Eric Dickerson Eric Demetric Dickerson ( born September 2 , 1960 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eleven seasons during the 1980s and 1990s . Dickerson played college football for Southern Methodist University , and was recognized as an All - American . He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams , Indianapolis Colts , Los Angeles Raiders , and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL . During his NFL career , he rushed for over 13 , 000 yards . He holds the NFL ' s single - season rushing record with 2 , 105 yards , set in 1984 . College career . Dickerson committed to Texas A & M before reconsidering and decided amongst Oklahoma , Southern California and SMU before his grandmother talked him into staying in the state of Texas to attend Southern Methodist University because she liked SMU coach Ron Meyer . Dickerson was the subject of recruiting controversy when he started driving a new Pontiac Trans - Am during his senior year . At the time he said his grandmother from Mexico bought it for him . Dickerson , even to this day , refuses to answer on whether or not he accepted anything to attend SMU , saying , " Even if I did take something , I still wouldn ' t tell . " Initially , Dickerson shared carries with Craig James and Charles Waggoner , all three blue - chip recruits in 1979 . Waggoner was hurt returning a kickoff their freshman season , leaving Dickerson and James to lead SMU ' s running attack , called the " Pony Express . " Dickerson gained 4 , 450 yards on 790 carries to break Earl Campbell ’ s Southwest Conference record for yards and attempts . His 48 career touchdowns tied Doak Walker ’ s SMU total for career scoring . In his senior year despite splitting time with James , Dickerson finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting , behind Herschel Walker and John Elway . He was also a First - team All - America in 1982 and a Second - team All - American in 1981 . Professional career . 1983 – 1987 : L . A . Rams era . While he considered going to the Los Angeles Express in the United States Football League , Dickerson decided to go into the National Football League . He was selected second overall in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams . An immediate success , he established rookie records for most rushing attempts ( 390 ) , most rushing yards gained ( 1 , 808 ) and most touchdowns rushing ( 18 ) , including another two receiving touchdowns . His efforts earned him All - Pro , Pro Bowl , Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors . In his second season , Dickerson continued his onslaught on the NFL record book becoming a member of the 2000 rushing yards club . Twelve times in 1984 he gained more than 100 yards rushing , breaking the record of 100 - yard games in a season held by O . J . Simpson . His 2 , 105 total yards rushing beat Simpson ’ s 1973 NFL season record of 2 , 003 yards ( Dickerson having reached 2 , 007 yards after 15 games ) , but since the NFL expanded the regular season from 14 to 16 games in 1978 , Dickerson had the benefit of playing in two additional games . No one has since rushed for more yards in a single NFL season . Dickerson ' s 5 . 6 yards per carry led the Rams to a playoff berth in 1984 . Although he rushed for 1 , 234 yards in 1985 while missing the first two games while in a contract dispute , he missed the Pro Bowl for the first time in his short NFL career . He did go on to rush for a playoff record 248 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in post - season play . 1987 – 1991 : Indianapolis Colts Era . The 1985 season marked the beginning of on - going contract disputes between Dickerson and the Rams . In 1987 , after playing just three games for the Rams during the strike - shortened 1987 season , Dickerson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in one of the NFL ' s biggest trades ever at that time . In a three - team deal , the Colts traded linebacker Cornelius Bennett , whom they drafted but were unable to sign to a contract , to the Buffalo Bills for their first - round pick in 1988 , first - and second - round picks in 1989 , and running back Greg Bell . The Colts in turn traded Bell and the three draft choices from Buffalo plus their own first - and second - round picks in 1988 , their second round pick in 1989 , and running back Owen Gill to the Rams for Dickerson . With the picks the Rams took running back Gaston Green , wide receiver Aaron Cox , linebacker Fred Strickland , running back Cleveland Gary , linebacker Frank Stams , and defensive back Darryl Henley . The trade reunited Dickerson with Ron Meyer , who had left SMU after Dickerson ' s junior season to take the head coaching position in New England and who was hired by the Colts in 1986 following Rod Dowhower ' s firing . Although he played in just nine games with the Colts