Candidate #7: Leroy Kelly
Running Back >>> 6-0, 202
(Morgan State)
1964-1973 Cleveland Browns
Leroy Kelly. . .Eighth-round draft choice, 1964. . .1,000-yard rusher first three years after becoming regular in 1966. . . Won NFL rushing titles, 1967, 1968. . .Two-time punt return champion: 1965 NFL, 1971 AFC. . . All-NFL five years, named to six Pro Bowls. . .Career stats: 7,274 yards rushing; 2,281 reception yards; 2,774 return yards; 12,330 combined yards; 90 touchdowns. . .Born May 20, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Leroy Kelly, in a 10-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns from 1964 through 1973, established himself as one of the most feared ball carriers in the history of the National Football League.
Overall, he rushed for 7,274 yards and ranked among the top 20 all-time rushers until midway through 1993 season. He added 2,281 yards on 190 pass receptions and excelled as a punt and kickoff return specialist, particularly in his early years in the NFL. His combined net yards total of 12,330 on rushes, receptions and returns ranks him among the best ever.
Kelly was an eighth-round pick of the Browns in the 1964 draft after a fine four-year career at Morgan State. For his first two years, he was an understudy to Jim Brown, the most prolific ground-gainer in history up to that time. When Brown retired just before the 1966 campaign, Kelly filled the void in a manner seldom seen in pro football circles.
For the next three years, he rushed for 1,000 yards, winning All-NFL honors each year and being selected as a starter in three straight Pro Bowls. Kelly also played in three other Pro Bowls following the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons, and earned first-team All-NFL in 1969 and 1971.
During his career, he won four individual statistical championships, including NFL rushing titles in 1967 and 1968. In 1965, he won the NFL punt return title, an honor he repeated in the AFC in 1971. Noted as an exceptionally fine runner on muddy fields, the 6-0, 202-pound Kelly favored the famed Browns trap play up the middle for his major yardage ventures but he was equally devastating on sweeps or as a receiver. His quick-starting ability, along with a sense of balance and knack of evading direct hits by tacklers, kept him relatively injury-free, missing only four games in 10 years and never more than one game per season.
Code:
+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Rushing | Receiving |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| 1964 cle | 14 | 6 12 2.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
| 1965 cle | 13 | 37 139 3.8 0 | 9 122 13.6 0 |
| 1966 cle | 14 | 209 1141 5.5 15 | 32 366 11.4 1 |
| 1967 cle | 14 | 235 1205 5.1 11 | 20 282 14.1 2 |
| 1968 cle | 14 | 248 1239 5.0 16 | 22 297 13.5 4 |
| 1969 cle | 13 | 196 817 4.2 9 | 20 267 13.3 1 |
| 1970 cle | 13 | 206 656 3.2 6 | 24 311 13.0 2 |
| 1971 cle | 14 | 234 865 3.7 10 | 25 252 10.1 2 |
| 1972 cle | 14 | 224 811 3.6 4 | 23 204 8.9 1 |
| 1973 cle | 13 | 132 389 2.9 3 | 15 180 12.0 0 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| TOTAL | 136 | 1727 7274 4.2 74 | 190 2281 12.0 13 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
Seasons among the league's top 10
Rushes: 1966-4, 1967-1, 1968-1, 1969-5, 1970-7t, 1971-4, 1972-8
Rushing yards: 1966-2, 1967-1, 1968-1, 1969-7, 1971-8
Rushing TDs: 1966-1, 1967-1, 1968-1, 1969-2, 1970-9t, 1971-2
Yards from scrimmage: 1966-2, 1967-1, 1968-1, 1969-7, 1971-9
Rush/Receive TDs: 1966-1t, 1967-2, 1968-1, 1969-5t, 1971-2
Among the league's all-time top 50
Rushes: 45
Rushing yards: 44
Rushing TDs: 21t
Rush/Receive TDs: 32t
Postseason data
Please read this fine print before using this data or sending questions or corrections. In particular, note that postseason data is currently available only for the years 1967-2006, so this player's entire postseason career might not be shown here.
Year Opp Result | RSH YD TD | REC YD TD
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
1967 dal L,14-52 | 15 96 0 | 4 39 0
1968 dal W,31-20 | 20 87 1 | 2 46 1
1968 bal L,0-34 | 13 28 0 | 3 27 0
1969 dal W,38-14 | 19 66 1 | 2 10 0
1969 min L,7-27 | 15 80 0 | 2 17 0
1971 bal L,3-20 | 14 49 0 | 4 24 0
1972 mia L,14-20 | 4 11 0 | 1 27 0
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
TOTAL | 100 417 2 | 18 190 1