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ShareThisFranchise milestones
Which team has the oldest single-season rushing record? The Cleveland Browns, of course. Not surprisingly, the Bills and Bears are next on the list, as all three teams have only had one distinguished runner in franchise history, and each of the Hall of Famers retired many years ago.
1963 cle 1863 Jim Brown
1973 buf 2003 O.J. Simpson
1977 chi 1852 Walter Payton
1979 phi 1512 Wilbert Montgomery
1979 crd 1605 Ottis Anderson
1980 oti 1934 Earl Campbell
1981 nor 1674 George Rogers
1984 tam 1544 James Wilder
1984 ram 2105 Eric Dickerson
1985 rai 1759 Marcus Allen
1992 pit 1690 Barry Foster
1995 dal 1773 Emmitt Smith
1997 det 2053 Barry Sanders
1998 sfo 1570 Garrison Hearst
1998 den 2008 Terrell Davis
1998 atl 1846 Jamal Anderson
2000 min 1521 Robert Smith
2000 clt 1709 Edgerrin James
2002 sdg 1683 LaDainian Tomlinson
2002 mia 1853 Ricky Williams
2003 rav 2066 Jamal Lewis
2003 jax 1572 Fred Taylor
2003 gnb 1883 Ahman Green
2003 car 1444 Stephen Davis
2004 nyj 1697 Curtis Martin
2004 nwe 1635 Corey Dillon
2004 htx 1188 Domanick Davis
2005 was 1516 Clinton Portis
2005 sea 1880 Shaun Alexander
2005 nyg 1860 Tiki Barber
2005 kan 1750 Larry Johnson
2005 cin 1458 Rudi Johnson
How about receivers? I'm guessing most people wouldn't expect to see who holds the longest standing franchise receiving yards record:
1961 oti 1746 Charley Hennigan
1965 sdg 1602 Lance Alworth
1967 nyj 1434 Don Maynard
1981 atl 1358 Alfred Jenkins
1983 phi 1409 Mike Quick
1984 mia 1389 Mark Clayton
1985 sea 1287 Steve Largent
1986 nwe 1491 Stanley Morgan
1989 tam 1422 Mark Carrier
1989 cle 1236 Webster Slaughter
1995 sfo 1848 Jerry Rice
1995 ram 1781 Isaac Bruce
1995 gnb 1497 Robert Brooks
1995 det 1686 Herman Moore
1995 dal 1603 Michael Irvin
1996 rav 1201 Michael Jackson
1997 rai 1408 Tim Brown
1997 pit 1398 Yancey Thigpen
1998 buf 1368 Eric Moulds
1999 jax 1636 Jimmy Smith
1999 chi 1400 Marcus Robinson
2000 kan 1391 Derrick Alexander
2000 den 1602 Rod Smith
2001 crd 1598 David Boston
2002 nyg 1343 Amani Toomer
2002 clt 1722 Marvin Harrison
2003 min 1632 Randy Moss
2004 nor 1399 Joe Horn
2004 htx 1142 Andre Johnson
2005 was 1483 Santana Moss
2005 cin 1432 Chad Johnson
2005 car 1563 Steve Smith
Many of you probably know that Joe Namath was the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. But did you know that when he's still the last Jet to ever reach that milestone?
1967 nyj 4007 Joe Namath
1979 pit 3724 Terry Bradshaw
1980 cle 4132 Brian Sipe
1981 sdg 4802 Dan Fouts
1983 gnb 4458 Lynn Dickey
1983 dal 3980 Danny White
1984 mia 5084 Dan Marino
1984 crd 4614 Neil Lomax
1986 was 4109 Jay Schroeder
1986 cin 3959 Boomer Esiason
1991 oti 4690 Warren Moon
1994 nwe 4555 Drew Bledsoe
1995 nor 3970 Jim Everett
1995 det 4338 Scott Mitchell
1995 chi 3838 Erik Kramer
1995 atl 4143 Jeff George
1996 rav 4177 Vinny Testaverde
1996 jax 4367 Mark Brunell
1999 car 4436 Steve Beuerlein
2000 sfo 4278 Jeff Garcia
2001 ram 4830 Kurt Warner
2002 rai 4689 Rich Gannon
2002 nyg 4073 Kerry Collins
2002 buf 4359 Drew Bledsoe
2003 tam 3811 Brad Johnson
2003 sea 3844 Matt Hasselbeck
2004 phi 3875 Donovan McNabb
2004 min 4717 Daunte Culpepper
2004 kan 4591 Trent Green
2004 htx 3531 David Carr
2004 den 4089 Jake Plummer
2004 clt 4557 Peyton Manning
There are only five records still standing from the '60s: Joe Namath and Don Maynard hold the all-time Jets passing and receiving yards records (in the same season), Jim Brown figures to hold the Cleveland single season rushing record for the foreseeable future, and Charley Hennigan should do the same for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise. Lance Alworth is safe too, unless Antonio Gates absolutely blows the current tight end receiving record (Dave Parks, SF, 1344) out of the water.
