The NFL Running Backs Mount Rushmore of the Super Bowl Era
By Erik Lambert
An NFL running back Mount Rushmore of the Super Bowl era is certainly something that’s going to generate a ton of debate.
The first reason is it conveniently leaves Jim Brown off the list of options. The Cleveland Browns icon to this day is widely considered the best football player who ever lived. However, he retired right before the Super Bowl came into being in 1966. So his qualifications aren’t there. That just leaves trying to explain away other greats who just missed the cut.
Eric Dickerson? Adrian Peterson? Franco Harris? Emmitt Smith? All of those men were all-time greats at the position during their respective eras. They set records, won championships and were known by every single football fan around the world. So why didn’t they make the cut? The simple fact that they weren’t truly transcendent players. They didn’t change the game.
They were great for sure but answer the question. How did Dickerson or Smith change the game aside from simply being great runners? They didn’t. The four men on this list are capable of saying that.
Walter Payton (Chicago Bears)
He was the Jim Brown of the Super Bowl era in the NFL. A man who simply refused to “die easy” as he always liked to say. Walter Payton was a bit of a shock to people from the moment he arrived. He didn’t come out of a traditional power school at Jackson State, but that didn’t stop the Chicago Bears from making him their #4 overall pick in 1975.
After a quiet rookie season, many wondered if they’d flubbed the pick. Two years later Payton was the league MVP and guided the Bears to their first playoff appearance in 14 years. That was when he transformed from star to genuine superhero. This was a man who combined a physical running style with an almost elegant series of motions that made it a joy to watch him on Sundays.
He retired as the all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards. Yet that was only part of his greatness. Payton also caught 492 passes in his career including 15 touchdowns and threw eight touchdown passes. He was considered one of the best blocking blacks of his generation. The man was the total package and a model for those who would follow.