In American football, rushing and passing are the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. A rush, also known as 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 also recognizes the statistics of the All-America Football Conference, which operated from 1946 to 1949 before three of its teams were merged into the NFL, since 2025.

The NFL did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. Since the adoption of the 14-game season in 1961, all but one rushing champion have recorded over 1,000 yards rushing. Nine rushing champions have recorded over 2,000 rushing yards, a feat first accomplished by O. J. Simpson in 1973 and most recently achieved by Saquon Barkley in the 2024 season.

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 Dallas Cowboys rank second, with seven rushing titles. The most recent rushing champion is James Cook of the Buffalo Bills, who led the league with 1,621 rushing yards during the 2025 season. Derrick Henry is the most recent player to win back-to-back titles.

In 2022, the NFL announced, "To permanently honor the impact of Jim Brown in the NFL, the player with the most rushing yards each season will be presented with the "Jim Brown Award". Josh Jacobs was the inaugural recipient.

List of NFL rushing title winners

+ Key^Pro Football Hall of Fame member*Player is activePlayer won the AP Most Valuable Player award in the same yearPlayer won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in the same year

+National Football League (NFL) rushing title winners by seasonSeasonWinnerTeamYardsGames1932^Boston Braves576101933Boston Redskins809121934Chicago Bears1,004131935Chicago Cardinals499121936New York Giants830121937^ (2)Washington Redskins874111938Pittsburgh Pirates567111939Chicago Bears699111940 (2)Detroit Lions514111941Brooklyn Dodgers486111942^Pittsburgh Steelers696111943New York Giants572101944 (2)New York Giants737101945^ Philadelphia Eagles832101946^ (2)Pittsburgh Steelers604111947^ (2)Philadelphia Eagles1,008121948^ (3)Philadelphia Eagles945121949^ (4)Philadelphia Eagles1,146121950^Cleveland Browns810121951New York Giants971121952Los Angeles Rams894121953^San Francisco 49ers1,018121954^ (2)San Francisco 49ers1,049121955Baltimore Colts961121956Chicago Bears1,126121957^ Cleveland Browns942121958^ (2)Cleveland Browns1,527121959^ (3)Cleveland Browns1,329121960^ (4)Cleveland Browns1,257121961^ (5)Cleveland Browns1,408141962^Green Bay Packers1,474141963^ (6)Cleveland Browns1,863141964^ (7)Cleveland Browns1,446141965^ (8)Cleveland Browns1,544141966^Chicago Bears1,231141967^Cleveland Browns1,205141968^ (2)Cleveland Browns1,239141969^ (2)Chicago Bears1,032141970Washington Redskins1,125141971^Denver Broncos1,133141972^Buffalo Bills1,251141973^ (2)Buffalo Bills2,003141974Denver Broncos1,407141975^ (3)Buffalo Bills1,817141976^ (4)Buffalo Bills1,503141977^ Chicago Bears1,852141978^ Houston Oilers1,450151979^ (2)Houston Oilers1,697161980^ (3)Houston Oilers1,934151981New Orleans Saints1,674161982New York Jets78691983^Los Angeles Rams1,808161984^ (2)Los Angeles Rams2,105161985^ Los Angeles Raiders1,759161986^ (3)Los Angeles Rams1,821161987Los Angeles Rams1,374151988^ (4)Indianapolis Colts1,659161989Kansas City Chiefs1,480161990^Detroit Lions1,304161991^Dallas Cowboys1,563161992^ (2)Dallas Cowboys1,713161993^ (3)Dallas Cowboys1,486141994^ (2)Detroit Lions1,883161995^ (4)Dallas Cowboys1,773161996^ (3)Detroit Lions1,553161997^ (4)Detroit Lions2,053161998^ Denver Broncos2,008161999^Indianapolis Colts1,553162000^ (2)Indianapolis Colts1,709162001Kansas City Chiefs1,555162002Miami Dolphins1,853162003Baltimore Ravens2,066162004^New York Jets1,697162005 Seattle Seahawks1,880162006^ San Diego Chargers1,815162007^ (2)San Diego Chargers1,474162008Minnesota Vikings1,760162009Tennessee Titans2,006162010Houston Texans1,616162011Jacksonville Jaguars1,606162012 (2)Minnesota Vikings2,097162013Philadelphia Eagles1,607162014Dallas Cowboys1,845162015 (3)Minnesota Vikings1,485162016Dallas Cowboys1,631152017Kansas City Chiefs1,327162018 (2)Dallas Cowboys1,434152019*Tennessee Titans1,540152020* (2)Tennessee Titans2,027162021*Indianapolis Colts1,811172022*Las Vegas Raiders1,653172023* San Francisco 49ers1,459162024* Philadelphia Eagles2,005162025*Buffalo Bills1,62117

List of AAFC rushing title winners

+ Key Symbol Meaning Player The player who recorded the most rushing yards in the AAFC Yds The total number of rushing yards the player had GP The number of games played by the player during the season * Player set the single-season rushing yards record Pro Football Hall of Fame member (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list

+ AAFC annual rushing yards leaders by season Season Player Team 1946 709* 13 New York Yankees 1947 (2) 1,432* 14 New York Yankees 1948 964 14 Cleveland Browns 1949 783 11 San Francisco 49ers

List of AFL rushing title winners

+ Key Symbol Meaning Player The player who recorded the most rushing yards in the AFL Yds The total number of rushing yards the player had GP The number of games played by the player during the season * Player set the single-season rushing yards record Pro Football Hall of Fame member (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list +American Football League (AFL) rushing title winners by seasonSeasonWinnerTeamYardsGames1960Dallas Texans 875141961Houston Oilers 948141962Buffalo Bills 1,096141963Oakland Raiders 1,099141964 (2)Buffalo Bills981141965San Diego Chargers 1,121141966Boston Patriots 1,458141967 (2)Boston Patriots1,216141968Cincinnati Bengals1,023141969San Diego Chargers87314

Most rushing titles + Count Player Seasons Team(s) 81957–1961, 1963–1965Cleveland Browns 41983, 1984, 1986, 1988Los Angeles Rams / Indianapolis Colts1990, 1994, 1996, 1997Detroit Lions1972, 1973, 1975, 1976Buffalo Bills1991–1993, 1995Dallas Cowboys1945, 1947–1949Philadelphia Eagles 31978–1980Houston Oilers1949, , San Francisco 49ers2008, 2012, 2015Minnesota Vikings21932, 1937Boston Braves / Washington Redskins1942, 1946Pittsburgh Steelers2016, 2018Dallas Cowboys 1962, 1964Buffalo Bills2019, 2020Tennessee Titans1999, 2000Indianapolis Colts1967, 1968Cleveland Browns1948, Cleveland Browns1966, 1967Boston Patriots1943, 1944New York Giants1946, 1947New York Yankees1966, 1969Chicago Bears2006, 2007San Diego Chargers1938, 1940Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Lions

See also List of National Football League career rushing yards leaders List of National Football League annual rushing touchdowns leaders List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders

Notes

References General

Footnotes