries his first two years because Thurman Thomas was the star back. In his junior year, Sanders finally had his moment to shine.
Sanders averaged a jaw-dropping 7.6 yards per carry. He ran for 2,850 yards, scored 42 TDs and then left for the NFL.
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Dallas QB Troy Aikman, wide receiver Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith were The Triplets, three all-star players who led their team to title after title.
Thomas played nine games for the Dolphins but then suffered a knee injury that ended his celebrated career. In Buffalo, he's still revered despite leaving the Bills for their hated rival.
Riggins was raised in Kansas and went to KU. The Jets selected him in the first round of the 1971 NFL draft.
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Riggins was 34 yards old when he rushed for 24 TDs, then a record. When he was 36 years old, he had more than 30 rushing attempts in a single game.
James was selected ahead of Ricky Williams, a move that made many critics scoff. In the end, James's career was substantially better than Williams'.
Dickerson gained his fame with the Rams, but he also had stints with the Colts, Raiders and Falcons.
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Faulk was a standout player for San Diego State. In his second college game he had 386 yards … and seven TDs.
Edgerrin James needed only 78 games to exceed 10,000 yards from scrimmage. He was also the youngest player to gain more than 12,000 yards from scrimmage.
Dorsett did most of his NFL time with the Cowboys but played for Denver at the very end of his career. A lot of players do this, although many return for a final season.
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Harris played 13 seasons and was voted to the Pro Bowl nine straight times. He rushed for more than 12,000 yards in his career.
Faulk was very productive for both the Rams and Colts, but his best year was with the Rams in 2001, when he ran for 1,382 yards.
In 1983, Dorsett had a 99-yard TD run against the Vikings … meaning that in one play he registered a good chunk of that season's 745-yard tally.
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