Bell rushed for 1,361 yards in 2014, but what turned that into first-team All-Pro recognition were his 83 catches for 854 yards. Today we ranked the Pittsburgh Steeler Running Backs throughout their franchise! All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . Rob Burns / AP Photo. | The Pittsburgh Steelers are loaded with high-end fantasy talent, and Mike Tomlin's team has been producing every week.The Steelers have scored 30 or more points in six straight games, and they are in a position to earn a spot in the AFC playoffs if they can win their final two games of the season.It's all lining up to be a happy holiday season in Pittsburgh because they close the year with . A bullet pierced his left thigh in Vietnam and further injuries occurred when a grenade exploded near him putting shrapnel in his lower right leg. The Steelers had jumped offsides on the play and it was called back. 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. The 34-year-old made All-Pro twice, in 2008 and 2009, but he added two more All-Pro nominations during 2012 and 2015. Lucrative opportunities to leave. Let's take a look back at the rest of the Steelers picks since the 2000 season. Buffalo 2007-10; Seattle 2010-15, '19; Oakland 2017-18. He'll continue to split time with Nick Chubb in the backfield, but the Browns are a run-first team that will use the talents of both. In both seasons, he made All-Pro. Rocky Bleier: For some Steelers fans it might be hard to believe that Robert Patrick Bleier, known best in Steelers Nation as Rocky turned 69 years of age this year. Harris played 980 offensive snaps during the regular season . I enjoy the passing game, and I love that Ben Roethlisberger has matured into an elite quarterback, but it is hard for me to imagine there is a better way to play football than Steelers Football. He would play six seasons in Three Rivers Stadium when the Steelers were home and finish with 3,343 yards rushing. Across the decade, Martin has posted 5,356 rushing yards and 32 total touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl three times, from 2014-16. In 1982, he was Pittsburghs first overall pick in the draft coming in at number 12. He made four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team as a Steeler and inspired a Pittsburgh Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XLone of the greatest wins in Steelers history. By 1995, Foster was out of Pittsburgh and out of the NFL, thus ending his short, dramatic, and bizarre pro football career. 4. All-time Scoring Leader: Gary Anderson 1,343 points At the time of the second injury, he was no longer with the Steelers but playing for the Chicago Bears and sued that teams doctor resulting in a $1.55 million judgment in favor of Hoge. He's averaged 101.2 rushing yards per game during his career and led the NFL in that category each of the last three years. Steelers running back James Conner (30) runs for a short gain past Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton (26) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Still, I think he is deserving of the number 16 spot on this list of all-time great Steelers backs. In 2005, speedy Willie Parker took advantage of paths cleared by Kreider, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl. But Stewart posted 5,366 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns in the decade. He spent his first year in the NFL with the Giants before coming to the Steelers in 1970. Overall contributions to the Steelers franchise. LeVeon Bell: Finally we have our current star in the making. The trend in the modern NFL is to run the ball out of single-back sets, often from a shotgun or pistol formation. During this decade, he earned two Pro Bowl nominations and an All-Pro bid. Sowhos the greatest tight end in Pittsburgh Steelers history? 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. As an undrafted rookie in 2004, Bill Cowher took a chance on the 5-foot-10, 209-pound first-year player and Parker impressed sharing time with The Bus, Jerome Bettis. Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. Harris is one of the main reasons the Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Gurley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and won the Offensive Player of the Year award. Feeling he had to listen to his boss, Kiesling had quarterback Jack Scarbath toss the ball which resulted in a touchdown to Goose McClairen. But it was his story of injury during the war that gave him notoriety at the start of his career. Find out more. Only other is safeties at sub lb and doesn't change their ratings just where they are on the field. More like he will get exposed yet again as being the most overrated running back in the league . Time to profile some of the outstanding and popular running backs to suit up for the Steelers. In two seasons, he is already 18th among all Steelers backs in rushing. Today, Johnson is one of the former Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Player ratings with position rankings. Franco Harris is not only the best Steelers running back in franchise history, but one of the greatest Steelers of all time. Joey Porter. Le'veon Bell also earned a reputation as one of the most patient RBs in the NFL. Jerome Bettis (1996-2005). He started alongside Franco Harris in four Super Bowl victories and both backs ran for over 1,000 yards in 1976. (Note: The Steelers signed Derek Watt during the 2020 offseason and released Nix, who signed with Indianapolis. TEAM SEASON GP REC W% W L T TD PTS PPG OPP PTS OPP PPG 1DWN 3DWN% 4DWN% Pittsburgh Steelers: 2013: 16: 8-8.500: 8: 8: 0: 41: 379 . A good scoring drive based on running plays eats up the clock and keeps the ball out of the hands of the other team's offense. This was the age of the feature back, when one superstar halfback got most of the carries. After five seasons of never finishing higher than RB34, Williams had a career year in 2022, finishing as the overall RB18. The running back fell just short of 1,000 yards from scrimmage last season after finishing with 1,414 yards in his rookie campaign. