February 27, 2023 3 min Watch. Each offense makes its own set of demands on running backs, and every back mentioned in this article needed a specific set of attributes to succeed. 11 because of four straight 1,000-yard seasons to begin the decade. Franco Harris was a fullback, as was Merril Hoge and John Henry Johnson. The Tigers picked up their sixth commitment for the 2024 recruiting cycle - and their first running back - Wednesday with the public . Hunt only played eight games with the Browns last season after serving an eight-game suspension. However, it's not too early to break down the best from the 2010s either. In 1999 the Chiefs cut him and his life spiraled out of control with drug problems and jail time. Clemson gets its running back: 'Something very special at Clemson By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, it is easy to see why opposing defenses would wish they were somewhere else. Anderson was traded mid-season in 1986; he played four games for the Cardinals and eight for the Giants. He made nine straight Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team and finished his career as the leading rusher in team history and No. In 2015 he finished second in the league in rushing and earned a spot on the All-Pro Team. (Fullback Roosevelt Nix spent most of 2019 injured and did not appear to have a viable replacement.) Fuqua led the . Rashard Mendenhall only played five seasons with the Steelers but rushed for a respectable 3,549 yards in 57 games. Perhaps one of the most popular and beloved Steelers players of all-time, Bleier became famous before he ever established himself as Franco Harriss partner in crime based on his experiences in the Vietnam War. He also posted at least 1,500 yards from scrimmage during 2013 and 2014 when the Seahawks went to two Super Bowls. Bettis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. He stepped in for a banged-up Willie Parker in 2009 and ran for 1,108 yards and seven touchdowns. Emmitt Smith has held the record since surpassing Walter Payton's long-standing total in 2002. The next ingredient is a tough, hard-nosed rushing attack that controls the ball and methodically plows through opposing defenses. Players were considered based on having careers with the Steelers from 1992 until the present. Allain died on February 21, 2023, following a . In 1984 while beating the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, Pollard ran for 99 yards and two scores, a game won by Pittsburgh 24-17. Only other is safeties at sub lb and doesn't change their ratings just where they are on the field. Steelers Record By Season Over Last 10 Years | StatMuse The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2020 running back room has the assortments of all the skillsets you could find around the NFL. Since there are only 11 players on offense, the running backs have to be able to function as a unit, and Le'Veon Bell could play halfback to Bettis' fullback. By, Tom Rothenberg/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. [5] Through 2021, eight Steeler first-round picks have gone on to have playing careers deemed worthy of enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bill Dudley, Len Dawson, Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Rod Woodson, Troy Polamalu, and Alan . His rookie contract was voided after his fourth season, after just one in Pittsburgh, and there were opportunities to leave. Thornton was also a member of the Super Bowl winning teams for Pittsburgh in 1979 and 1980. . We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. As a Steeler running back, Hoak would spend his entire career with Pittsburgh that began in 1961 as a seventh round draft pick after running for the Penn State Nittany Lions. The next season, he racked up 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns on the way to an AFC Championship win. PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Tomlin wasn't ready to go there, with all due respect. NFL combine: CB prospect hoping for on-field family reunion Who Is The Best Running Back In The NFL Right Now? Near the end of an uneventful rookie season, he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. Posted August 12, 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers: 15 best running backs in franchise history 1 1. In the following AFC title game against Miami, Pollard was held to just 48 yards rushing. The 30-year-old has failed to rush for 500 yards in four of his seven seasons in the NFL. Steelers honor Franco Harris by rallying past Raiders 13-10 This is a list of National Football League running backs by total career rushing yards, and includes the 31 running backs who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards, for which sixteen of them have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He peculiarly retired after that one campaign with the Cardinals. John Fuqua ( 1970-76) Before Franco Harris, there was John "Frenchy" Fuqua. Last season he was in the top five among running backs in several categories. Steelers running backs - Fantasy Index Wanting the jersey number 26 which he wore at Notre Dame, Preston Pearson held those digits so Rocky settled for No. Power Ranking AFC North Running Backs | Steelers Now No NFL team has enjoyed the consistent