There are no single season receiving yardage leaders from the 70s, and only Terry Bradshaw's Steelers record keeps the passing yardage leaders from suffering the same fate. With a very good finish, Ben Roethlisberger will break that record this year. Four franchise leaders in single season rushing yards from the '70s remain, and none are in jeopardy this year.
Excluding the Texans, only four teams wiped out their record books this millenium (with apologies to all the pedantic types out there): the Colts (Manning, James, Harrison), Vikings (Culpepper, Smith, Moss), Chiefs (Green, Johnson, Alexander) and Giants (Collins, Barber, Toomer). While one of New York's teams still holds two of its three main records from the '60s, the other one cleaned house more recently than any other in the NFL: The Giants franchise single season rushing, passing and receiving records were all set in 2002 or later.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 12th, 2006 at 5:01 am and is filed under History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
I have to take offense at the notion that the Browns "have only had one distinguished runner in franchise history." Marion Motley and Leroy Kelly were both productive enough to earn enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. So was Bobby Mitchell, though he spent much of his career in Washington as a receiver. There were others, too, depending on where you draw the "distinguished" line. At a minimum, both of the Pruitts should qualify.
And not to quibble too much, but Namath was in the AFL, not the NFL, when he threw for over 4,000 yards. As a Jets fan, you knew that, I'm sure. I'm just still grouchy that AFL statistics are "official" while the AAFC's are all but forgotten.
As of last Sunday, New Orleans passing record holder is Drew Brees.
Among others Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, Frank Gore and Tomlinson also have a shot at their respective record.
Whoa, one distinguished runner for the Bears and Bills? Gale Sayers and Bronko Nagurski are HOFers, and Thurman Thomas will (or should) be.
Granted, none of those three are even close to their franchises' records for rushing in a season.
You must have a high bar for "distinguished". Let me be the first to slap you for forgetting Gale Sayers. Neal Anderson had a good career, too, even though he will not go in the Hall of Fame. Both did have notable single seasons of mention, but almost all of Walter Payton's 1000-yard rushing seasons are better than any that Sayers and Anderson ever did. Only his off year of 1981, 1222 yards, slots behind Anderson's 1275 yards of 1989, and Sayers's 1231 yards of 1966. Thomas Jones just snuck in a little higher with last year's 1335. I'm not putting Jones in the distinguished category, though. So, with Bears running backs, it is Payton dominating the record book for best season(s) and career. Just know that the running back history at the Bears is far richer than the "distinguished" note indicates and far far richer than the quarterback history.
Also interesting:
The Browns/Bills/Bears season marks go back to the 14-game season
No receiver in the Coryell years broke Alworth's mark
Jim Everett's mark with the Saints is in danger
Drew Bledsoe has marks with two teams
Does anyone have any theories for what caused this offensive explosion that started around 1995?
The Viking beat me to it, and Jim Everett's mark is already surpassed. I'll wake up now.
Re: 1995
In 1994, the NFL (again) loosened up rules for the offenses by tightening up pass interference rules--I think this is the origin of the no chuck rule and rule about contact after 5 yards.
Some theories go that it took a year to really get incorporated and in '95 offenses adjusted to it (or defenders were playing off more out of fear of penalties).
Good catch guys (Pacific, Ace, Will) on the distinguished part. It's not much of an excuse, but maybe I can explain why I wrote that. I saw "1977 Walter Payton" and then just thought off the top of my head about all the RBs since then for the Bears. So that's why I didn't think about Motley and Sayers, because they came before Brown and Payton. I'm actually somewhat of a Motley fan, ever since I learned that he averaged 17.1 YPC in a single game (and he wasn't playing the Colts, either). No need to say anything about Sayers. As for Thurman Thomas, mea culpa.
1995 also was an expansion year. In baseball both Maris and McGwire set their HR records in expansion seasons. In 1995, 9 of the franchise passing/receiving records were set, including both for the Lions.
Don't forget McGahee
If am not mistaken, Warren Moon held the season passing yards record for the Oilers/Titans, Seahawks, and Vikings simultaneously.