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He led the Steelers in rushing in 1965, 1968, and 1969. Since missing the last five games of 2010, Gore has sat out just two games over the last eight years. 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 The team has selected second overall once, and third overall four times. But he still turned in two more 1,000-yard seasons and recorded at least 800 yards from scrimmage in four seasons this decade. 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. Great Pittsburgh Steelers players such as Heath Miller, Bennie Cunningham, and Eric Green, who could count among the best NFL players ever, have gone down as some of the best tight ends in Steelers franchise history. Steeler running backs Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Sidney Thornton and Rashard Mendenhall all helped bring Lombardi Trophies to Pittsburgh. In 1944 he led Army to an undefeated record with 12 victories and was named the teams Most Valuable Player. 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. For the Steelers he would rush for 2,243 yards five seasons. In nine seasons all as a Steeler, Pollard scored 20 touchdowns. By Ross Kelly and Tony Adame, updated on October 18, 2022. Abercrombie played one more season in 1988 with the cross state Philadelphia Eagles before retiring. Mendenhall is currently No. He ranks 23rd all-time among Pittsburgh rushers having gained 1,504 yards as a Steeler. Before Franco Harris, there was John Frenchy Fuqua. Advertisement In some form or fashion, the Steelers will need to add quality depth to . 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. His professional career started in 2007 when he decided to skip the last year of college and enter the NFL Draft. 8. While one is considered a fullback and the other a halfback, they share more commonalities than differences in their duties. Doctors had told him following the enemy attack that his football days were over. Dudley also found himself on kickoff returns where he fielded 11 of those for 298 yards (27.0 average). Murray made the All-Pro team and Pro Bowl that year. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. No matter what happens with the evolution of this position, these Pittsburgh tight ends have left a legacy for this that cant be taken away. All Rights Reserved. At 244 pounds, Morris was a load running behind the offensive line and his numbers backed up his train rushing efforts. Willie Parker: Fast Willie Parker actually lands in third place all-time among Pittsburgh rushers. Emmitt Smith leads with 18,365 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. As the tight end position increasingly becomes more of a focal point in offensive schemes , one. 22. Walter Abercrombie: To this day, Abercrombie is Baylor Universitys all-time leading rusher with 3,674 yards while scoring 22 touchdowns. He lasted just five seasons but they were filled with success. Four of those were LeVeon Bell, but three were different players who stepped up in those seasons: Mendenhall (Pittsburgh's last first-round running back), Williams, Conner. The following is the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time roster, browsable by last name or position. Dickerson was traded mid-season in 1987; he played three games for the Rams and nine for the Colts. But Hoak is probably best remembered for his ever-so-long tenure as the Running Backs coach with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. Always free! Players active with the Pittsburgh . As a punter, he kicked the ball 18 times during his career and averaged 32 yards per punt. Current team members are listed in bold. The power running back is a dying breed in football. Parker never regained his starting job and was released only to make on attempt at staying in the NFL with the Washington Redskins in 2010 where he spent his time on the practice squad before retiring. Hunt offers some stability in the pass-game as he had 44 . The All-Modern Era team is made up of 26 players 11 on offense, 11 on defense, and four specialists. 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. Anderson was traded mid-season in 1986; he played four games for the Cardinals and eight for the Giants. Really, he will just be doing what teams like the Steelers did for decades. In just a three-year period, from 2010-12, he posted 5,702 yards from scrimmage and 47 touchdowns. To no ones surprise, Art Rooney Sr. mailed a post card to his running back while in recovery that said, Rock We need you. That was the kind of man The Chief was. Bell made three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams as a Steeler. 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. But Foster ended up as a one-hit wonder because when he was at peak ability he really didn't love the game, and then it became too late. 'Top 10, he would not get laughs' Thirty-five picks elapsed before a team drafted a running back last year. The Steelers will win 5 games this year, Canada will be fired, and Tomlin will "resign." . 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 the following AFC title game against Miami, Pollard was held to just 48 yards rushing. Barry Foster: Unfortunately for Barry Foster, his career was short in the Burgh. The days of Jim Brown or John Riggins getting 40 carries a game are gone. BAM MORRIS followed Foster, but after a couple of promising seasons, he was released after pleading guilty to felony possession of marijuana in June 1996. While Gore has never led the league in rushing or made All-Pro, his consistency lands him at No. From 1974 to 1979, Harris topped the 1,000-yard milestone every season and carried the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories. Charles also ran for 1,509 yards in 2012 and 1,033 yards in 2014. Or write about sports? He'll likely end up with a good chunk of dough in free agency, but it's hard to believe . With the Bears and Jets, Forte posted 7,629 rushing yards and 11,353 yards from scrimmage from 2010-17. