Ravens' Derrick Henry passes Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris on NFL's all-time rushing list
Henry has passed two more notable players on the career rushing list
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
2 min read
Another game, another milestone for Derrick Henry.
During the second half of Sunday's game against the Vikings, the Ravens' All-Pro running back passed Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Franco Harris on the NFL's career rushing list. His 75 yards on the day moved him into 15th on the all-time rushing list.
Henry recently became only the 17th player of the 12,000-yard club, which is especially notable as every eligible member of that club is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also recently passed Hall of Famer Walter Payton for fifth all-time in career touchdown runs.
NFL's all-time career rushing list
| Player | Yards |
|---|---|
1. Emmitt Smith** | 18,355 |
2. Walter Payton** | 16,726 |
3. Frank Gore | 16,000 |
4. Barry Sanders** | 15,269 |
14,918 | |
6. Curtis Martin** | 14,101 |
7. LaDainian Tomlinson** | 13,684 |
8. Jerome Bettis** | 13,662 |
9. Eric Dickerson** | 13,259 |
10. Tony Dorsett** | 12,739 |
11. Jim Brown** | 12,312 |
12. Marshall Faulk** | 12,279 |
13. Edgerrin James** | 12,246 |
14. Marcus Allen** | 12,243 |
15. Derrick Henry | 12,124 |
16. Franco Harris** | 12,120 |
17. Thurman Thomas** | 12,074 |
18. Fred Taylor | 11,695 |
19. Steven Jackson | 11,438 |
20. John Riggins** | 11,352 |
** -- Pro Football Hall of Fame members
The backs that Henry just past are two of the most accomplished running backs of all-time, especially when it comes to the playoffs.
Thomas is third all-time in career postseason rushing yards (1,442) and is sixth on the Super Bowl career rushing list. The majority of Thomas' 204 yards in Super Bowls came in his first one in 1991 when he ran for 135 yards and a score (in addition to catching five passes for 55 yards) and would have been the MVP had the Bills defeated the Giants in Super Bowl XXV. Unfortunately for Thomas, the Bills lost what remains the only Super Bowl that has been decided by a single point.
(1991) @thurmanthomas pulled off this great TD run in Super Bowl XXV 💯#thurmanthomas #thurman #thomas #nfl #buffalobills #buffalo #bills #billsnation #americanfootball #football #gridiron #run #touchdown #superbowl #superbowlxxv #sports #sport pic.twitter.com/HJshmu827A
— In The Showcase (@intheshowcase) October 17, 2020
Like Thomas, Harris also played in four Super Bowls. But while Thomas' Bills squads went 0-4, Harris' Steelers were 4-0. Harris was a big reason for Pittsburgh's success in those games as he remains the Super Bowl career leader with 354 yards. He ran for a then-Super Bowl record 158 yards and a score in Pittsburgh's first Super Bowl, a 16-6 win over the Vikings in Super Bowl IX.
Harris, who retired as the third-leading rusher in NFL history, also retired with the most postseason rushing yards (1,586) in history. Only Emmitt Smith has rushed for most postseason yards than Harris, who remains the only starting running back in history to win four Super Bowls.
"Brad, give me the ball."
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) October 3, 2024
When Franco Harris stood up for Terry Bradshaw and got revenge on Hollywood Henderson's Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII 💪 @Steelers pic.twitter.com/fr1IHnKEoO
Henry is now less than 200 yards away from passing NFL icon Jim Brown for 11th on the career rushing list. Brown, who is a constant fixture in any discussion of the greatest running backs of all-time, held the career rushing record for 21 years before Payton passed him during the 1984 season.
