. The team made it to the playoffs ten times ( 1992-1997 , 2001-2002 , 2004-2005 ) and had a 12-9 record under Coach Hoak in playoff games. His teammate Terry Hanratty, the QB at Notre Dame during that tenure became a Steeler as well. He only spent six seasons with the Steelers, but it was enough to rack up 4,381 rushing yards and land him at number five for all-time leading rushers in Pittsburgh history. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Fran Rogel was also a local product having grown up in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. The Steelers haven't shied away from targeting lesser-valued positions by the modern standard early in recent drafts, such as running back, linebacker and maybe to a lesser degree, safety. But since then he has a pair of 1,000-yard rushing years and 4,545 yards on the ground in five years. Jackson never led the league in rushing and never made the All-Pro team. He would eventually become the feature back, but in 2009 he suffered Jack Lamberts injury, turf toe and was replaced by Rashard Mendenhall in the process. Ingram's best season came in 2017 when he posted 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. Others were blocking fullbacks who spent their careers opening holes for star backs. Since reliable yardage statistics were not recorded prior to 1932, the first NFL player recognized as the career leader in rushing yards was Cliff Battles, who played from 1932 to 1937 for the Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Sowhos the greatest tight end in Pittsburgh Steelers history? Le'Veon Bell was one of the best Steelers running backs of all time. The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2020 running back room has the assortments of all the skillsets you could find around the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [3], List of National Football League career rushing yards leaders, Players with at least 10,000 rushing yards, Players with at least 1,000 postseason rushing yards. It's a smaller sample size, but Elliott has also posted 131.2 yards from scrimmage per game in his three seasons. If Lions general manager Brad Holmes follows that plan exactly, Minnesota Golden Gophers' Mohamed Ibrahim would be a great late-round running back prospect for Detroit to target. 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. He posted 1,000-yard rushing seasons in each of the first three years of the decade. OTHERS TO CONSIDER Starting this list chronologically is as good a way as any. Bleier was injured during his tour of duty and told he would never play football again, but he returned to the Steelers and fought his way back into football shape, eventually playing 10 more seasons in the NFL. The intent is to lean the offensive game plan toward the passing game and open up the defense with complex formations and plays. With the Bears and Jets, Forte posted 7,629 rushing yards and 11,353 yards from scrimmage from 2010-17. The 32-year-old has yet to post a 1,000-yard season this decade, and judging by the fact he had only six rushing attempt last season, he's probably going to end the 2010s without one. Reports this off-season show he weighed in at 244 pounds from 232 last season. As a Steeler, Bettis crashed his way for 10,571 rushing yards and 78 rushing touchdowns, both second-best in team history. Rocky Bleier came to the Steelers in 1968. Draft Henry with absolute confidence this season if you have a top-five pick. In Pittsburgh, he was everything but. He ran for 5,378 yards while playing at Heinz Field. Teams run RPOs, or run-pass option plays, where the quarterback decides after the snap whether he will hand the ball off or throw a pass. But he's rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season twice, and he led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016. In 2015 Williams rejuvenated his career with the Steelers, filling in for the suspended and injured Le'Veon Bell for 10 games. The 2016 All-Pro had his own issue staying on the field because of a suspension in 2017, but despite that Elliott has 4,048 rushing yards and led the league in rushing twice in three years. Peterson then signed with the . 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). Franco Harris was the man during The Renaissance, and Jerome Bettis was the man in The Modern Era. All-time Scoring Leader: Gary Anderson 1,343 points He started alongside Franco Harris in four Super Bowl victories and both backs ran for over 1,000 yards in 1976. Unfortunately, his tenure with the Steelers came to a dramatic end with a contract dispute in 2018, but during his time with the team, he was one of the greatest. After a slow start (for a seventh overall draft pick from . Doctors had told him following the enemy attack that his football days were over. Still, Johnson's All-Pro 2016 season was enough to land him on the list. 