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. No NFL team has enjoyed the consistent level of success the Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. That meant Bell joined Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history with 1,350-plus yards rushing and 850-plus yards receiving in the same season. The next ingredient is a tough, hard-nosed rushing attack that controls the ball and methodically plows through opposing defenses. I predict that sometime in the next decade, an offensive coordinator will go back to power football and line up with a tight end, a fullback, and a tailback in an I-formation for most of the game. Wanting the jersey number 26 which he wore at Notre Dame, Preston Pearson held those digits so Rocky settled for No. Bleier starred in Super Bowl XIII with a touchdown reception and a recovered onside kick to seal Pittsburghs third NFL title. That one instance came in 1956 when Art Rooney Sr. uncharacteristically was frustrated with a head coach and instructed the then Head Coach Walt Kiesling to negate the opening Rogel rush and throw the ball instead. This decade, Sproles has also led the league in punt return yardage twice. Gurley has rushed for 4,547 rushing yards and recorded 6,430 yards from scrimmage with 56 touchdowns. Pittsburgh Steelers player information and depth chart order. I could be wrong. Williams recorded at least 730 rushing yards in a season four times . Fran Rogel was also a local product having grown up in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. 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. 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. He never made a Pro Bowl and never had a 1,000-yard season, but he appeared in 111 games over nine seasons and managed to rack up 3,989 career rushing yards. [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. His performance in the 1989 playoffs, when he turned in back-to-back 100-yard games against Houston and Denver, is the stuff of Steelers' legend. 20 and retired with that number despite the departure of Pearson to Dallas. As a Steeler, Bettis crashed his way for 10,571 rushing yards and 78 rushing touchdowns, both second-best in team history. Harris managed to get 691 rushing yards, with an average of five yards. The first requirement is an intimidating defense that dominates opponents and makes it tough for them to put points on the board. The quick-footed big guy ran over, through and around defenders for nine years with the Steelers. Sadly, the days of Steelers Football seem to have gone the way of the dropkick. Foster made one attempt to come out of retirement with the Cincinnati Bengals that same year but after just a few days with the club he decided on retirement at the tender age of 26. He posted more than 1,900 yards from scrimmage twice, in 2010 and 2013. In 1980, Thornton would average five yards-per-carry while carrying the rock 78 times. He also posted many of his best seasons in the previous decade, which robbed him of a chance at the top 10 on this list. Still, Bleier became a starter in the backfield with Harris and shined. Jerome Bettis is the latest Steelers running back to become a member in Canton, Ohio. 1 1. 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. What those teams dont have is a legacy of bullying and dominating opponents, and that is what brought the Steelers six Super Bowl championships. Fuqua to this day refuses to give his take on what actually took place. He spent his first year in the NFL with the Giants before coming to the Steelers in 1970. 5. Hoak's record as the team's running backs coach was 149-90-1, making him the third-most successful running backs coach in Pittsburgh Steelers history. Running backs are not the commodities they once were. LeVeon Bell got off to a late start in his rookie season due to injuries but then proved he was worthy of his second round draft selection. Parker ran for 1,200 yards or better in three straight seasons and led the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins. 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. Read on to find out why. 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. Dudley owns 44 touchdowns to his credit. He posted 1,000-yard rushing seasons in each of the first three years of the decade. It was thought by the Steelers coaching staff and fans alike that Pittsburgh had found their new star running back. Many argued that when Gore suffered a season-ending injury at the beginning of December in 2010, his best days were behind him. Fullback Franco Harris came to the Steelers in the 1972 draft and made an immediate impact. The Steelers have had several players enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame after being a part of the Pittsburghs ground game for most of or all of their entire careers. In 2006 he tried to make a comeback in the Arena Football League and the National Indoor Football League but that last just part of one season. Peterson missed all but one game in 2014 because of a child abuse case, but he returned to lead the NFL in rushing during 2015. February 27, 2023 3 min Watch. Le'Veon Bell was one of the best Steelers running backs of all time. Frank Pollard: In the mid-1980s, a stout Frank Pollard became the Steelers primary running back. Barry Foster first came to the attention of Steeler Nation in 1990 when he treated a kickoff as a punt, stood aside, and watched the ball bounce along the ground until the opposing team recovered it. 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. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. It's a smaller sample size, but Elliott has also posted 131.2 yards from scrimmage per game in his three seasons. He signed as an undrafted free agent who had run a 4.23-second 40 at the Scouting Combine the previous spring. Bill Dudley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and 10 year prior was inducted into College Footballs Hall of Fame. 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. The 33rd Team. The top photos of RB Le'Veon Bell throughout 2014 season. Morris peaked as a rookie, rushing for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2012. Only stats for Regular Season Games have been included. The Steelers went 6-10 in his first season, but along with players like Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis, and Alan Faneca . . But he stayed. In the last 10 years, 10 different backs have led the league in PPR scoring. In 2007, Fuqua created a candy and marketed it as The Immaculate Confection. But aside from that 1972 playoff game with the Oakland Raiders, Fuqua could be seen off the field wearing the flashiest of clothes that included shoes with see-through heals and live fish in them. The mid-'80s were a tough time for Steeler Nation. 