GIF's Top Ten Best Running Backs Not In The Hall Of Fame

Let's compile a list, in your opinion, of the top ten greatest running backs who has yet to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame that are eligible (retired at least five years). Fullbacks can be nominated here as well.

The format for each post should contain the following:

Player Pic
Name
Team(s)
Seasons of Service
Notable Achievements/Accolades
Biography (optional)

One nomination per member.

After the list is complied, we will have a healthy debate if you disagree with anyone on the list. If you want, you can make an honorable mention iyo who should be on this list.


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Don Perkins
Dallas Cowboys
*1960-1968
6x Pro Bowl Selection (1961,1962,1963,1966,1967,1968)
1961 NFL Rookie of The Year
First Team All-Pro (1962)
Sporting News First Team All-NFL (1961)
Associated Press First Team All-NFL (1962)
Newspaper Ent. Assoc. First Team All-NFL (1962)
UPI Second Team All-NFL (1962)
Associated Press Second Team All-NFL (1967)
NY Daily News Second Team All-NFL (1967)
Newspaper Ent. Assoc. Second Team All-NFL (1968)
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor (November 7th, 1976)
Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2006)
1,500 Carries
6,217 Rushing Yards
42 Rushing Touchdowns
4.1 Yards Per carry
146 Receptions
1,310 Receiving Yards
9.0 Yards Per Catch
3 Receiving Touchdowns
7,997 All-Purpose Yards (Rushing, Receiving, Kickoff, Punt Returns & Fumble Recoveries)
First Dallas Cowboy to rush for 100 yards in a single game (vs. Minnesota Vikings on September 24th, 1961)
First Dallas Cowboy to make the All-NFL Team (1961)
Fifth all time in career rushing yards at the time of his retirement in 1969
Led Cowboys in rushing in six of his eight seasons
Finished in the Top 10 in the NFL in rushing in each of his eight seasons
Finished in the Top 10 in the NFL in rushing attempts in each of his eight seasons
Finished in the Top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards per game in each of his eight seasons
Ten career 100 yard games (Fourth in Cowboys history)
42 Career Rushing Touchdowns ranks third in Cowboys history
Four consecutive seasons leading the Cowboys in rushing touchdowns (Ties for second all time behind Emmitt Smith)
Fumbled just 18 times in eight seasons
Recovered 8 own fumbles


*Signed a personal services contract worth $1,500 in bonus money and $10,000 in salary in 1960 before Dallas was granted an NFL franchise. Perkins was drafted in the ninth round in the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts in 1960. The Colts received the Cowboys ninth round draft selection in the 1961 NFL Draft to resolve the matter. Perkins broke his foot during training camp in 1960 and sat out the season.

 

Roger Craig
San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings
1983-1993
First running back to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season (1985). Since then, only one other running back has achieved the same feat (Marshall Faulk in 1999).
Caught a then-record 92 passes in 1985.
In 1988, Craig set a then-franchise record 1,502 yards rushing (Garrison Hearst broke the record with 1,570 yards in 1998. Frank Gore holds the current record with 1,695 yards in 2006).
Only running back to lead the NFL in receptions for a single season, and the only one ever to record over 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl.
On April 21, 2008 Craig was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (BASHOF).
Craig finished his eleven NFL seasons with 8,189 rushing yards, 566 receptions for 4,911 receiving yards, and three kickoff returns for 43 yards. Overall, he amassed 13,143 total yards and scored 73 touchdowns (56 rushing and 17 receiving).
3-time SB Champion
4-time Pro Bowler

Source: Wikipedia

 

Bo Jackson
Raiders
Drafted in the 7th round
Played for 5(?) seasons
Bo was the most recognizable athlete of his time. The Bo knows Bo campaign was everywhere. You would of had to live the moon not to know who he was.
Played baseball for the Royals, was either a Home Run or Strike out kinda guy, could field better than most. Just an all around GREAT athlete.

My hero when I was in High School. I don't like baseball but tried like hell to play just because he did. lol Had his number in football and played RB. I miss watching him play. what an amazing athlete.