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. Playing players out of position in mut will make there overall go down now. By, Tom Rothenberg/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Parker ran for 1,200 yards or better in three straight seasons and led the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins. Harris is my fourth-ranked running back for the 2022 season. Thornton was also a member of the Super Bowl winning teams for Pittsburgh in 1979 and 1980. Bell made three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams as a Steeler. Do you have a sports website? (Fullback Roosevelt Nix spent most of 2019 injured and did not appear to have a viable replacement.) . NICK CHUBB, CLEVELAND BROWNS. Ibrahim, who . He's posted 2,987 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns over the last three years. He also had three catches in that loss for 18 yards. While one is considered a fullback and the other a halfback, they share more commonalities than differences in their duties. Drafted in the third round by the Steelers, Zereoue would play from 1999 to 2003 in Black and Gold before finishing his career in Oakland for one season and another in New England. Jerome Bettis was a 250-pound battering ram with incredible quickness for a man his size. Matte took over for another fantastic white running back, former Heisman Trophy winner and 1958 NFL Championship Game hero Alan Ameche. Johnson was a bruising fullback who spent time in San Francisco and Detroit before coming to Pittsburgh in 1960. His entire career was with the Steelers and he would finish those six seasons with 1,512 yards and 18 touchdowns. He tailed off to 928 the following season and then suffered injuries in 2012 playing in just six games before the Steelers cut him loose where he signed with the Arizona Cardinals lasting just one season after 687 yards on the ground. By Ross Kelly and Tony Adame, updated on October 18, 2022. A bruising Hall of Famer running back, Franco Harris was the perfect embodiment of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense during their championship runs in the 1970s. Many NFL teams used a pro-style offense during the same period, and this was an age when the fullback was a vital ball carrier. There was a time when almost every NFL offense was predicated on a feature back that got most of the carries and earned a big paycheck. Included are player stats for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1945-2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1940-1942 and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) from 1933-1939. Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Tomlin wasn't ready to go there, with all due respect. All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . Dudley could do it all on the field as he was just not a back but a defensive back, punter, and place kicker. But Jackson was still one of the best runners of the 2010s. 3 in NFL history. Fuqua will be forever remembered by Steelers fans as the intended receiver of Terry Bradshaws Immaculate Reception pass, which ricocheted into the arms of Franco Harris. Bullet Bill Dudley is also in the record books for the National Football League as the only man to run for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass, return a punt for a score, run to the end zone on a kickoff return, intercept a pass for a pick-six, pick up a fumble and reach pay dirt, and throw a touchdown pass. The Steelers have had some incredibly talented players over the years . Nick Chubb finished first the AFC North in 2021 with 1,259 rushing yards, despite finishing third with 228 carries. But from 2015-16, he posted more than 1,000 rushing yards, 1,500 yards from scrimmage and at least 13 touchdowns each season. If youve followed the Steelers, you've probably heard the term "Steelers Football." They got a lot of carries in an era when both the fullback and halfback needed to contribute to the running game. He made the Pro Bowl three times, from 2014-16. Follow Holcomb on Twitter at @dmholcomb. name the pittsburgh steelers running back to the last 10 years. The following is the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time roster, browsable by last name or position. 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? Player ratings with position rankings. I could be wrong. Allain died on February 21, 2023, following a . It's Le'Veon Bell because there is thought given to picking players who could function as a unit if the position require that. Running backs are not the commodities they once were. Pittsburgh Steelers Career Rushing Leaders. 1. 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. | He's another back who never led the league in rushing and never made All-Pro. During the decade, he has 8,834 rushing yards five 1,000-yard seasons and 71 touchdowns. Harris managed to get 691 rushing yards, with an average of five yards. In 79 games with the Steelers, he carried the ball for 3,343 yards and 22 touchdowns. Steelers running back James Conner (30) runs for a short gain past Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton (26) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Today, with the explosion of the passing game, a star running back is a helpful asset but no longer a requirement. Barkley reminded the NFL world this past season that he's one of the best running backs in the league by rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns. Across the decade, Martin has posted 5,356 rushing yards and 32 total touchdowns. The real results of who touched it first is still undetermined to this day. He finished his career in Pittsburgh with 3,115 rushing yards, 241 receptions, and 34 total touchdowns. Still, "CJ2K" comes in at No. 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. Buffalo 2007-10; Seattle 2010-15, '19; Oakland 2017-18. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of smash-mouth football dating back to before they ever won their first Super Bowl. Everything in the NFL goes in cycles. Gurley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and won the Offensive Player of the Year award. His rookie contract was voided after his fourth season, after just one in Pittsburgh, and there were opportunities to leave. He would play six seasons in Three Rivers Stadium when the Steelers were home and finish with 3,343 yards rushing. More like he will get exposed yet again as being the most overrated running back in the league . Harris is one of the main reasons the Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. February 27, 2023 3 min Watch. 