The NFL single-season rushing record is one of the most prestigious accomplishments in the league’s rich history. Of the seven players who have held the single-season rushing record, five are in the Hall of Fame and six of the seven have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team.
Saquon Barkley won’t be passing Eric Dickerson, as the Eagles decided to rest their star running back in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants. Barkley will finish the 2024 season with 2,005 yards, 101 yards shy of passing Dickerson’s 40-year-old record.
Here is the evolution of the single-season rushing record, and the players Barkley could have joined if he would have played Sunday:
Cliff Battles (Boston) — 576 yards (1932)
Battles was the first single-season rushing champion in the NFL, establishing the mark in the final year before the league installed a championship game. Battles would rush for more yards in 1933 (737), but was surpassed by Jim Musick with 879 yards (Swede Hanson also passed him in rushing yards with 805).
Battles was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. He was a three-time First team All-Pro and a member of the 1930s All-Decade team. Battles was the league’s all-time leading rusher when he retired after the 1938 season (3,511).
Jim Musick (Boston) — 879 yards (1933)
Musick rushed for 879 yards in 1933, a mark that stood for one season. He was selected as a Second Team All-Pro that season, rushing for more yards in 1933 than the rest of his career combined.
Beattie Feathers (Chicago Bears) — 1,004 yards (1934)
The first 1,000-yard rusher in NFL history, 1934 was Feathers’ best season. Feathers didn’t total 1,004 rushing yards for the remainder of his career, but also switched positions from left halfback to wide back. Feathers averaged 8.3 yards per carry in 1934 and was a First Team All-Pro. He earned one more All-Pro selection in 1936.
Steve Van Buren (Philadelphia Eagles) — 1,008 yards (1947)
Van Buren was the Jim Brown of his era. He rewrote the record books and led the Eagles to championships in the process, but first broke Feathers’ 13-year rushing record in 1947. Van Buren was the second 1,000-yard rusher in NFL history, earning his third First Team All-Pro honor that season.
Steve Van Buren (Philadelphia Eagles) — 1,146 yards (1949)
Van Buren broke his own rushing record in 1949, a season which he led the Eagles to their second consecutive NFL title. The first player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season twice, Van Buren would hold the rushing record for 11 seasons.
A five-time First team All-Pro selection and member of the 1940s All-Decade Team, Van Buren was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher at the time of his retirement with 5,860 yards — 1,753 more than second on the list (Marion Motley).
Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) — 1,527 yards (1958)
Brown would go one to rewrite the record books, rushing for 127.3 yards per game in a 12-game season in 1958. Brown essentially made this record unbreakable for a long time, in which would be the second of his eight First Team All-Pro selections.
He rushed for 100-plus yards nine times in 12 games that season, which would be the third-most rushing yards Brown would have in a season in his legendary career.
Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) — 1,863 yards (1963)
The NFL moved to a 14-game season in 1961, more opportunities for Brown to break his own record. He had one of the greatest seasons for any running back in 1963, rushing for 1,863 yards while averaging 6.4 yards per carry and totaling 2,131 yards from scrimmage. Brown’s 133.1 yards-per-game-average is second best in NFL history.
Brown held this mark for 10 seasons, the sixth of his eight First team All-Pro selections. He retired with 12,312 rushing yards, the league’s all-time rushing leader until Walter Payton passed him in 1984. Brown was also the league’s first 10,000-yard rusher.
O.J. Simpson (Buffalo Bills) — 2,003 yards (1973)
The great individual rushing season belongs to Simpson, who rushed for 2,000 yards in 14 games. Simpson still holds the NFL record for rushing yards per game in a season (143.1), winning the league’s MVP and Offensive Player of the Year award. Simpson averaged 6.0 yards per carry that season, the first of his five straight First Team All-Pro selections.
Simpson retired with 11,236 yards, second most in NFL history (behind only Brown).
Eric Dickerson (Los Angeles Rams) — 2,105 yards (1984)
The player who broke Simpson’s historic record needed an extra game to do it, but the NFL also expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978. Dickerson is still the only player to rush for 2,100 yards in a season, averaging 131.6 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry in what was one of the greatest seasons ever for a running back.
Dickerson earned the second of his five First Team All-Pro selections, as he rushed for 1,800-plus yards three times in his career. he retired with 13,259 yards, second behind Payton at the time of his retirement.
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