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. Best: Franco Harris. Hoak made a Pro Bowl in 1968 and is currently ranked seventh in Steelers' history for all-time rushing yards with 3,965. He joins Franco Harris and John Henry Johnson. Conner responded with a Pro Bowl performance and gave Steeler Nation hope that hed become the next great Pittsburgh running back. Harris was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He'll get the chance to continue his career with the Browns, but he'll miss the first eight games of 2019 because of a suspension. Mendenhall spent five seasons in Pittsburgh and was a member of two Super Bowl teams. How an 8-year-old inspired Najee Harris' 5-TD performance vs. Ole Miss. In the second concussion he encountered, it resulted in Hoge having to be resuscitated when he stopped breathing. He is more famously known for his post-retirement with ESPN as an analyst which he has excelled at and has become one of that networks finest announcers. The running back ran for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries, and caught 74 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns. In 1966 when the Fighting Irish won the national title, Rocky was a member of that team. Fuqua would have to be the most colorful player in Steelers history as well as the most controversial. The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2020 running back room has the assortments of all the skillsets you could find around the NFL. Drafted by the Steelers in 1942 and in his rookie season led the NFL in rushing with 696 yards. The Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Fame running back Franco Harris died Wednesday, just before the 50-year anniversary of his "Immaculate Reception" play. Beast Mode's freakish combination of power and finesse was unlike any running back that came before him. Williams had his first 1,000-yard season and averaged 13.3 ppg. Yes, that was his average. He has held the all-time rushing yards record since 2002 and is the only player with over 17,000 regular season rushing yards. But since then injuries have slowed him, and he's averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. Today, with the explosion of the passing game, a star running back is a helpful asset but no longer a requirement. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of smash-mouth football dating back to before they ever won their first Super Bowl. Once the Steelers free up a considerable amount of cap space, are eight free agents who could reinvigorate the roster in the 2023 season. He's been named All-Pro and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns during each of the last two years too. In fact, no back has even finished top-two in consecutive years, and only Adrian Peterson (second in 2009 and 2015; first in 2012) and Le'Veon Bell (first in 2014; second in 2017) have even had more than one top-two year in a decade. He finished with 585 yards and scored six touchdowns including a 75-yard run. LeVeon Bell made his mark with the Steelers running in this kind of offense. PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Tomlin wasn't ready to go there, with all due respect. In 1979, he started 10 games in place of Bleier and ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns. Twenty-three slots went by before the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Najee Harris in 2021. Christian McCaffrey (2019) This past season, McCaffrey became the third running back in NFL history to generate over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a single season. 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. Harris is my fourth-ranked running back for the 2022 season. Players were considered based on having careers with the Steelers from 1992 until the present. Prior to being drafted by the Army for service, Bleier was a University of Notre Dame product graduating in 1968 earning a degree in Business Management. He's posted 2,987 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns over the last three years. The Tigers picked up their sixth commitment for the 2024 recruiting cycle - and their first running back - Wednesday with the public . 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. In Pittsburgh, he was everything but. By 1974, Bleier was weighing in at 212 pounds and he made the team to stay. Reports this off-season show he weighed in at 244 pounds from 232 last season. Murray rushed for 7,174 yards and 49 touchdowns with the Cowboys, Eagles and Titans in the 2010s. He was cut twice but kept up his persistence. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Overall, Foster registered 6,270 rushing yards and 8,523 yards from scrimmage playing for the Texans and Dolphins from 2010-16. (Fullback Roosevelt Nix spent most of 2019 injured and did not appear to have a viable replacement.) Took pay cuts, and continued to stay. With the 2019 season, there is still time to influence who lands where among a list of the best running backs of the decade. And that's with missing the 2016 season because of retirement. The concussion was so bad that Hoge had to learn to read again and suffered from memory loss as well as encountering headaches and confusion. James Conner is at the forefront . This means two backs in the backfield, usually lined up side by side. That's the equivalent of more than two seasons. After a slow start (for a seventh overall draft pick from . It wasn't too long ago that Freeman was regarded as a top-five back in the league. Born Byron Morris, drafted in the third round of the 1994 draft, Morris immediately made an impact with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to them from Texas Tech University. Everything in the NFL goes in cycles. It's Le'Veon Bell because there is thought given to picking players who could function as a unit if the position require that.