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. The phrase is often proclaimed by an announcer after a Steelers running back plows over a few unlucky defenders. Morris signed with Baltimore Ravens where he lasted just two seasons before the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs took a chance on him in 1998. Emailed daily. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. The running back fell just short of 1,000 yards from scrimmage last season after finishing with 1,414 yards in his rookie campaign. Dickerson was traded mid-season in 1987; he played three games for the Rams and nine for the Colts. Trump can be sued by cops United States 11:10 am - 10,090 views; Train crash toll now 57 Greece 9:38 am - 3,746 views; Snow, rain end drought California 9:32 am - 1,290 views; More World News Franco Harris gets most of the credit for that infamous incident, but Terry Bradshaws passing attempt on that play was originally intended for Fuqua who was decleated by Jack Tatum. As it is, he has 5,336 rushing yards and nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage since coming into the league in 2013. Players were considered based on having careers with the Steelers from 1992 until the present. The All-Modern Era team is made up of 26 players - 11 on offense, 11 on defense, and four specialists. BARRY FOSTER set a Steelers single-season record with 1,690 rushing yards in 1992, and he got there with a 4.3 average while scoring 11 of the offense's 28 touchdowns. When it comes to this room, the Steelers are indeed looking for them to step up. Former Steelers running back Willie Parker (39) acknowledges the crowd during a 2018 against the Chargers at Heinz Field. Beast Mode's freakish combination of power and finesse was unlike any running back that came before him. In later years Bleier helped pen a book about himself and a movie was made about his story titled Fighting Back.. Steeler running backs Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Sidney Thornton and Rashard Mendenhall all helped bring Lombardi Trophies to Pittsburgh. RASHARD MENDENHALL came to the Steelers as a first-round pick in 2008, and after spending the bulk of his rookie season on the injured reserve list, he rushed for 3,309 yards on 812 carries (4.1 average) and 29 touchdowns from 2009-11. It is tough to guess what the future holds for Connor in the NFL. 6:02; See All. LeVeon Bell: Finally we have our current star in the making. He will be called an innovator or maybe even a genius when his team wins a Super Bowl by smashing its way through flimsy NFL defenses that are designed to stop passing attacks. In the following AFC title game against Miami, Pollard was held to just 48 yards rushing. Postseason. But it was his story of injury during the war that gave him notoriety at the start of his career. Other teams (like the Steelers) have one but rarely use him. Cameron Heyward (2011), T.J. Watt (2017), Terrell Edmunds (2018), Devin Bush Jr. (2019), and Najee Harris (2022) are the five remaining first-rounders still on the Steelers roster. DeAngelo Williams Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images. Since missing the last five games of 2010, Gore has sat out just two games over the last eight years. In 2005, speedy Willie Parker took advantage of paths cleared by Kreider, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Last season he was in the top five among running backs in several categories. But Hoak is probably best remembered for his ever-so-long tenure as the Running Backs coach with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. In the second concussion he encountered, it resulted in Hoge having to be resuscitated when he stopped breathing. In 2012, the Steelers found themselves with JONATHAN DWYER as their leading rusher, which is what led to the spending of a second-round pick in the following draft on Le'Veon Bell. 2013 Steelers 2014 Steelers 2015 Steelers 2016 Steelers 2017 Steelers 2018 Steelers 2019 Steelers 2020 Steelers 2021 Steelers 2022 Steelers 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 8-8 11-5 10-6 11-5 13-3 9-6-1 8-8 12-4 9-7-1 9-8. Watt is a fullback who saw a lot of snaps during his time with the Chargers.). Of course, we all know why. Which of these tight ends has left a lasting legacy in the city of Pittsburgh? 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. He returned to put . Rashard Mendenhall only played five seasons with the Steelers but rushed for a respectable 3,549 yards in 57 games. Najee Harris warming to Steelers' running back-by-committee approach. Lynch was an underrated pass-catcher in his prime too. But you cant throw just any ball carrier out there and hope to have success; it takes a certain kind of player to fit into a power running offensive scheme. However, it's not too early to break down the best from the 2010s either. The on-field portion of the NFL Combine begins on Thursday, marking the start of the testing circuit that propels some prospects into the stratosphere while ruining the stock of others. He's rushed for only 2,599 yards this decade, but everyone knows he's far more than just a running back. Included are players that