Top 10 "Power Backs" in NFL History (1 Viewer)

[Raider Nation]

10) Mike Alstott

9) Christian Okoye

8) Bronko Nagurski

7) Marion Motley

6) Jerome Bettis

5) Jim Taylor

4) Larry Csonka

3) Earl Campbell

2) John Riggins

1) Jim Brown

I'd hate to tackle any of those boys. Gotta think Brandon Jacobs will be on that list before long.

 

[OldMilwaukee]

no walker?

 

[Koya]

Motley ahead of Bettis IMO, maybe higher.

Jacobs will be a nice player for a couple years, that's all. Thank goodness we have Bradshaw (which is more reason Jacobs won't be cracking this list anytime soon)

 

[NorrisB]

Natron Means!

 

[az_prof]

10) Mike Alstott9) Christian Okoye8) Bronko Nagurski7) Marion Motley6) Jerome Bettis5) Jim Taylor4) Larry Csonka3) Earl Campbell2) John Riggins1) Jim BrownI'd hate to tackle any of those boys. Gotta think Brandon Jacobs will be on that list before long.

You are dreaming. He will be lucky to be the featured back next year.

 

[Raider Nation]

10) Mike Alstott9) Christian Okoye8) Bronko Nagurski7) Marion Motley6) Jerome Bettis5) Jim Taylor4) Larry Csonka3) Earl Campbell2) John Riggins1) Jim BrownI'd hate to tackle any of those boys. Gotta think Brandon Jacobs will be on that list before long.

You are dreaming. He will be lucky to be the featured back next year.

This isn't meant to be a list of Hall-of Fame backs. It just happened to work out that there are many HoF'ers on that list. They ranked the players from a "GOD, could that guy run people over" aspect. You don't have to be an all-time great to make this particular list.

 

[Kevin Ashcraft]

glad to see Okoye on there....if he would have played longer he might have been higher. Meeting that guy in person when I was 11 years old was amazing. Such huge shoulders, no wonder he dealt out so much pain.

 

[Raider Nation]

glad to see Okoye on there....if he would have played longer he might have been higher. Meeting that guy in person when I was 11 years old was amazing. Such huge shoulders, no wonder he dealt out so much pain.

I remember he was all the rage coming out of Azusa Pacific. He nearly impaled one defender with his helmet during a K.C. game. Was it Steve Atwater, perhaps?

 

[jwb]

3) Earl Campbell2) John Riggins

Can't argue with much, except maybe these two should be reversed.

 

[NY/NJMFDIVER]

I'll take Bo Jackson over Stott anyday.

Other considerations(but behind Allstott, who's durability was impressive):

Ironhead Heyward

Barry Foster

Natrone Means

Moose Johnson

Tom Rathman

 

[Koya]

glad to see Okoye on there....if he would have played longer he might have been higher. Meeting that guy in person when I was 11 years old was amazing. Such huge shoulders, no wonder he dealt out so much pain.

I remember he was all the rage coming out of Azusa Pacific. He nearly impaled one defender with his helmet during a K.C. game. Was it Steve Atwater, perhaps?

I actually PLAYED in that division and we played Azusa Pacific. (Thankfully Okoye was long gone. And yes, it was D3)

 

[Tau837]

Campbell should be ahead of Riggins. And, come on, Mike Alstott?

 

[Raider Nation]

This program is being replayed again in about 20 minutes (12:30am EST) if anyone is interested.

 

[Raider Nation]

Their "Honorable Mention" list of guys who didn't make the Top-10 is as follows.

- Sam "Bam" Cunningham

- Ironhead Heyward

- Walter Payton

- Kevin Mack

- Tank Younger

- John Henry Johnson

- Alan Ameche

- Bo Jackson

- Ricky Williams

- Jamal Anderson

- Pete Johnson

- Natrone Means

- Bam Morris

 

[Fear & Loathing]

Campbell should be ahead of Riggins. And, come on, Mike Alstott?

on both counts.And Pete Johnson should definitely be on that list.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

James Wilder

O.J. Anderson

John Brockington

Chuck Muncie

Chuck Foreman

Franco Harris

 

[Raider Nation]

DW,

When I think of watching Foreman when I was a kid, I remember his finesse and spin moves... not running over tacklers.

Am I mistaken?

 

[KoolKat]

glad to see Okoye on there....if he would have played longer he might have been higher. Meeting that guy in person when I was 11 years old was amazing. Such huge shoulders, no wonder he dealt out so much pain.

I remember he was all the rage coming out of Azusa Pacific. He nearly impaled one defender with his helmet during a K.C. game. Was it Steve Atwater, perhaps?

I doubt it.

 

[Raider Nation]

glad to see Okoye on there....if he would have played longer he might have been higher. Meeting that guy in person when I was 11 years old was amazing. Such huge shoulders, no wonder he dealt out so much pain.

