InAmerican football,running (also referred to as rushing) is, along withpassing, one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field.[1] A running play generally occurs when thequarterback hands or tosses the ball backwards to therunning back,[2] but other players, such as the quarterback, can run with the ball.[1] In theNational Football League (NFL), there have been seven pairs of teammates that have each recorded 1,000 rushingyards in the same season. Five of these duos consisted ofrunning backs, and two of them consisted of a running back and aquarterback.
The first 1,000-yard duo consisted offullbackLarry Csonka andhalfbackMercury Morris. Csonka and Morris accomplished the feat as members of theMiami Dolphins during their1972 season, when the team finished undefeated and won theSuper Bowl. Morris finished with an even 1,000 yards; he had initially been credited with only 991 yards after the end of the regular season due to a statistician's error that incorrectly removed nine yards from his total.[3] The second 1,000-yard tandem occurred four years later in1976, when fullbackFranco Harris and halfbackRocky Bleier both surpassed 1,000 yards playing for thePittsburgh Steelers.[4] FullbackKevin Mack and halfbackEarnest Byner became the third 1,000-yard duo, accomplishing the feat during the1985 Cleveland Browns season.[5]
In2006, halfbackWarrick Dunn and quarterbackMichael Vick became the fourth duo with 1,000 rushing yards in the same season, and the first NFC team with such a duo. Vick also became the first quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season,[6] while Dunn's 1,140 yards are the most by any player in a 1,000-yard duo.[7]Brandon Jacobs andDerrick Ward of theNew York Giants were the fifth duo to accomplish the feat, doing so in2008.[8] In2009,Carolina Panthers running backsDeAngelo Williams andJonathan Stewart became the sixth 1,000 yard rushing duo and the first 1,100 yard rushing duo.[7] QuarterbackLamar Jackson and running backMark Ingram II of theBaltimore Ravens are the most recent players to have accomplished the feat, having done so in2019.[9] Jackson broke Vick's single season record for most rushing yards by a quarterback[10] as well as Dunn's record for the most rushing yards of a member of a 1,000-yard rushing duo.
The1978 Chicago Bears came the closest to having a 1000-yard duo without succeeding, whenWalter Payton finished with 1,305 yards butRoland Harper fell 8 yards short of 1,000 with 992.[11][12] That would have made them the first NFC team with a 1,000 yard rushing duo.[12] The1973 Cincinnati Bengals came almost as close without having even one 1,000 yard rusher, withEssex Johnson finishing with 997 yards andBoobie Clark finishing with 988 yards.[13][14]
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| No. | nth duo to have 1,000 rushing yards each |
| Position | The player'sposition |
| GP | Games played |
| Yds. | Rushing yards |
| Y/A | Yards per rushing attempt |
| TDs | Rushing touchdowns |
| ^ | Super Bowl champions |
| † | Pro Bowl player |
| ‡ | Pro Football Hall of Fame member |
| * | Active NFL player |
| No. | Season | Team | Leading rusher | Position | Games | Yds. | Y/A | TDs | Second-leading rusher | Position | Games | Yds. | Y/A | TDs | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972 | Miami Dolphins^ | Larry Csonka†‡ | Fullback | 14 | 1,117 | 5.2 | 6 | Mercury Morris† | Halfback | 14 | 1,000 | 5.3 | 12 | [15][16] |
| 2 | 1976 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Franco Harris†‡ | Fullback | 14 | 1,128 | 3.9 | 14 | Rocky Bleier | Halfback | 14 | 1,036 | 4.7 | 5 | [17][18] |
| 3 | 1985 | Cleveland Browns | Kevin Mack† | Fullback | 16 | 1,104 | 5.0 | 7 | Earnest Byner† | Halfback | 16 | 1,002 | 4.1 | 8 | [19] |
| 4 | 2006 | Atlanta Falcons | Warrick Dunn† | Halfback | 16 | 1,140 | 4.0 | 4 | Michael Vick† | Quarterback | 16 | 1,039 | 8.4 | 2 | [20] |
| 5 | 2008 | New York Giants | Brandon Jacobs | Halfback | 13 | 1,089 | 5.0 | 15 | Derrick Ward | Halfback | 16 | 1,025 | 5.6 | 2 | [21] |
| 6 | 2009 | Carolina Panthers | Jonathan Stewart | Halfback | 16 | 1,133 | 5.1 | 10 | DeAngelo Williams† | Halfback | 13 | 1,117 | 5.2 | 7 | [22] |
| 7 | 2019 | Baltimore Ravens | Lamar Jackson †* | Quarterback | 15 | 1,206 | 6.9 | 7 | Mark Ingram II †* | Halfback | 15 | 1,018 | 5.0 | 10 | [23][24] |