Key points from the chart
- The chart ranks the ten NFL players with the most rushing yards per game in each decade from the 1930s to the 2020s.
- Each figure covers all of a player’s games in that decade, not his best season. Players needed at least 50 games in the decade, or 25 for the 2020s.
- Eric Dickerson has the highest figure on the chart, 106.9 yards per game in the 1980s, followed by Jim Brown (103.8, 1960s) and Derrick Henry (102.6, 2020s).
- Leaders rose from 58.5 yards per game in the 1930s (Cliff Battles) to around 90 to 107 from the 1960s on.
- Four players appear in two decades: Bob Hoernschemeyer, Walter Payton, John Riggins and Curtis Martin.
NFL rushing leaders by decade in text
Title: NFL Top Ten rushing yards per game in each decade. Subtitle: per game yards encompass the entire decade, not the player’s top season. Vertical axis: rushing yards per game, 0 to 120. Each decade has ten dots from first to tenth place, with the leader in bold. Footer: Source: Pro Football Reference. Minimum 50 games played per decade, 2020s min 25 games played. Credit: u/JPAnalyst, @jaydpauley.bsky.social.
| Decade | Leader, yards per game | Places 2 to 10, yards per game |
|---|---|---|
| 1930s | Cliff Battles, 58.5 | Ace Gutowsky 38.1; Beattie Feathers 37.0; Dutch Clark 37.0; Ernie Caddel 36.1; Bill Shepherd 34.9; Clarke Hinkle 33.5; Swede Hanson 33.2; Bronko Nagurski 30.3; Kink Richards 25.7 |
| 1940s | Steve Van Buren, 77.8 | Marion Motley 58.2; Chet Mutryn 50.5; Tony Canadeo 45.4; Bill Dudley 42.7; Bill Paschal 42.6; Bob Hoernschemeyer 39.1; Norm Standlee 34.1; Merl Condit 31.7; Pug Manders 28.2 |
| 1950s | Rick Casares, 64.1 | Alan Ameche 63.0; Joe Perry 62.7; Eddie Price 52.3; Dan Towler 52.1; Ollie Matson 49.9; Alex Webster 45.4; Hugh McElhenny 44.8; Bob Hoernschemeyer 41.3; Frank Gifford 38.5 |
| 1960s | Jim Brown, 103.8 | Gale Sayers 76.0; Jim Taylor 72.5; Cookie Gilchrist 66.0; Jim Nance 63.8; Hoyle Granger 62.2; Don Perkins 58.1; Mike Garrett 57.9; John Henry Johnson 56.9; Leroy Kelly 55.5 |
| 1970s | Walter Payton, 94.9 | O.J. Simpson 86.4; Franco Harris 77.1; Lawrence McCutcheon 69.5; Chuck Foreman 63.3; John Riggins 61.5; Greg Pruitt 60.4; Lydell Mitchell 59.8; Delvin Williams 58.7; Chuck Muncie 58.6 |
| 1980s | Eric Dickerson, 106.9 | Billy Sims 85.1; Walter Payton 83.8; George Rogers 78.0; Earl Campbell 74.5; Gerald Riggs 72.5; Curt Warner 72.1; Tony Dorsett 72.1; John Riggins 70.8; Freeman McNeil 69.4 |
| 1990s | Terrell Davis, 101.9 | Barry Sanders 100.0; Emmitt Smith 90.1; Curtis Martin 86.2; Eddie George 83.8; Jerome Bettis 77.6; Ricky Watters 73.8; Marshall Faulk 72.1; Thurman Thomas 69.1; Terry Allen 67.6 |
| 2000s | Clinton Portis, 89.8 | LaDainian Tomlinson 88.6; Tiki Barber 86.5; Priest Holmes 82.2; Curtis Martin 82.1; Edgerrin James 81.0; Jamal Lewis 81.0; Steven Jackson 79.8; Fred Taylor 79.2; Ricky Williams 77.7 |
| 2010s | Ezekiel Elliott, 96.5 | Arian Foster 84.7; Adrian Peterson 82.5; Le’Veon Bell 79.5; Todd Gurley 74.0; DeMarco Murray 72.5; LeSean McCoy 72.5; Marshawn Lynch 72.3; Ray Rice 69.6; Jamaal Charles 69.2 |
| 2020s | Derrick Henry, 102.6 | Jonathan Taylor 89.7; Nick Chubb 82.1; Saquon Barkley 80.4; Josh Jacobs 74.3; Christian McCaffrey 73.8; Jahmyr Gibbs 73.7; Bijan Robinson 71.5; Kyren Williams 67.9; Dalvin Cook 67.6 |
What the decades show
The biggest single lead belongs to Jim Brown, whose 103.8 in the 1960s is 27.8 yards ahead of Gale Sayers in second. The tightest group is the 2000s, where all ten players fall between 77.7 and 89.8. In the 1990s two players averaged 100 or more, Terrell Davis (101.9) and Barry Sanders (100.0).
Season length changed over the period. Jim Brown’s 1,527 yards in 1958 came in a 12 game season and broke Steve Van Buren’s record of 1,146 set in 1949 [3]. Eric Dickerson’s single season record of 2,105 yards in 1984 came after the NFL had moved to 16 games in 1978 [4]. A per game measure like this one avoids most of the effect of season length.
The creator explained on Reddit that the dots are not stacked by year: Walter Payton led the whole of the 1970s at 94.9, and O.J. Simpson was second for the whole decade at 86.4 [1].
Career leaders for comparison
Over a full career, Jim Brown averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game in 118 games from 1957 to 1965 and is the only player to average over 100 [3]. His 1960s figure on the chart is slightly lower because it leaves out his first three seasons. For total yards, the career leaders at the start of the 2026 season were Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726), Frank Gore (16,000), Barry Sanders (15,269) and Adrian Peterson (14,918) [2].
Notes on this infographic
- We could not open Pro Football Reference to check each value, because the site blocked our access. The values here are transcribed from the chart.
- The 2020s column covers only part of the decade and uses a lower minimum of 25 games, so it may change as seasons are added.
- Players whose careers cross two decades are ranked separately in each, so a figure is not a career average.
Questions about NFL rushing leaders
Who has the most rushing yards in NFL history?
Emmitt Smith, with 18,355 career rushing yards, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Walter Payton is second with 16,726 [2]. On this chart Smith appears in the 1990s at 90.1 yards per game.
Who has the highest rushing yards per game in NFL history?
Jim Brown, with 104.3 yards per game over his career, the only player above 100 [3]. Across a single decade, the chart’s highest figure is Eric Dickerson’s 106.9 in the 1980s.
Sources
- u/JPAnalyst, [OC] Top ten players in rushing yards per game by decade (chart), r/nfl, the creator’s post of this chart.
- Pro Football Hall of Fame, Top 20 Rushing Yards, at the start of the 2026 season.
- Wikipedia, Jim Brown.
- Wikipedia, Eric Dickerson.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
