List of NFL 1,000-yard rushing duos

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Atlanta Falcons halfback Warrick Dunn recorded 1,140 rushing yards in 2006, the second most yards of any member of a 1,000-yard rushing duo and the most by a halfback. Warrick Dunn cropped.jpg
Atlanta Falcons halfback Warrick Dunn recorded 1,140 rushing yards in 2006, the second most yards of any member of a 1,000-yard rushing duo and the most by a halfback.

In American football, running (also referred to as rushing) is, along with passing, one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. [1] A running play generally occurs when the quarterback hands or tosses the ball backwards to the running back, [2] but other players, such as the quarterback, can run with the ball. [1] In the National Football League (NFL), there have been seven pairs of teammates that have each recorded 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. Five of these duos consisted of running backs, and two of them consisted of a running back and a quarterback.

The first 1,000-yard duo consisted of fullback Larry Csonka and halfback Mercury Morris. Csonka and Morris accomplished the feat as members of the Miami Dolphins during their 1972 season, when the team finished undefeated and won the Super Bowl. Morris finished with an even 1,000 yards; he had initially been credited with only 991 yards after the end of the regular season due to a statistician's error that incorrectly removed nine yards from his total. [3] The second 1,000-yard tandem occurred four years later in 1976, when fullback Franco Harris and halfback Rocky Bleier both surpassed 1,000 yards playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. [4] Fullback Kevin Mack and halfback Earnest Byner became the third 1,000-yard duo, accomplishing the feat during the 1985 Cleveland Browns season. [5]

In 2006, halfback Warrick Dunn and quarterback Michael Vick became the fourth duo with 1,000 rushing yards in the same season, and the first NFC team with such a duo. Vick also became the first quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, [6] while Dunn's 1,140 yards are the most by any player in a 1,000-yard duo. [7] Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward of the New York Giants were the fifth duo to accomplish the feat, doing so in 2008. [8] In 2009, Carolina Panthers running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart became the sixth 1,000 yard rushing duo and the first 1,100 yard rushing duo. [7] Quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram II of the Baltimore Ravens are the most recent players to have accomplished the feat, having done so in 2019. [9] Jackson broke Vick's single season record for most rushing yards by a quarterback [10] as well as Dunn's record for the most rushing yards of an member of a 1,000-yard rushing duo.

The 1978 Chicago Bears came the closest to having a 1000 yard duo without succeeding, when Walter Payton finished with 1,305 yards but Roland Harper fell 8 yards short of 1,000 with 992. [11] [12] That would have made them the first NFC team with a 1,000 yard rushing duo. [12] The 1973 Cincinnati Bengals came almost as close without having even one 1,000 yard rusher, with Essex Johnson finishing with 997 yards and Boobie Clark finishing with 988 yards. [13] [14]

1,000-yard rushing duos

Key
SymbolMeaning
No.nth duo to have 1,000 rushing yards each
PositionThe player's position
GPGames played
Yds.Rushing yards
Y/AYards per rushing attempt
TDsRushing touchdowns
^ Super Bowl champions
† Pro Bowl player
‡ Pro Football Hall of Fame member
*Active NFL player
List of teammates with at least 1,000 rushing yards each
No.SeasonTeamLeading rusherPositionGamesYds.Y/ATDsSecond-leading rusherPositionGamesYds.Y/ATDsRef(s).
1 1972 Miami Dolphins ^ Larry Csonka †‡ Fullback 141,1175.26 Mercury Morris † Halfback 141,0005.312 [15] [16]
2 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers Franco Harris †‡ Fullback 141,1283.914 Rocky Bleier Halfback 141,0364.75 [17] [18]
3 1985 Cleveland Browns Kevin Mack † Fullback 161,1045.07 Earnest Byner † Halfback 161,0024.18 [19]
4 2006 Atlanta Falcons Warrick Dunn † Halfback 161,1404.04 Michael Vick † Quarterback 161,0398.42 [20]
5 2008 New York Giants Brandon Jacobs Halfback 131,0895.015 Derrick Ward Halfback 161,0255.62 [21]
6 2009 Carolina Panthers Jonathan Stewart Halfback 161,1335.110 DeAngelo Williams † Halfback 131,1175.27 [22]
7 2019 Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson †* Quarterback 151,2066.97 Mark Ingram II †* Halfback 151,0185.010 [23] [24]

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Larry Richard Csonka is an American former professional football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins for the majority of his career, along with the New York Giants for three years. He also had a short stint with the Memphis Southmen in the WFL. Nicknamed "Zonk", Csonka is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. Csonka is mostly remembered for his success during his tenure with the Dolphins, which included being a member of their 17–0 perfect season in 1972, and winning Super Bowl championships in 1972 and 1973, the latter of which he was named Super Bowl MVP when he ran for a then-record 145 yards. He was also a commentator for the original run of American Gladiators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Running back</span> Position in American and Canadian football

A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a given play, depending on the offensive formation. A running back may be a halfback, a wingback or a fullback. A running back will sometimes be called a "feature back" if he is the team's key player/more prominent running back.

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Fletcher Joseph Perry was an American professional football fullback who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1948 to 1960, the Baltimore Colts from 1961 to 1962, and returned to the 49ers in 1963 for his final year in football. He was exceptionally fast, a trait uncommon for a fullback and one which earned him the nickname, "the Jet". The first African-American to be named the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), he became one of American football's first black stars.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Beginner's Guide to Football". National Football League . Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  2. ↑ "The Run". NFL360.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-29. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  3. ↑ "1,000-yard Duo: Csonka and Morris". Pro Football Hall of Fame . Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  4. ↑ "Harris and Bleier rush for 1,000 yards". Pro Football Hall of Fame . Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  5. ↑ "Browns' 1,000-yard backs: Mack and Byner". Pro Football Hall of Fame . Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  6. ↑ "1,000-yard duo". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  7. 1 2 "Panthers could become first team to have two 1,100-yard rushers in same season". The Charlotte Observer . December 31, 2009. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  8. ↑ "Giants 1,000-yard duo: Jacobs and Ward". Pro Football Hall of Fame . Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  9. ↑ "Ravens' Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram II become seventh pair to rush for 1,000 yards in same season". Baltimore Sun. December 22, 2019. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  10. ↑ "Lamar Jackson breaks single-season QB rushing record". NFL.com. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  11. ↑ "1978 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  12. 1 2 "Bears snuff out Redskins season". News Press. December 17, 1978. p. 51. Retrieved 2019-01-31– via newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "1973 Cincinnati Bengals". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  14. ↑ "Bengals Earn Title and a Lecture". Dayton Daily News. December 17, 1973. p. 16. Retrieved 2019-01-31– via newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "1972 Miami Dolphins". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Larry Csonka". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  17. ↑ "1976 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Franco Harris". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  19. ↑ "1985 Cleveland Browns". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  20. ↑ "2006 Atlanta Falcons". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  21. ↑ "2008 New York Giants". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  22. ↑ "2009 Carolina Panthers". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  23. ↑ "Lamar Jackson Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  24. ↑ "Mark Ingram Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
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