Can you name the top 32 greatest running backs according to Sports Illustrated? by CoolerKing

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SI's Top 32 Greatest Running Backs Quiz

by CoolerKing

Created Aug 13, 2010 in Sports
Game Plays 5,323

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	CoolerKing:	Aug 13th, 2010 at 23:48 GMT	2 points
	Please make your thoughts known about the list! And if I also should include the teams or years they played.

	beantown3:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 00:53 GMT	9 points
	no jerome bettis?

	rk559:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 01:15 GMT	11 points
	Everything you need to know about Bo Jackson: his NFL career was 38 games long and he is still considered the 9th best RB of all-time.

	Hooby:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 01:18 GMT	0 points
	i get its not your list....but seriously, this rule applies in almost all situation: almost all players from the 50s and 60s dont compare to todays players, simply because of the amount of attention that is paid to the sport. for instance, chris johnson may very well be on this list but i guarantee you he is 10x more athletic than red grange ever was, regardless of how good red grange was in his time.

	dmalato2:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 01:18 GMT	23 points
	Chris Johnson, give me a break. If he's on there, Jamal Lewis should be too. Shocked there's no Eddie George.

	terpnation:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 01:52 GMT	20 points
	I agree with dmalato2. Chris Johnson? Really? One 2,000 yard season does not qualify you to be the 24th best running back of all time.

	IWANTMY2DOLLARS:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 01:55 GMT	21 points
	John Riggins should be on the list.

	sammyhain:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 02:00 GMT	21 points
	If Chris Johnson is here why not Adrian Peterson? Not criticizing the quiz maker because it's not his list. Also why not Shaun Alexander?

	chriskotx:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 02:01 GMT	9 points
	Herschel Walker belongs on this list every bit as much as Bo Jackson does.

	kromclovinfasho:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 04:34 GMT	10 points
	Chris Johnson at #24 with only 2 years experience...........wow

	Dueskays3:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 04:57 GMT	7 points
	this list is a complete joke. like everyone has already said Chris Johnson with one good year makes it, but not other recent consistant stars such as peterson,alexander,jamal lewis, etc. Also, how come Curtis Martin gets absolutely no respect on any of these lists. -4th all-time leading rusher -3rd all-time rushing attempts -12th all-time rushing TD -1,000 yards rushing each of his 1st 10 seasons (a feat only he and barry sanders accomplished/only didn't reach 1k his final season which was injury plagued and was on pace to make it) -did it early and late...Oldest Ever to win Rushing Title All that and he's only 30? PLEASE.

	slynchpod:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 05:06 GMT	3 points
	Alexander doesnt make it b/c he did the joo joo to his foot and ended his career....if Chris Johnson is in so is Billy Sims....I agree w/ no respect for Curtis Martin....Riggins a definite...Bo knows Bo!!!!!

	MonteCresta:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 06:39 GMT	7 points
	This list is retarded.

Comment below threshold: show it

	godpaul25:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 08:29 GMT	1 point
	Not sure if the list is the worst thing about this quiz or the comments about it are. Seriously nobody has a problem with Bo Jackson at 9 but everyone has a problem with Chris Johnson? Chris Johnson being on here is joke enough, I'm not for that, but seeing how he's played almost as many games as Bo Jackson and already surpassed his rushing total (or is very close) and nobody is saying Bo isn't the 9th best running back ever is a joke. Also, Shaun Alexander doesn't make it because he hurt his foot and it ended his career? Once again see Bo Jackson, Terrell Davis, Priest Holmes etc. At least Shaun had an established career before then. Priest Holmes being on here is a joke (and I love Priest Holmes). Riggins missing is sad, especially coupled with Csonka being on it. Allen not being in the top 10 is bad, especially being ranked behind Bo is a considerable slap in the face. And yes, I agree that if you put Red Grange on todays football field in his prime, he would be dead by the end of the season, with 32 career rushing yards.

	usnspecialist:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 11:53 GMT	2 points
	riggins should be on here for sure, most notable omission for me by far. Also to those of you saying grange wouldnt compete because of his athleticism, he truly was an athletic freak well ahead of his time. We went to the same high school and looking at the track all-time lists for our school he still has a place in our top 10. He long jumped 22'9 (6.93m for you euros) when the existing world record was only 24'11 (7.61m), which is damn impressive considering he was in high school at the time. That jump would still get you top 5-10 in most high school state meets today and would even win a few so those of you saying he wouldnt be able to compete athletically are mistaken. Would he be as dominant as he was, of course not. But to say he couldnt play at all is just not true.

	Theosaurus:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 14:36 GMT	3 points
	The SI writer who came up with the list even acknowledged that it's too early for Chris Johnson to be on the list.

	somedudemanguy:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 14:36 GMT	2 points
	Thanks CoolerKing for making this quiz, but Joe Posnanski's idiocy makes this quiz a piece of ****. Sorry.

	tomfoolery8:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 15:06 GMT	3 points
	SI is way off if they include Chris Johnson but not Shaun Alexander (7th all-time rushing TDs, 27th all-time rushing yds). Other notable omissions: HOFer John Riggins, future HOFer Jerome Bettis (who is 5th in all-time rushing yds) and Eddie George. Also, if you're including players on the basis of a few great seasons (Bo Jackson, Terrell Davis, Priest Holmes, Chris Johnson), how do you exclude Tiki Barber (3 straight 2000 yd rush/receiving seasons to finish his career)? Craziness. Then there's the actual ranking of players that are on the list. Marcus Allen, great as he was, only rushed for 1,000 yds in 3 out of his 16 seasons. How do you rank him 11 spots ahead of Curtis Martin, who surpassed 1,000 yds IN EVERY SEASON BUT HIS LAST (that's right, 10 out of 11 seasons)? If you say, "Well he got 123 rushing TDs," then doesn't it follow Shaun Alexander's 100 rushing TDs (over only 8 years) should warrant inclusion on the list? Poor list bottom line.