level of success the Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. He ran for over 1,000 yards in his first season and scored 10 rushing touchdowns on his way to winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. That's the equivalent of more than two seasons. Tackles. If youve followed the Steelers, you've probably heard the term "Steelers Football." Of course, we all know why. From 1974 to 1979, Harris topped the 1,000-yard milestone every season and carried the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories. The Steelers had jumped offsides on the play and it was called back. For his service in the war, Bleier received the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. One return went to the house. He holds the team record for most rushing yards in a career (11,950) as well as most rushing touchdowns (91) and total touchdowns (100). The Steelers ran out the pro set for most of the 1970s and 1980s under head coach Chuck Noll. He ranks 23rd all-time among Pittsburgh rushers having gained 1,504 yards as a Steeler. The Steelers have always had great defensive playersand that hasn't changedbut the Steelers of today have fallen into the trendy traps of modern offenses with little use for a fullback. Weve reviewed the most popular quarterbacks to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but among those signal callers, who are some of the players they were handing the ball off to when not throwing the rock? The controversy arose when the ball deflected off of Tatum or Frenchy. One of the best free agent signings of the Mike Tomlin era, DeAngelo Williams was never thought to be more than a top backup running back. Hunt offers some stability in the pass-game as he had 44 . Mapping out the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft: Dudley also served his country during World War II as a member of the Army and played for that team while away from the NFL. His 4.3 yards-per-carry average for his career is second only to John Henry Johnsons 4.4 and ties him with Wille Parker among Pittsburghs top ten rushers in history for yardage. In addition, he got 52 receiving yards, with an average of 10.4. As a punter, he kicked the ball 18 times during his career and averaged 32 yards per punt. LISTEN: Hounds, world soccer, PGA with Mike Grau, Steelers: Need for QB of the Future is More Apparent than Ever, Steelers: Defense Needs to Take Advantage of Inconsistent Bills Passing Attack, Steelers: Devlin Hodges Has Chance to Make Lasting Impression in Week 14, Steelers: James Washingtons Emergence Could Make Offense Dangerous. In 79 games with the Steelers, he carried the ball for 3,343 yards and 22 touchdowns. Maybe I am just nostalgic for the days when Steelers backs carried the ball 30 times and took total control over a game by the fourth quarter. OTHERS TO CONSIDER Starting this list chronologically is as good a way as any. Myles Jack 61 Minkah Fitzpatrick . Let's take a look back at the rest of the Steelers picks since the 2000 season. But following the Super Bowl Morris was arrested for trafficking marijuana and the Steelers wanted nothing to do with his off-the-field problems and released him. TODAY: Running backs Since the merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have rushed for more yards than any other team in the National Football League, and this commitment got two of their running backs elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As the tight end position increasingly becomes more of a focal point in offensive schemes , one. 10 potential bargains NFL teams should target in free agency Lucrative opportunities to leave. These honorable mentions may not have a place on this list of all-time best Steelers running backs, but if you are a Steelers fan, there is a good chance you'll remember them fondly. Only stats for Regular Season Games have been included. Today he is 68 and still colorful. 8. All-time Scoring Leader: Gary Anderson 1,343 points By 1974, Bleier was weighing in at 212 pounds and he made the team to stay. Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Roster | The Football Database It's hard to believe, but the second decade of the 21st century is nearly complete. Steelers GM confirms extension negotiations with key defender have started Los Angeles' running backs are in a bit of a limbo right . Reportedly, a local sportswriter told Rooney that Kiesling purposely made his lineman jump offsides so they could run their bread-and-butter Rogel running play first. Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. He made another Pro Bowl in 1993 but only rushed for half as many yards due to injuries. He is currently the third leading rusher in Steelers history. Having gone through a tough contract negotiation in 1995, the Steelers instead of trying to settle traded Foster over to the Carolina Panthers who then cut the running back in training camp due to a failed physical. On a better team, Jones-Drew may have been able to flourish for longer than three seasons, but from 2009-11, he was one of the best backs in the league. Bleier only ranks ninth in all-time rushing yards for the franchise, and he never made the Pro Bowl, but there is no denying the impact this gutsy running back had in winning four Steelers' Super Bowl championships.