Video- [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjO_QfFYV78]YouTube - Bo Jackson[/ame]

 

FOR WHO? FOR WHAT?




Name - Ricky Watters
Team(s) - 49ers, Eagles, Seahawks
Seasons of Service - 11
Notable Achievements/Accolades -

• 5× Pro Bowl selection (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
• 3× All-Pro selection (1994, 1995, 1996)
• Super Bowl champion (XXIX)

Biography (optional) - On a 2008 episode of NFL Top 10, a documentary series produced by the NFL Network, Watters was ranked #7 out of the top 10 players yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Despite his 5 Pro Bowl selections and his high rankings in total rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, criticism of his lack of professional demeanor was cited by voters as a primary reason for his failure to be inducted. In particular, he was considered to be a "loud mouth" by some critics, who argued it overshadowed his on-the-field accomplishments. Others interviewed said his behavior was no different than other inductees, in particular, Joe Namath and Lawrence Taylor. The "For Who, For What?" incident is considered by former voters as a defining moment that could hurt his chances, as one Hall of Fame voter said that it would be brought up as a negative by someone whenever Watters' name came up in the future.

Ricky Watters - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I was close to nominating Ricky before deciding to go the obscure route this time with Don Perkins.

Those four words are going to continue to hurt Watters' chances for HOF induction for quite awhile.

Now that Floyd Little will be inducted this year...Perkins imo is the best running back prior to the AFL-NFL merger that has yet to be enshrined.

What hurt Perkins' chances for enshrinement the most over the years is that he played on mostly bad Cowboy teams during his eight seasons...and retired just one year before their first Super Bowl appearance in 1970. Perkins has yet to even been named a finalist for the HOF.

 

This.

I love....I mean loooove O.J. Anderson.
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He deserves HOF consideration from his Cardinal days alone.

He was well on his way to Canton while in St. Louis imo before injuries limited his explosiveness but was still a valuable contributor when Parcells traded a couple draft choices to acquire him in 1986 after Cardinals management deemed Anderson a "cancer" in the locker room.

Anderson resurrected his career with his two Super Bowl rings, Super Bowl XXV MVP award not to mention his 1989 Comeback Player of The Year award. He was the ideal back in my mind for Parcells' offense.

Anderson was recently on a radio show and the host pointed out the reasons why Ottis should be in the HOF and he agreed. Anderson may have been selected to only two Pro Bowls...but that didn't hurt John Riggins and Riggo had one fewer than Anderson.


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I agree with Omen 100%

 

Bump....

Need four more to complete the list....

 

Eddie George
Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys
1996-2004
4x Pro Bowl Selection (1997,1998,1999,2000)
First Team All-Pro (2000)
Second Team All-Pro (1999)
UPI Second Team All-Conference (1996)
Pro Football Weekly First Team All-Conference (1999)
Pro Football Weekly First Team All-Conference (2000)
Pro Football Writers First Team All-NFL (2000)
1996 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
2,865 Carries
10,441 Rushing Yards
68 Rushing Touchdowns
3.6 Yards Per Carry
268 Receptions
2,227 Receiving Yards
10 Receiving Touchdowns
8.3 Yards Per Catch
12,668 Yards from Scrimmage (Rushing & Receiving)
Oilers/Titans Career Leader in Rushing (10,009 Yards)
Oilers/Titans Career Leader in Carries (2,733)
64 Career Rushing Touchdowns ranks second in Oilers/Titans history
Rushed for at least 1,000 yards in seven of eight seasons with Oilers/Titans
Led NFL in Carries in 2000 with 403
One of five Running Backs to have at least 400 carries in a season
Never missed a game/start in eight seasons with Oilers/Titans
Missed just three games in his nine year career (Played in 143 out of a possible 146 games)



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Made another submission to speed things up...

Just need three more to complete the list so we can start debating on them....

If you want to give it a shot and make a submission...feel free. :icon_cool: Just remember the rules in the first post.


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Heres what we have so far of the best RB's not in the HOF:

Don Perkins
Roger Craig
Bo Jackson
Ricky Watters
Ottis "O.J." Anderson
Terrell Davis
Eddie George

 

Eddie George is a great nomination...