I remember he was all the rage coming out of Azusa Pacific. He nearly impaled one defender with his helmet during a K.C. game. Was it Steve Atwater, perhaps?

I doubt it.

Haha... that's probably why I had Atwater in my head.It's gonna drive me crazy now thinking who the player was Okoye almost killed.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

DW,When I think of watching Foreman when I was a kid, I remember his finesse and spin moves... not running over tacklers.Am I mistaken?

No, for a big man he was surprisingly graceful and elusive. He did have high knee action and would often spin away from hits. He was also a force when he decided to be. Very punishing runner at the end of his runs. Being a Packer fan I hated and respected him.

 

[Boston]

Mark Van Eeghen wasn't shy about contact back in his day. Neither was another Raider Marv Hubbard. Oddly enough both were from Colgate which you really don't associate with the days of the big bad Raiders.

 

[Raider Nation]

Mark Van Eeghen wasn't shy about contact back in his day.

He lives less than 4 miles from me.

 

[SSOG]

I'd put Campbell ahead of Jim Brown, even. Jim Brown was a man amongst boys, but Campbell's run wasn't finished until he hurt somebody. I mean REALLY hurt somebody. With Jim Brown, I just feel like he was more physically gifted, while Earl Campbell's game was all about having the same amount of force to work with as everyone else... just being entirely unafraid to use it each and every time.

Also, it's a total homer vote, but if you're telling me I could have any NFL RB to get me a TD on 4th-and-goal from the 1 to win the game, I'd take Terrell Davis over half of those guys. He ran with so much forward lean in short yardage that he simply could not be denied.

 

[Raider Nation]

Also, it's a total homer vote, but if you're telling me I could have any NFL RB to get me a TD on 4th-and-goal from the 1 to win the game, I'd take Terrell Davis over half of those guys. He ran with so much forward lean in short yardage that he simply could not be denied.

Especially if it's in a Super Bowl and the defense lets him score.

 

[SSOG]

Also, it's a total homer vote, but if you're telling me I could have any NFL RB to get me a TD on 4th-and-goal from the 1 to win the game, I'd take Terrell Davis over half of those guys. He ran with so much forward lean in short yardage that he simply could not be denied.

Especially if it's in a Super Bowl and the defense lets him score.

The only reason Green Bay let him score is because Holmgren thought it was absolutely inevitable that he was getting in, anyway.

 

[KoolKat]

I thought Okoye would be # 1, especially after this run:

he must have broke 100 tackles!

 

[chris1969]

My personal list

10) Jerome Bettis

9) Walter Payton (would be much higher if finesse was included)

8) Jim Taylor

7) Larry Csonka

6) Bronko Nagurski

5) Marion Motley

4) Franco Harris

3) John Riggins

2) Earl Campbell

1) Jim Brown

 

[Bri]

- Bam Morris

Was thinking of him when I read the OP.Lofa's dad was a bruiser.Tommy Vardell(Touchdown Tommy IIRC) was a good bruiser.Gimmick or not, William Perry was one of the most effective ever on the GL, I'd bet. He should probably be an honorable mention.Not sure how I feel about FBs on the list

 

[Bri]

James WilderO.J. Anderson

Surprised OJ was forgotten.Wilder, much like Okoye, had a short career due to his bruising style of running and the toll it takes on a runner's body. He had some real good stats for at least 1 year and not for a good team either. Very few RBs can do as well on such a poor team with Ds knowing you're getting the rock.

 

[Boston]

Mark Van Eeghen wasn't shy about contact back in his day.

He lives less than 4 miles from me.

He lived down the street from me when I was a kid and he was in his prime. Just a fantastic guy. Used to play football out in the street with all the kids. I have two memories of him. One, he showed us all hs trophies and memorabilia and the stuff just seemed so awesome at the time. Two, he used to work out on our Junior High field and the whole school would look out the window as he ran sprints like an animal for hours. He seemed like a freak of nature at the time.

 

[Sabertooth]

10) Mike Alstott9) Christian Okoye8) Bronko Nagurski7) Marion Motley6) Jerome Bettis5) Jim Taylor4) Larry Csonka3) Earl Campbell2) John Riggins1) Jim BrownI'd hate to tackle any of those boys. Gotta think Brandon Jacobs will be on that list before long.

You are dreaming. He will be lucky to be the featured back next year.

 

[Raider Nation]

Mark Van Eeghen wasn't shy about contact back in his day.

He lives less than 4 miles from me.

He lived down the street from me when I was a kid and he was in his prime. Just a fantastic guy. Used to play football out in the street with all the kids. I have two memories of him. One, he showed us all hs trophies and memorabilia and the stuff just seemed so awesome at the time. Two, he used to work out on our Junior High field and the whole school would look out the window as he ran sprints like an animal for hours. He seemed like a freak of nature at the time.