that year , he still managed to gain 1 , 011 yards to finish the season with 1 , 288 . Also , he spearheaded a late season Colts run that helped the team to their first winning season ( and first playoff berth ) in 10 years . In 1988 , Dickerson , with 1 , 659 yards rushing , became the first Colt to lead the league in rushing since Alan Ameche in 1955 . This would mark the apogee of Dickerson ' s career with the Colts ( although he would gain 1 , 311 yards rushing in 1989 ) . Also , 1989 was the year that he passed the 10 , 000 yard mark , and was the fastest player ever to do so ( 91 games ) , accomplishing the feat faster than greats like Jim Brown ( 98 games ) , Barry Sanders ( 103 games ) , Emmitt Smith ( 106 games ) , and LaDainian Tomlinson ( 106 games ) . By 1989 , he had set a new NFL record with seven straight seasons of more than 1 , 000 yards rushing , and led the league for four of those seasons . However , injuries , further contract disputes , and suspensions clouded his final 2 seasons with the Colts . Dickerson , at 29 , was the highest paid running back in the NFL , receiving an annual reported salary of $ 1 . 4 million . Following prolonged contract disputes , the fed - up Colts placed him on the inactive list before the start of the 1990 season where he stayed for 7 weeks and lost more than $ 600 , 000 in salary . In his sixth game back from suspension , Eric blasted the Bengals defense with 143 yards on 22 attempts — this effort lifted him past Jim Brown to third place on the NFL career rushing list behind Walter Payton and Tony Dorsett . But 1991 was to be dismal and Eric ' s last year as a Colt . He was again suspended , this time for three games , and amidst injuries and age , managed to run for only 536 yards . The abysmal Colts finished the year bottoming out with a 1 - 15 record . 1992 – 1993 : The Final Years . On April 26 , 1992 , Dickerson was traded by the Colts to the Los Angeles Raiders for their fourth and eighth round picks in the 1992 draft . There were occasional flashes of greatness — 107 yards against the Broncos , 103 against the Chargers , where he recorded his 63rd and 64th career 100 yard games — but those would unfortunately be his last . Dickerson also scored on a 40 - yard TD run , reminiscent of his prime , in front of a nationally televised Monday Night audience in a game against Kansas City . That year he led the team in rushing attempts and yards . The following season , Dickerson was traded to the Atlanta Falcons on July 7 , 1993 for a sixth round draft pick . He played in a backup role , making his final national televised appearance during the " Monday Night Football " game on September 27 , 1993 when the Falcons hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in a losing effort . The Falcons traded Dickerson and third - year cornerback Bruce Pickens to the Green Bay Packers for running back John Stephens on October 13 , 1993 . The trade came a week after Dickerson said he had been told that the Falcons were waiving him because Coach Jerry Glanville wanted to use younger players . The next day , Falcons officials said that there had been a misunderstanding and that Dickerson had not been placed on waivers . Dickerson retired as the 2nd leading rusher of all - time after failing a physical with the Packers . Honors . Dickerson became the seventh back to gain more than 10 , 000 yards and the fastest ever to do so , reaching the milestone in just 91 games . During his 11 - year career , Dickerson gained 13 , 259 yards rushing , which was second all - time at the time of his retirement , and rushed for 90 touchdowns . He gained another 2 , 137 yards and 6 touchdowns on 281 pass receptions . A six - time Pro Bowl selection , Dickerson was All - Pro in 1983 , 1984 , 1986 , 1987 and 1988 . In 1999 , his first year of eligibility , Eric Dickerson was selected to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Also in 1999 , he was ranked number 38 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . The following year , he provided on - field commentary during " Monday Night Football " broadcasts . The Rams number 29 has been retired . Dickerson was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor during the week 15 game against the Houston Texans on December 15 , 2013 along with Marshall Faulk , who is also a former Colts running back . After pro football . In 1999 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . During the 2007 football season , Dickerson worked as a broadcaster for KCBS television in Los Angeles , providing commentary for NFL pregame and postgame shows . He recently started a sports memorabilia company , with former Los Angeles Rams teammate LeRoy Irvin , called Original Mini Jerseys . The company received their NFL license in 2006 and sells authentic miniature replica jerseys . Dickerson resides in Calabasas , California .