Raiders: Ranking the top 5 running backs in franchise history
By Allen Settle
2. Bo Jackson, RB, Raiders
This ranking involves one of the most interesting resumes in sports history. Bo Jackson played for the Raiders for four short seasons. During that time, he never recorded a 1,000-yard season.
He never scored more than five rushing touchdowns in a single year. And he never won a championship.
How could a player rank second in team history despite having only 2,782 rushing yards (14th in team history) and 16 touchdowns (also 14th)? Because that player is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.
Never mind the fact that Jackson was balancing an All-Star caliber career in MLB. He was an amazing football player. His 73.2 yards per game average rank second only behind rookie Josh Jacobs in team history. And most of that is because of Jacobs’ extremely small sample size.
Bo also holds three 80+ yard rushing touchdowns, despite playing in only 38 NFL games. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1990 and remains one of the most electric talents the league has ever seen.
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1. Marcus Allen, RB, Raiders
Who could possibly overtake a legend like Bo Jackson on a list of great running backs? Many franchises may not have a player worthy of that challenge. However, no other franchise has Marcus Allen. Allen’s impact is written all over the Raiders’ record books.
His 8,545 total rushing yards, 79 touchdowns, and 2,090 attempts are all the most in Raiders’ history. In fact, his 145 games in silver and black are the 7th most of any player, regardless of position.
Allen was the key cog in a new era of Raiders’ football. The recently rebranded Los Angeles Raiders were defined by his accomplishments. The six-time Pro-Bowler did everything imaginable to lead the team to success.
He was the Super Bowl MVP during the team’s 1983 blowout victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. He also had an incredible run in 1985 that saw him record 1,759 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. This earned him league MVP honors that season.
Next. Raiders: Ranking the top 4 quarterbacks in franchise history. dark
Allen is undoubtedly the greatest running back to ever play for the Raiders. In fact, he is amongst the greatest to ever play in the NFL.