In American football, rushing and passing are the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. [2] A rush, also known as a running play, generally occurs when the quarterback hands or tosses the ball backwards to the running back, [3] but other players, such as the quarterback, can run with the ball. [2] A rushing touchdown is a play where the runner carries the ball into the end zone without a forward pass being involved. [4] [5]
The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. [6] [7] In addition to the NFL rushing touchdowns leaders, league record books recognize the rushing touchdowns leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970. [8]
The record for rushing touchdowns in a season is held by LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers who rushed for 28 touchdowns in 2006. [1] Prior to Tomlinson's 2006 season, the record was jointly held by Priest Holmes and Shaun Alexander, each rushing for 27 touchdowns in 2003 and 2005, respectively. [1] [9] There have been eleven instances where a player has rushed for 20 or more touchdowns in a season and only two players, Emmitt Smith and Priest Holmes, have done so twice. [1] Jim Brown led the league in rushing touchdowns five times, the most of any player in league history. [10]
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Leader | The player who recorded the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL |
TDs | The total number of rushing touchdowns the player had |
GP | The number of games played by a player during the season [upper-alpha 1] |
† | Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
^ | Active player |
* | Set the single-season rushing touchdowns record |
(#) | Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Leader | The player who recorded the most rushing touchdowns in the AFL |
TDs | The total number of rushing touchdowns the player had |
GP | The number of games played by a player during the season |
* | Player set the single-season rushing touchdowns record |
(#) | Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
Season | Leader | TDs | GP | Team | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Abner Haynes | 9* | 14 | Dallas Texans | [7] [92] |
1961 | Abner Haynes (2) | 9 | 14 | Dallas Texans | [7] [92] |
Paul Lowe | 14 | San Diego Chargers | [7] [93] | ||
1962 | Cookie Gilchrist | 13* | 14 | Buffalo Bills | [7] [94] |
Abner Haynes (3) | 14 | Dallas Texans | [7] [92] | ||
1963 | Cookie Gilchrist (2) | 12 | 14 | Buffalo Bills | [7] [94] |
1964 | Sid Blanks | 6 | 14 | Houston Oilers | [7] [95] |
Cookie Gilchrist (3) | 14 | Buffalo Bills | [7] [94] | ||
Daryle Lamonica | 14 | Buffalo Bills | [7] [96] | ||
1965 | Wray Carlton | 6 | 14 | Buffalo Bills | [7] [97] |
Cookie Gilchrist (4) | 14 | Denver Broncos | [7] [94] | ||
Paul Lowe (2) | 14 | San Diego Chargers | [7] [93] | ||
Curtis McClinton | 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | [7] [98] | ||
1966 | Jim Nance | 11 | 14 | Boston Patriots | [7] [99] |
1967 | Emerson Boozer | 10 | 8 | New York Jets | [7] [100] |
1968 | Paul Robinson | 8 | 14 | Cincinnati Bengals | [7] [101] |
1969 | Jim Kiick | 9 | 14 | Miami Dolphins | [7] [102] |
Count | Player | Seasons | Team(s) | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Jim Brown | 1957 – 1959, 1963, 1965 | Cleveland Browns | [7] [36] |
4 | Cookie Gilchrist | 1962–1965 | Buffalo Bills (3) / Denver Broncos (1) | [7] [94] |
Steve Van Buren | 1945, 1947 – 1949 | Philadelphia Eagles | [7] [28] | |
3 | Dutch Clark | 1934, 1936, 1937 | Detroit Lions | [7] [18] |
Abner Haynes | 1960–1962 | Dallas Texans | [7] [92] | |
Leroy Kelly | 1966 – 1968 | Cleveland Browns | [7] [40] | |
Emmitt Smith | 1992, 1994, 1995 | Dallas Cowboys | [7] [67] | |
LaDainian Tomlinson | 2004, 2006, 2007 | San Diego Chargers | [7] [75] |
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