 

FREEMAN MCNEIL
New York Jets
12 Years

Rushing Yards 8,074
Average 4.5
Touchdowns 38

3× Pro Bowl selection (1982, 1984, 1985)

McNeil played in 12 NFL seasons for the Jets from 1981-1992. During the mid to late 80's he was a member of the Jets 2 Headed Monster backfield along with teammate Johnny Hector, a tandem that ranked among the leagues elite. He currently ranks second in Jets team history in rushing yards. In 1982, McNeil led the NFL in rushing with 786 yards. He is one of a few running backs in NFL history to average 4.0 yards per carry in every season he played.

Freeman McNeil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I wanted to go the obscure route again (originally thought of nominating Chuck Foreman or Lawrence McCutcheon) because those guys usually get no respect plus it's easier to nominate someone from our generation because were more familiar with their work and grew up watching them play.

But I figured what the hell and nominated Eddie. He was a preliminary nominee for the hall of fame this year and should get in some day....but he may have to wait for awhile because his numbers aren't worthy to get in early.

Freeman was a good choice too...pretty consistent in terms of yards per carry over the years. Not many backs can sustain running at least 4 yards per carry every season because of the wear and tear.


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If anyone already made a nomination and would like to do so again....be my guest. :icon_cool:

I wanted multiple people to have an opportunity to participate with these lists/discussions but it seems not a whole lot people were interested in making nominations....which was quite a surprise so far imo.

The HOF is in a month so I figured it was more than appropriate to make these lists and discuss the greats of each position who have yet to be enshrined in Canton.

Hopefully the activity will increase but I would be happier honestly if we produced quality lists for each position that were created by the same members.

 

Chuck Foreman should be on the list...which brings another Chuck to mind...Chuck Muncie.

Foreman -
Career stats Rushing Yards 5,950 Average 3.8 Touchdowns 53
Career highlights and awards

• 5x Pro Bowl selection (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)
• 4x All-Pro selection (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)
• 1973 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

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Muncie -
Career stats Rushing Yards 6,702 Average 4.3 TDs 71
Career highlights and awards

• 3× Pro Bowl selection (1979, 1981, 1982)
• 3× All-Pro selection (1979, 1981, 1982)
• 1980 Pro Bowl MVP

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Is Chuck Muncie another nomination Ward?

 

I have a few that are still out there that I would nominate...Herschel Walker, James Brooks, Chuck Foreman, Chuck Muncie.

I'd give an honorable mention to Eric Metcalf...

 

Not bad company....

I would also nominate Gerald Riggs, George Rogers, Mike Pruitt & Lawrence McCutcheon myself.

If you want to make one more official nomination Ward....go right ahead....:icon_cool:

Only need two more guys....

Don Perkins
Roger Craig
Bo Jackson
Ricky Watters
Ottis "O.J." Anderson
Terrell Davis
Eddie George
Freeman McNeil

 

I have to think about that...I like the Rogers and Riggs nominations too...

Walker or Brooks...hmmmmm...

 

Earnest Byner
Byner was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the tenth round (280th pick overall) of the 1984 NFL Draft. He played for the Browns (1984–1988; 1994–1995), Washington Redskins (1989–1993) and the Baltimore Ravens (1996–1997). He finished his 14-year NFL career ranked 16th on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 8,261 yards on 2,095 carries, with 56 touchdowns. He also caught 512 passes for 4,605 yards and 15 touchdowns, returned 33 kickoffs for 576 yards, and scored a touchdown on a recovered fumble, totaling 13,442 all-purpose yards and 72 career scores. In addition to his #16 rushing yards ranking at the time of his retirement, Byner finished his career within the NFL's top 50 all-time leaders in rushing attempts, rushing touchdowns, and total yards.

Although a productive and popular player with the Browns, Byner is probably best remembered for one play, The Fumble, in which he lost the ball on the three-yard line while attempting to score against the Denver Broncos during the 1987 AFC Championship game
Source:Earnest Byner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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Really wanted to go obscure and say Emerson Boozer or Matt Snell too.... Matt Snell<-- real reason the Jets beat the Colts and made the AFL viable....not Joe Namath.