	dlte:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 15:46 GMT	12 points
	Wow, Joe Perry was the 25th greatest running back while being the 48th greatest guitarist? impressive.

	sunshine423:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 15:53 GMT	6 points
	Leaving Jerome Bettis off of this list took away its credibility from the beginning.

	the_chief:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 15:56 GMT	4 points
	Is this SI's list or Joe Posnanski's list? If it wasn't published in the mag - it's not really official. I love Poz on baseball, but he leaves a little to be desired in football writing.

	devilsfan15:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 17:48 GMT	1 point
	I say no to Bo - the list should not be based on potential. Heck, Herschel Walker accomplished more than Bo.

	Camden:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 17:51 GMT	3 points
	Roger Craig? John Riggins? Jamal Lewis? Jerome Bettis? Paul Hornung? Like the last guy said, I am a big fan of Joe P. as well, but this list is just irresponsible.

	the_nard_dog:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 19:35 GMT	2 points
	this list is absolutely terrible!!!!!!!!

	JohnJF:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 20:57 GMT	2 points
	Curtis Martin is the Stan Musial of NFL running back lists.

	papke16:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 21:24 GMT	0 points
	Just goes to show how horrible SI has become. Terrible list. How can you put Johnson on the list when he has only played 3 years. And the guy who wrote that guys from long ago dont belong. WTH, Back in the day running the ball was all there was. You didnt have the pass to open up the run like today. This list is why I don't give a crap about Sports Illustrated anymore, and neither should anyone else. Swimsuit issue but thats all

	hiflew:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 21:45 GMT	3 points
	It's not fair to say that Grange (or any other old time player) wouldn't be anything in today's game. Simply because if they were playing in their prime today, they would have had the same access to modern medicine, training, and schemes. And who's to say that Peterson or Johnson could've done anything back then without the modern technology.

	j66:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 22:04 GMT	2 points
	So absolutely nobody here read the article? It's not a greatest of all time list. It's just a list of 32 great running backs. Reading is fundamental.

	SaintsfanJoe:	Aug 14th, 2010 at 22:53 GMT	0 points
	Knowing that it's an SI's (or a writer from there) list, it's still ridiculous. Should have made a point about it in the instructions. Bo Jackson shouldn't even be near it. Other guys who have been mentioned should have replaced him. And I agree about CJ--Peterson would be a better RB if you wanted a younger player based on potential.

	Skakid22:	Aug 15th, 2010 at 05:34 GMT	3 points
	You guys should read the article before knocking these rankings. I'm not saying I agree with everything but Joe Posnanski, the maker of this list, knows what he is talking about. He isn't basing it entirely off of stats but just pure ability to play the position of running back. Chris Johnson may not be there yet in the stat column but his speed and explosiveness boosts him to be on the list. I'm not hating on anyones comments, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I'm assuming most of you have not read the article and everyone who hasn't should.

	ad808:	Aug 15th, 2010 at 14:31 GMT	1 point
	I type in Hugh McElhenny on every other greatest ever football player quizzes but whiff the one time he actually appears on a Sporcle quiz. Kill me now.

	Mockenrue:	Aug 15th, 2010 at 15:00 GMT	3 points
	The problem is that in the article he refers to it as a "Top 32 list" then goes on to say that he's not actually ranking the top 32 RBs. It's self-contradictory at best.

	baconstud01:	Aug 15th, 2010 at 20:52 GMT	2 points
	What exactly has Chris Johnson accomplished that Jamal Lewis hasn't?

	tk925:	Aug 16th, 2010 at 01:11 GMT	5 points
	Ok, the quiz maker should really read the article he's trying to turn into a quiz, because this is just irresponsible. Here is what Joe Posnanski says: ". . . this list is not saying the thirty-two GREATEST running backs but thirty-two GREAT running backs. That’s because, even though I do list them in an order for entertainment purposes, I’m not really doing that to make an argument. I am only putting them in this order because it sort of feels right to me. If you feel strongly that, say, Lenny Moore should be ranked higher than Hugh McElhenny … I probably wouldn’t argue with you. If you feel strongly that Shaun Alexander or John Henry Johnson or someone else should be on the list … I probably wouldn’t argue with you. These are 32 great running backs. And they’re purely my opinion." So the title of the quiz is wildly inaccurate, the list was never intended to be the 32 greatest running backs.

	Arichmix:	Aug 16th, 2010 at 08:35 GMT	0 points
	Yeah, Jamal Lewis and John Riggins should definitely be on this list. And like somebody said before me, you can't rank players from other eras alongside players in this era, players now are just better. Lawrence Phillips had more rushing yards than Red Grange for the love of god.

	dj1211:	Aug 17th, 2010 at 16:37 GMT	2 points
	how cud u think of 29 rbs better than the 4th most prolific runner and at least 32 running backs better than the 5th most prolific runner(martin and bettis)

	stich:	Aug 18th, 2010 at 16:36 GMT	1 point
	Paul Hornung only held the scoring title until Tomlinson broke it. ridiculous

	steelersnstuff:	Aug 20th, 2010 at 04:49 GMT	0 points
	**** that, where is jerome bettis, and how do you put priest holmes on that list and not shaun alexander, so stupid

	steelersnstuff:	Aug 20th, 2010 at 04:51 GMT	0 points
	And why the **** is everyone who ran for over 2000 yards in a season on this list but Jamal Lewis, Jamal deserves a lot of credit, his career lasted maybe 5 years longer than it should've.