List of National Football league rushing champions - wikipedia List of National Football league rushing champions Buffalo Bills ' O.J. Simpson pictured in the game where he became the first running back to gain over 2,000 yards in a season on Dec. 16, 1973. Simpson led the NFL in rushing in 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1976. Jim Brown led the league in rushing for eight seasons, including five consecutive seasons from 1957 to 1961 and three consecutive seasons from 1963 to 1965. In American football, running ( also referred to as rushing ) is, along with passing, one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. A running play generally occurs when the quarterback hands or tosses the ball backwards to the running back, but other players, such as the quarterback, can run with the ball. In the National Football League ( NFL ), the player who has recorded the most rushing yards for a season is considered the winner of the rushing title for that season. In addition to the NFL rushing champion, league record books recognize the rushing champions of the American Football League ( AFL ), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the National Football League in 1970. The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. The average amount of yardage the rushing champion has gained has increased over time -- since the adoption of the 14 - game season in 1961, all but two rushing champions have recorded over 1,000 yards rushing, and the adoption of the 16 - game season in 1978 has resulted in many rushing champions recording over 1,500 rushing yards. Seven rushing champions have recorded over 2,000 rushing yards, a feat first accomplished by O.J. Simpson in 1973 and most recently accomplished by Adrian Peterson in 2012. The player with the most rushing titles is Jim Brown, who was the rushing champion eight times over his career. Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, O.J. Simpson, Steve Van Buren, and Barry Sanders are tied for the second-most rushing titles, each having won four times. Jim Brown also holds the record for the most consecutive rushing titles with five, having led the league in rushing each year from 1957 to 1961. Steve Van Buren, Emmitt Smith, and Earl Campbell each recorded three consecutive rushing titles. The Cleveland Browns have recorded the most rushing titles with eleven ; the Chicago Bears rank second, with six rushing titles. The most recent rushing champion is Dallas ' Ezekiel Elliott, who led the league with 1,631 yards rushing over the 2016 season. Contents 1 List of NFL rushing title winners 2 List of AFL rushing title winners 3 See also 4 Notes 5 General references 6 External links List of NFL rushing title winners Cliff Battles led the league in rushing in 1932, the first season in which official statistics were kept, and in 1937. Byron `` Whizzer '' White, a future associate justice of the US Supreme Court, won the league rushing title in 1938 and 1940. Gale Sayers led the NFL in rushing in 1966 and 1969. Eric Dickerson led the league in rushing in 1983 and 1984, his first two seasons in the league, and won two more titles in 1986 and 1988. Emmitt Smith was the league 's rushing champion four times, including three consecutive years from 1991 to 1993. LaDainian Tomlinson won back - to - back rushing titles in 2006 and 2007, and is the most recent player to do so. Adrian Peterson led the league in rushing in the 2008, 2012, and 2015 seasons. Key Symbol Meaning Season The season in which the rushing title was won Winner The player who won the rushing title Games The number of games played in that season Yds. Rushing yards Pro Football Hall of Fame member * Player is active Player won the AP Most Valuable Player award in the same year Player won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in the same year ± Player won the title in his first season of professional football National Football League ( NFL ) rushing title winners by season Season Winner Team Yds. Games 1932 Cliff Battles Boston Braves 576 10 1933 Jim Musick Boston Redskins 809 12 1934 Beattie Feathers Chicago Bears 1,004 13 1935 Doug Russell Chicago Cardinals 499 12 1936 Tuffy Leemans New York Giants 830 12 1937 Cliff Battles Washington Redskins 874 11 1938 Byron `` Whizzer '' White Pittsburgh Pirates 567 11 1939 Bill Osmanski Chicago Bears 699 11 1940 Byron `` Whizzer '' White Detroit Lions 514 11 1941 Pug Manders Brooklyn Dodgers 486 11 1942 Bill Dudley Pittsburgh Steelers 696 11 1943 Bill Paschal New