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Top 30 NFL Players of the 1980s

By Jarrett Bailey

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 30: Lawrence Taylor #56 of the New York Giants in action against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game September 30, 1990 at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Taylor played for the Giants from 1981-93. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 30: Lawrence Taylor #56 of the New York Giants in action against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game September 30, 1990 at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Taylor played for the Giants from 1981-93. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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ANAHEIM,CA-CIRCA 1985:Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams Rushes against the Minnesota Vikings at Anaheim Stadium circa 1985 in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA-CIRCA 1985:Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams Rushes against the Minnesota Vikings at Anaheim Stadium circa 1985 in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /

4. Eric Dickerson

Name a better combination than Erick Dickerson’s jerry curl and goggles- you probably can’t. Dickerson was built in a lab. There is no physical way that a man who is 6-3, 220 pounds should be able to move as fast as he did.

Dickerson was drafted second overall in the 1983 NFL Draft, and was instantly one of the game’s best running backs. He led the NFL in carries and rushing yards in his rookie season, while also rushing for 18 touchdowns. His efforts earned him the 1983 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Dickerson followed up his fantastic rookie season with the single greatest season a running back has ever had.

In 1984, he ran for an NFL record 2,105 yards, a record that still stands to this day. Teams knew that the Rams couldn’t throw the ball to win, yet they still couldn’t stop the freak of nature in No. 29.

Dickerson was a four-time First-Team All-Pro from 1983-87, leading the NFL in rushing three times over that span. He was traded to Indianapolis in 1987, where he continued to dominate until the end of the decade. He led the league in rushing in 1988, and was once again named All-Pro. He retired with 13,259 rushing yards and 90 touchdowns, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

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