Candidate #4: Eric Dickerson
Running Back >>> 6-3, 220
(Southern Methodist)
1983-1987 Los Angeles Rams, 1987-1991 Indianapolis Colts, 1992 Los Angeles Raiders, 1993 Atlanta Falcons
Eric Demetric Dickerson. . .Rams’ first-round draft pick, second player overall, 1983 draft. . .Rushed for NFL-record 2,105 yards, 1984. . . Gained 1,800 or more rushing yards three of first four seasons. . . Retired as the second all-time leading rusher with 13,259 yards on 2,996 carries. . .Named to six Pro Bowls. . .All-Pro five times. . .Led the league in rushing three times with Rams, once with Colts. . .Born September 2, 1960, in Sealy, Texas.
Eric Dickerson, a two-time All-America choice at Southern Methodist, was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. An immediate success, he established rookie records for most rushing attempts (390), most rushing yards gained (1,808) and most touchdowns rushing (18). His efforts earned him All-Pro, Pro Bowl, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors.
In his second season, Dickerson continued his onslaught of the NFL record book. Twelve times during that season he gained more than 100 yards rushing, breaking the record of 100-yard games in a season held by O. J. Simpson. His 2,105 total yards rushing in 1984 shattered Simpson’s 1973 record of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season.
A workhorse runner with the Rams, Dickerson gained more than 1,000 yards each of his first four seasons with the team. In three of those seasons he gained more than 1,800 yards. Although he rushed for 1,234 yards in 1985, he missed the Pro Bowl for the first time in his short NFL career. He did, however, go on to rush for a playoff record 248 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in post-season play.
After playing just three games for the Rams during the strike-shortened 1987 season, Dickerson – in a blockbuster deal – was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. Although he played in just nine games with the Colts that year, he still managed to gain 1,011 yards to finish the season with 1,288. In 1988, Dickerson, with 1,659 yards rushing, became the first Colt to lead the league in rushing since Alan Ameche in 1955.
The following season he became the first player in NFL history to gain more than 1,000 yards in seven consecutive seasons. He also became the seventh back to gain more than 10,000 yards and the fastest ever to do so, reaching the milestone in just 91 games. During his 11-year career, Dickerson gained 13,259 yards rushing, which was second all-time at the time of his retirement. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Dickerson was All-Pro in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Code:
+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Rushing | Receiving |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| 1983 ram | 16 | 390 1808 4.6 18 | 51 404 7.9 2 |
| 1984 ram | 16 | 379 2105 5.6 14 | 21 139 6.6 0 |
| 1985 ram | 14 | 292 1234 4.2 12 | 20 126 6.3 0 |
| 1986 ram | 16 | 404 1821 4.5 11 | 26 205 7.9 0 |
| 1987 ind | 9 | 223 1011 4.5 5 | 13 133 10.2 0 |
| 1987 ram | 3 | 60 277 4.6 1 | 5 38 7.6 0 |
| 1988 ind | 16 | 388 1659 4.3 14 | 36 377 10.5 1 |
| 1989 ind | 15 | 314 1311 4.2 7 | 30 211 7.0 1 |
| 1990 ind | 11 | 166 677 4.1 4 | 18 92 5.1 0 |
| 1991 ind | 10 | 167 536 3.2 2 | 41 269 6.6 1 |
| 1992 rai | 16 | 187 729 3.9 2 | 14 85 6.1 1 |
| 1993 atl | 4 | 26 91 3.5 0 | 6 58 9.7 0 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| TOTAL | 146 | 2996 13259 4.4 90 | 281 2137 7.6 6 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
Seasons among the league's top 10
Rushes: 1983-1, 1984-3, 1985-8, 1986-1, 1987-2, 1988-1, 1989-4
Rushing yards: 1983-1, 1984-1, 1985-8, 1986-1, 1987-2, 1988-1, 1989-3
Rushing TDs: 1983-2, 1984-1t, 1985-2, 1986-5, 1987-10t, 1988-3, 1989-10t
Yards from scrimmage: 1983-1, 1984-1, 1986-1, 1987-3, 1988-1t, 1989-7
Rush/Receive TDs: 1983-2, 1984-3t, 1985-7t, 1986-9t, 1988-2t
Among the league's all-time top 50
Rushes: 7
Rushing yards: 6
Rushing TDs: 12t
Yards from scrimmage: 11
Rush/Receive TDs: 21
Postseason data
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Year Opp Result | RSH YD TD | REC YD TD
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
1983 dal W,24-17 | 23 99 0 | 2 11 0
1983 was L,7-51 | 10 16 0 | 6 9 0
1984 nyg L,13-16 | 23 107 1 | 0 0 0
1985 dal W,20-0 | 34 248 2 | 1 -4 0
1985 chi L,0-24 | 17 46 0 | 3 10 0
1986 was L,7-19 | 26 158 0 | 0 0 0
1987 cle L,21-38 | 15 50 0 | 7 65 1
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
TOTAL | 148 724 3 | 19 91 1