Why they rank here
In just nine seasons Jim Brown established himself as the standard against which running backs are still measured. He led the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine years, retired as the all-time leader with 12,312 rushing yards and 106 rushing touchdowns, and averaged a staggering 5.2 yards per carry over his career. He won three MVP awards (1957, 1958, 1965) and never missed a game, an iron-man record made more remarkable by the punishment he absorbed as the focal point of every defense. Brown combined the power of a fullback with breakaway speed, and he walked away at his peak, age 29, to pursue acting and activism. Adjusted for era and workload, his dominance over his peers arguably exceeds that of any back who followed.
Career profile
Each bar shows how this athlete compares with the strongest in our all-time list for that metric.
Head-to-head
Compare career numbers side by side.