20 best running back seasons in NFL history

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 15, 1964: Runningback Jim Brown #32 of the Cleveland Browns awaits the next series of plays for the offense during a game on November 15, 1964 against the Detroit Lions at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Also pictured for the Bowns include Frank Ryan #13 and Clifton McNeil #85. 64-71385 (Photo by: Herman Seid Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

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Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 1985, during a game in 1973. (Photo by Tim Culek/Getty Images) /

7. O.J. Simpson, Bills (1973)

It was a milestone that would not happen again since 1984. And in NFL history, there have been just eight players to run for at least 2,000 yards in a single season. Of course, the first to do it was the initial selection in the 1969 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

University of Southern California running back O.J. Simpson was a Heisman Trophy winner in 1968, the year before becoming the top pick in the draft. However, his first three seasons in the NFL were far from spectacular. He played in a combined 35 games, totaling 484 carries for 1,927 yards and a dozen touchdowns.

It was in 1972 that Simpson finally came into his own. He would lead the league in rushing in four of the next five years. That first season he totaled a somewhat modest 1,251 yards (6 TDs). Then came 1973 when the future Pro Football Hall of Fame made history.

The final tally would be 332 attempts for 2,003 yards and 12 scores. It started with 250 yards vs. the Patriots in Week 1 and closed with a pair of 200-yard performances vs. New England and the Jets, the latter at Shea Stadium. Simpson was the NFL MVP in 1973 for a Buffalo team that finished 9-5.

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