played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1945-2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1940-1942 and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) from 1933-1939. Hunt offers some stability in the pass-game as he had 44 . From 1974 to 1979, Harris topped the 1,000-yard milestone every season and carried the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories. Merril Hoge: Lasting until the 10th round in the 1987 NFL draft, Merril Hoge was a tough as nails runner for the Steelers who suffered a rash of concussion injuries that would cost him his career. But there were bright spots, and Walter Abercrombie was one of them. Gordon averaged a career-best 5.1 yards per carry in 2018. Parker set the record for longest rushing touchdown from scrimmage in a Super Bowl (XL) with a romp of 75 yards which still stands today. If it was Fuqua who the ball last touched, it would not be a legal catch by Harris according to the rules in 1972. He spent his first year in the NFL with the Giants before coming to the Steelers in 1970. The 23-year-old was on his way to two straight special years to begin his NFL career before the Chiefs cut him following his involvement with a woman in a domestic dispute. Chances are it is an announcer who remembers some of the great backs in Steelers history and how they dominated the game. Parker was perhaps the fastest running back ever to play for the Steelers. Bettis will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015 in August, and the accomplishments to be praised that day are only part of why he was the man during his 10 seasons with the Steelers. All rights reserved. One return went to the house. He signed as an undrafted free agent who had run a 4.23-second 40 at the Scouting Combine the previous spring. In 1992, we found out who the heck that guy was: the man who would run for more yards in one season than any Steelers running back in team history. name the pittsburgh steelers running back to the last 10 years. Parker had a shot to lead the NFL in rushing in 2007, but he broke his leg in the regular season's penultimate game and finished with 1,316 yards. The move closes the latest chapter of Wentz's career after just one season in Washington. Took pay cuts, and continued to stay. West Virginia's Senate passed a bill Monday that would give $25,000 in tax credits to former residents who move back to the state to work. 8. The fullback might get the ball once or twice a game in short-yardage situations, but for the most part, he was turned into a blocking specialist. In his rookie season, Morris rushed for 836 yards and a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. 9, we . With the Redskins, Cowboys and 49ers, Morris has 5,931 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in the 2010s. A dominant defense and an unstoppable running gamethats Steelers Football. He joins Franco Harris and John Henry Johnson. I want to travel the world and write. If that wasnt strange enough, Mendenhall got himself into hot water in 2011 as a Steeler when he tweeted a controversial reaction to the United States elimination of Osama bin Laden. Drafted by the Steelers in the first round with the 23rd pick in 2008, Mendenhall replaced Willie Parker and had successive years of 1,000 or more yards rushing in 2009 and 2010 with a high of 1,273 in 10. Over the entire decade, he posted 6,417 rushing yards and 7,909 yards from scrimmage with the Titans, Jets and Cardinals from 2010-17. In a move many in the NFL community felt was inevitable, the Washington Commanders released quarterback Carson Wentz on Monday in a move that will save the team $26.12 million against their 2023 salary cap. The Steelers had jumped offsides on the play and it was called back. Really, he will just be doing what teams like the Steelers did for decades. This was the age of the feature back, when one superstar halfback got most of the carries. While that trio may be the best-best-of-the best to run behind Pittsburghs all-time offensive lines, there have been more than a handful of outstanding running backs for Pittsburgh since they began play in 1933. From the time Fran Rogel became the teams starting running back in 1950 until his retirement in 1957, Pittsburghs first play from scrimmage in every game Rogel was in the backfield began with a handoff to the California State Teachers College and Penn State University product with a rush into the middle of the offensive line. The stud running back finished with 3,943 yards which lands him seventh on Pittsburghs all-time list. The Steelers won a lot of games in the late-90s to mid-2000s by lining up 250-pound running back Jerome Bettis behind 250-pound fullback Dan Kreider and bulldozing any defense that came before them. See the full player roster for the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers. Damien Harris (New England Patriots) The 2021 season will only be Damien Harris' second full season with the Patriots as a running back, but he's shown his level of skill. The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right of their name: These quarterbacks have the most starts for the Steelers in regular season games. To prepare, we at Chargers Wire are previewing players from every position. What those teams dont have is a legacy of bullying and dominating opponents, and that is what brought the Steelers six Super Bowl championships. Drafted by the Steelers in 1942 and in his rookie season led the NFL in rushing with 696 yards. In 2012, he made the All-Pro team with 1,590 rushing yards and 1,786 yards from scrimmage.