Eric Dickerson played his final NFL game more than three decades ago, but one number has kept his name alive for every generation of football fans since: 2,105.
Before Dickerson became one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, though, he was already a star in college.
Dickerson attended SMU, where he became one half of the famous “Pony Express” backfield alongside Craig James. Dickerson finished his college career with 4,450 rushing yards and 47 rushing touchdowns, helping turn SMU into one of the best teams in the country. His senior season was especially dominant, as he rushed for 1,617 yards and 17 touchdowns while SMU finished the season unbeaten at 11-0-1.
He finished third in the 1982 Heisman Trophy voting, but there wasn’t much doubt that Dickerson was one of the most talented players entering the NFL.
The Los Angeles Rams selected him with the second overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, and there was essentially no adjustment period.
As a rookie, Dickerson rushed for 1,808 yards and 18 touchdowns, leading the NFL in both categories. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, made the Pro Bowl and earned First-Team All-Pro honors.
That would have been a career season for most running backs.
For Dickerson, it was only the beginning.
The 2,105-Yard Season
Then came 1984.
In only his second NFL season, Dickerson carried the ball 379 times for an NFL-record 2,105 rushing yards. He broke O.J. Simpson’s single-season record of 2,003 yards and became the first running back in league history to surpass 2,100.
The crazy part is what has happened since.
Running backs have had more than four decades to chase him. Adrian Peterson came within eight yards in 2012. Derrick Henry broke 2,000 in 2020. Saquon Barkley reached 2,005 in 2024.
Nobody reached 2,106.
Dickerson’s 2,105 remains the NFL’s single-season rushing record.
And Dickerson wasn’t difficult to identify when you watched him. The prescription goggles, neck roll and upright running style gave him one of the most distinctive appearances of his era.
At around 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he was unusually tall for a running back. Yet Dickerson possessed remarkable acceleration and long speed for a player his size. His upright style almost made him look like he was gliding rather than running, but once he found open field, defenders quickly learned how much ground those long strides could cover.
More Than One Historic Season
It would be easy to reduce Dickerson’s career to 2,105 yards, but that would undersell how dominant he was.
Dickerson won four NFL rushing titles and produced seven seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards. He was selected to six Pro Bowls and earned five First-Team All-Pro selections.
In 1986, he led the NFL with 1,821 rushing yards and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
His time with the Rams eventually ended during the 1987 season when he was sent to the Indianapolis Colts in a massive three-team trade. Changing teams didn’t stop him.
Dickerson helped transform the Colts immediately, and in 1988 he led the entire NFL again with 1,659 rushing yards.
His production was so immediate throughout his career that Dickerson became the fastest player in NFL history at the time to reach 10,000 career rushing yards, getting there in only 91 games.
Think about that for a second.
It took him fewer than 100 NFL games to run for ten thousand yards.
One of the NFL’s Greatest
By the time Dickerson retired, he had accumulated 13,259 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns, finishing his career as one of the most productive running backs the sport had ever seen.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999, and decades after his retirement, the NFL gave him another massive honor by selecting him to the NFL 100 All-Time Team, recognizing the greatest players from the league’s first century.
That matters when discussing players from different eras.
I wasn’t around to watch Dickerson during his prime, so I’m not going to pretend I experienced his dominance firsthand. But when you look back at the film, numbers, records and accolades, his place among the greatest running backs ever is impossible to ignore.
There have been running backs with more career rushing yards. There have been backs with more touchdowns and longer careers. And the four players I have ahead of him each have a case that, to me, pushes them slightly above Dickerson.
But very few running backs ever entered the NFL and dominated as quickly as Eric Dickerson did.
He led the league in rushing as a rookie.
He broke the single-season rushing record in Year 2.
He reached 10,000 yards at a historic pace.
He won four rushing titles.
And more than four decades later, 2,105 still belongs to him.
Records are made to be broken.
Apparently, somebody forgot to tell Eric Dickerson.
Eric Dickerson is number five on my list of the greatest running backs in NFL history.
Next up: #4 Emmitt Smith.
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