York Giants 572 10 1944 Bill Paschal New York Giants 737 10 1945 Steve Van Buren Philadelphia Eagles 832 10 1946 Bill Dudley Pittsburgh Steelers 604 11 1947 Steve Van Buren Philadelphia Eagles 1,008 12 1948 Steve Van Buren Philadelphia Eagles 945 12 1949 Steve Van Buren Philadelphia Eagles 1,146 12 1950 Marion Motley Cleveland Browns 810 12 1951 Eddie Price New York Giants 971 12 1952 Dan Towler Los Angeles Rams 894 12 1953 Joe Perry San Francisco 49ers 1,018 12 1954 Joe Perry San Francisco 49ers 1,049 12 1955 Alan Ameche Baltimore Colts 961 12 1956 Rick Casares Chicago Bears 1,126 12 1957 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 942 12 1958 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 1,527 12 1959 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 1,329 12 1960 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 1,257 12 1961 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 1,408 14 1962 Jim Taylor Green Bay Packers 1,474 14 1963 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 1,863 14 1964 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 1,446 14 1965 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 1,544 14 1966 Gale Sayers Chicago Bears 1,231 14 1967 Leroy Kelly Cleveland Browns 1,205 14 1968 Leroy Kelly Cleveland Browns 1,239 14 1969 Gale Sayers Chicago Bears 1,032 14 1970 Larry Brown Washington Redskins 1,125 14 1971 Floyd Little Denver Broncos 1,133 14 1972 O.J. Simpson Buffalo Bills 1,251 14 1973 O.J. Simpson Buffalo Bills 2,003 14 Otis Armstrong Denver Broncos 1,407 14 O.J. Simpson Buffalo Bills 1,817 14 1976 O.J. Simpson Buffalo Bills 1,503 14 1977 Walter Payton Chicago Bears 1,852 14 1978 Earl Campbell Houston Oilers 1,450 16 1979 Earl Campbell Houston Oilers 1,697 16 1980 Earl Campbell Houston Oilers 1,934 16 1981 George Rogers New Orleans Saints 1,674 16 1982 Freeman McNeil New York Jets 786 9 Eric Dickerson Los Angeles Rams 1,808 16 1984 Eric Dickerson Los Angeles Rams 2,105 16 1985 Marcus Allen Los Angeles Raiders 1,759 16 1986 Eric Dickerson Los Angeles Rams 1,821 16 Charles White Los Angeles Rams 1,374 15 Eric Dickerson Indianapolis Colts 1,659 16 Christian Okoye Kansas City Chiefs 1,480 16 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions 1,304 16 1991 Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys 1,563 16 Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys 1,713 16 1993 Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys 1,486 14 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions 1,883 16 1995 Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys 1,773 16 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions 1,553 16 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions 2,053 16 1998 Terrell Davis Denver Broncos 2,008 16 1999 Edgerrin James Indianapolis Colts 1,553 16 2000 Edgerrin James Indianapolis Colts 1,709 16 Priest Holmes Kansas City Chiefs 1,555 16 2002 Ricky Williams Miami Dolphins 1,853 16 2003 Jamal Lewis Baltimore Ravens 2,066 16 Curtis Martin New York Jets 1,697 16 2005 Shaun Alexander Seattle Seahawks 1,880 16 2006 LaDainian Tomlinson San Diego Chargers 1,815 16 2007 LaDainian Tomlinson San Diego Chargers 1,474 16 2008 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings 1,760 16 2009 Chris Johnson Tennessee Titans 2,006 16 Arian Foster Houston Texans 1,616 16 2011 Maurice Jones - Drew Jacksonville Jaguars 1,606 16 2012 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings 2,097 16 2013 LeSean McCoy Philadelphia Eagles 1,607 16 2014 DeMarco Murray Dallas Cowboys 1,845 16 2015 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings 1,485 16 2016 Ezekiel Elliott Dallas Cowboys 1,631 15 List of AFL rushing title winners Main article : List of American Football League rushing champions American Football League ( AFL ) rushing title winners by season Season Winner Team Yds. Games 1960 Abner Haynes Dallas Texans 875 14 1961 Billy Cannon Houston Oilers 948 14 1962 Cookie Gilchrist Buffalo Bills 1,096 14 1963 Clem Daniels Oakland Raiders 1,099 14 1964 Cookie Gilchrist Buffalo Bills 981 14 1965 Paul Lowe San Diego Chargers 1,121 14 1966 Jim Nance Boston Patriots 1,458 14 1967 Jim Nance Boston Patriots 1,216 14 1968 Paul Robinson Cincinnati Bengals 1,023 14 1969 Dickie Post San Diego Chargers 873 14 See also List of National Football League rushing yards leaders List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders Notes Notes Jump up ^ The NFL did not have a set number of games for teams to play until the 1935 season, instead