All-Time Power Backs

1. Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns 1957-1965)

It has
almost been 50 years since Jim Brown retired and he is still the gold
standard by many as far as a power back. Hall of Fame defensive end
Deacon Jones was relieved when Brown retired as he and other defenders
around the league knew of the tough task to tackle Brown. Brown refused
to run out of bounds and continuously made defenders pay for tackling
him as he rarely was brought down by a single defender.

2. Earl Campbell (Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints 1978-1985)

Earl
Campbell was known as “The Tyler Rose” and he blossomed once he suited
up for The Houston Oilers. In Campbell’s first three years in The NFL he
led the league in rushing. Campbell’s running style made opponents
thinks twice about tackling him. In a 1979 game versus The Oakland
Raiders, Campbell went head on against Raider safety Jack Tatum who was
one of the most feared tacklers in the game. These two collided at the
goal line with Tatum falling backward and Campbell falling forward into
the end zone. Campbell was a pivotal part of The Oilers making
back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 1978 and 1979.

3. John Riggins (New York Jets, Washington Redskins 1971-1985)

John
Riggins was known as “The Diesel” and like any Mack truck he was tough
to slow down once he got a full head of speed. Riggins was a tough
runner from the fullback position, but he also had speed. Riggins was
the first New York Jet to gain over 1,000 yards rushing in a season as
he did it in 1975. Riggins found even more success with The Washington
Redskins as he signed with them in 1976.  A contract dispute kept
Riggins out of football in 1980, but once he returned in 1981 he was a
key piece to The Redskins winning The Super Bowl. The defining moment of
Riggins’ toughness and grit was in Super Bowl 17 versus The Miami
Dolphins. With 10 minutes remaining in the game The Redskins called the
play “70 chip”. The ball was at The Dolphins 43 yard line when Riggins
got the ball on fourth and inches. Riggins ran over Dolphin cornerback
Don McNeal and he was on his way for the game winning score.

4. Larry Csonka (Miami Dolphins, New York Giants 1968-1974, 1976-1979)

Larry Csonka was as tough as they come and he epitomized The
Miami Dolphins of the early 70’s. To illustrate how tough Csonka was, in
a game versus The Buffalo Bills Csonka was the ball carrier and he was
tackled by a Bills defender. Although Csonka was tackled, he was the one
who was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

5. Jim Taylor (Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints 1958-1967)

Paul
Hornung was the flash for The Green Bay Packers, but if head coach
Vince Lombardi needed tough yards he would call on fullback Jim Taylor.
Taylor became The NFL MVP in 1962 as he helped The Packers win The NFL
Title. Running out of the fullback position Taylor had five seasons in
which he tallied over 1,000 yards or more en route to 8,597 for his
career.

6. Marion Motley (Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers 1946-1953, 1955)

Marion
Motley was a man among boys when it came to his running style. Motley
weighed in at 232 lbs. which was big for his era of football. Motley
took his fair share of punishment from defenders and he never complained
about it. All Motley did was quietly go back to the huddle to get ready
for the next play. Once Motley got the ball again he didn’t have a
problem running over and through opponents on his way to the end zone.

7. Mike Alstott (Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1996-2006)

Mike
Alstott never ran for 1,000 yards in a season, but he sure knew how to
gain the tough yards. Alstott was arguably the best goal line runner of
his era. Alstott was known as “The A train” and he made a habit of
barreling over defenders. Alstott’s defining moment came in 2002 when
the entire Cleveland Browns defense tried to tackle him and Alstott ran
through the defense for another memorable run.

8. Jerome Bettis (Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers 1993-2005)

Jerome Bettis was known as “The Bus” and both The Los Angeles
Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers rode him to pay dirt. Bettis exploded onto
The NFL scene in 1993 with 1,429 yards rushing. In 1995 The Rams felt
that Bettis wasn’t going to be the main ball carrier and shipped him to
Pittsburgh. Bettis found a home with The Steelers as they were a team
that loved to pound the football and Bettis loved to pound opponents.
Unlike most big backs Bettis had quick feet, but he could still bring
the lumber as he ran over Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher in a
2005 game. Bettis finished his career in grand style by helping The
Steelers when Super Bowl 40 in his native Detroit, Michigan. Bettis
retired after the game as the fifth all-time rusher in The National
Football League with 13,662 yards.

9. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings 2007-Present)

When
The Minnesota Vikings selected Adrian Peterson in The 2007 NFL Draft,
he may have been one of the surest things in the draft that year.
Peterson had developed a reputation as a fierce runner at The University
of Oklahoma and it carried over to The NFL. Peterson is fast and
shifty, but he can still bring the pain. Peterson is a combination of
Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson and the portion of his game that
resembles Campbell is tough to bring down. Peterson never shies away
from contact and through four-plus seasons he has already gained over
6,000 yards rushing.

10. Franco Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks 1972-1984)

Franco
Harris was the engine behind the offense that helped The Pittsburgh
Steelers win four Super Bowl Titles in the 1970’s. Harris was criticized
by Jim Brown for not staying in bounds to avoid hits during his career.
Harris delivered punishment, just not as much as Brown would have
wanted him to dish out. Harris was unique for his era as he was a big
running back with speed. Harris knew how to get tough yards when The
Steelers needed them as when needed he ran up the middle to deliver hits
to the opposition.

11. Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants 2005-Present)

In a
short career, Brandon Jacobs has made a history of destroying defenses.
At 6’4″ 264 lbs. Jacobs is bigger than most of the linebackers that
attempt to tackle him. Once you combine that with 4.6 speed, I feel
sorry for the opponents attempting to tackle him. In 2007, The New York
Giants took on The Detroit Lions. In the game the defender for The Lions
attempted to tackle Jacobs below the waist. The cornerback bounced off
of Jacobs’ thigh and Jacobs continued running down the field. In The
2007 NFC Championship Game Jacobs made a statement on The Giants first
offensive play of the game against The Green Bay Packers. Packer
cornerback Charles Woodson came up to tackle Jacobs and he paid the
price as Jacobs ran through him like a bull in a china shop. Jacobs may
not have the yardage as others do on this list, but he has put together
an impressive highlight reel of opponents that he has turned into road
kill.

12. Christian Okoye (Kansas City Chiefs 1987-1992)

Christian Okoye was “The Nigerian Nightmare” and he was indeed a
bad dream for defenses. In college Okoye was a tremendous track and
field athlete at Azusa Pacific University and his athletic ability was
displayed on the football field with his speed and strength. Okoye led
The NFL in rushing in 1989 with 1,480 yards. When Okoye hit defenders he
gave them a new outlook on life.

13. Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams 2004-Present)