setting a minimum. Jump up ^ The 1982 season was reduced from 16 to 9 games due to a 57 - day players ' strike. Jump up ^ The 1987 season was reduced from 16 to 15 games due to a 24 - day players ' strike. Footnotes ^ Jump up to : `` Beginner 's Guide to Football ''. National Football League. Retrieved September 30, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Run ''. NFL360.com. Retrieved June 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Miami 's Bush eyeing NFL rushing title ''. Foxsports.com. August 16, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 2012 NFL Record and Fact Book '' ( PDF ). NFL.com. pp. 625 -- 626. Retrieved June 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` NFL 's Passer Rating ''. Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 1932 Boston Braves ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 1933 Boston Redskins ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 1934 Chicago Bears ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` NFL History by Decade : 1981 - 1990 ''. NFL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2013. General references `` AP MVP winners ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013. `` AP Offensive Player of the Year winners ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013. `` Hall of Famers - Alphabetically ''. Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 3, 2013. `` NFL Players ''. NFL.com. Retrieved June 15, 2013. `` NFL Regular Season Games Played per Season ''. Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 15, 2013. `` NFL Year - by - Year Rushing Yards Leaders ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2013. External links National Football League 250 best American Football League ( AFL ) and NFL rushing seasons NFL annual rushing yards leaders 1932 : Battles 1933 : Musick 1934 : Feathers 1935 : Russell 1936 : Leemans 1937 : Battles 1938 : B. White 1939 : Osmanski 1940 : B. White 1941 : Manders 1942 : Dudley 1943 : Paschal 1944 : Paschal 1945 : Van Buren 1946 : Dudley 1947 : Van Buren 1948 : Van Buren 1949 : Van Buren 1950 : Motley 1951 : Price 1952 : Towler 1953 : Perry 1954 : Perry 1955 : Ameche 1956 : Casares 1957 : J. Brown 1958 : J. Brown 1959 : J. Brown 1960 : J. Brown 1961 : J. Brown 1962 : Taylor 1963 : J. Brown 1964 : J. Brown 1965 : J. Brown 1966 : Sayers 1967 : Kelly 1968 : Kelly 1969 : Sayers 1970 : L. Brown 1971 : Little 1972 : Simpson 1973 : Simpson 1974 : Armstrong 1975 : Simpson 1976 : Simpson 1977 : Payton 1978 : Campbell 1979 : Campbell 1980 : Campbell 1981 : Rogers 1982 : McNeil 1983 : Dickerson 1984 : Dickerson 1985 : Allen 1986 : Dickerson 1987 : C. White 1988 : Dickerson 1989 : Okoye 1990 : Sanders 1991 : Smith 1992 : Smith 1993 : Smith 1994 : Sanders 1995 : Smith 1996 : Sanders 1997 : Sanders 1998 : Davis 1999 : James 2000 : James 2001 : Holmes 2002 : Williams 2003 : Lewis 2004 : Martin 2005 : Alexander 2006 : Tomlinson 2007 : Tomlinson 2008 : Peterson 2009 : Johnson 2010 : Foster 2011 : Jones - Drew 2012 : Peterson 2013 : McCoy 2014 : Murray 2015 : Peterson 2016 : Elliott AFL annual rushing yards leaders 1960 : Haynes 1961 : Cannon 1962 : Gilchrist 1963 : Daniels 1964 : Gilchrist 1965 : Lowe 1966 : Nance 1967 : Nance 1968 : Robinson 1969 : Post National Football League records and leaders General Super Bowl records Team playoff records Team records Individual records Games played Consecutive games and starts 99 - yard pass play All - purpose yards Scoring Passing Career Touchdowns Regular season Playoffs Yards 5,000 passing yards Completions Passer rating Wins Playoff win -- loss records Consecutive starts Consecutive games with a TD pass Annual Touchdowns Yards Completion percentage Rating Game Touchdowns Perfect passer rating 400 passing yards Rushing Career Touchdowns Yards Attempts Annual Touchdowns Yards 2,000 - yard club 1,000 - yard duos Receiving Career Touchdowns Yards Receptions Annual Touchdowns Yards Receptions Defense Career Sacks Interceptions Annual Sacks Interceptions Special teams Annual Punting yards Punt return yards Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_National_Football_League_rushing_champions&oldid=796373011 '' Categories : National Football League records and achievements National Football League players National Football League lists Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 20 August 2017, at 11 : 33. 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Question: who led the nfl in rushing yards last year
Answer: Ezekiel Elliott