One of his "little girls" is now engaged to Dan Koppen.

 

[Maroney=Speed]

DW,When I think of watching Foreman when I was a kid, I remember his finesse and spin moves... not running over tacklers.Am I mistaken?

Yep, the mad spinner.

 

[Black&Gold]

No way Alstott should be on here over Franco, OJ, Payton......

 

[encaitar]

I thought Okoye would be # 1, especially after this run:

Okoye and Bo were unstoppable in this game.

 

[theedge]

John David Crow should be on the list. I remember reading in an old "Sport" magazine a list of the hardest runners to tackle. The list was from active defensive players at that time. If I'm not mistaken Crow was at the top of the list. He at least should be ahead of Alstott.

 

[Doug Drinen]

Their "Honorable Mention" list of guys who didn't make the Top-10 is as follows.- Sam "Bam" Cunningham- Ironhead Heyward- Walter Payton- Kevin Mack- Tank Younger- John Henry Johnson- Alan Ameche- Bo Jackson- Ricky Williams- Jamal Anderson- Pete Johnson- Natrone Means- Bam Morris

I just got done building my List Of Guys That OBVIOUSLY Were Better Power Backs Than Mike Alstott, and it was almost the exact same as this list. What a weird coincidence.

 

[Raider Nation]

Their "Honorable Mention" list of guys who didn't make the Top-10 is as follows.- Sam "Bam" Cunningham- Ironhead Heyward- Walter Payton- Kevin Mack- Tank Younger- John Henry Johnson- Alan Ameche- Bo Jackson- Ricky Williams- Jamal Anderson- Pete Johnson- Natrone Means- Bam Morris

I just got done building my List Of Guys That OBVIOUSLY Were Better Power Backs Than Mike Alstott, and it was almost the exact same as this list. What a weird coincidence.

You got any who haven't been mentioned in this thread yet?

 

[Sheriff66]

I'd put Campbell ahead of Jim Brown, even. Jim Brown was a man amongst boys, but Campbell's run wasn't finished until he hurt somebody. I mean REALLY hurt somebody. With Jim Brown, I just feel like he was more physically gifted, while Earl Campbell's game was all about having the same amount of force to work with as everyone else... just being entirely unafraid to use it each and every time.Also, it's a total homer vote, but if you're telling me I could have any NFL RB to get me a TD on 4th-and-goal from the 1 to win the game, I'd take Terrell Davis over half of those guys. He ran with so much forward lean in short yardage that he simply could not be denied.

4th and 1 ? Give me Marcus Allen

 

[Colin Dowling]

Ricky Williams would be on my list for sure.

 

[VIKEfan]

glad to see Okoye on there....if he would have played longer he might have been higher. Meeting that guy in person when I was 11 years old was amazing. Such huge shoulders, no wonder he dealt out so much pain.

I remember he was all the rage coming out of Azusa Pacific. He nearly impaled one defender with his helmet during a K.C. game. Was it Steve Atwater, perhaps?

If you are talking about a game where the Denver Broncos played the Kansas City Chiefs...I seem to remember it the other way around. The replay was played over and over again...because it was Steve Atwater that was actually able to knock Christian Okoye on his butt. Here is a youtube vid that I was able to find that has the hit in it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz27L1OJuQQ). It's about 1:50 mins into the vid. Still though...I doubt I'd want to be standing on the other end of an Okoye hit.

 

[redman]

Good list. I'm not sure why Okoye is on that list and Bo Jackson is not.

I agree that Campbell should probably be ahead of Riggins, though "top power backs" is a little ambiguous. Riggins was noteworthy as a power back because you simply could not tackle him above the waist. He would not go down and would drag defenders who tried to do that around. Campbell was a bull who initianted contact, which made for some great highlight reel footage.

 

[TitusIII]

1. Earl

-----

Everyone else...

His career was short, but nobody ran harder...

 

[Jake22]

Their "Honorable Mention" list of guys who didn't make the Top-10 is as follows.- Sam "Bam" Cunningham- Ironhead Heyward- Walter Payton- Kevin Mack- Tank Younger- John Henry Johnson- Alan Ameche- Bo Jackson- Ricky Williams- Jamal Anderson- Pete Johnson- Natrone Means- Bam Morris

I just got done building my List Of Guys That OBVIOUSLY Were Better Power Backs Than Mike Alstott, and it was almost the exact same as this list. What a weird coincidence.

You got any who haven't been mentioned in this thread yet?

I agree with the guy that mentioned Franco should be above Alstott, Franco at his best was a definite power back, although he wasn't the type like a Bettis, Franco had a style that if a guy didn't get him head on he would run through ALOT of tackles.Franco would be the guy that the Steelers would pound all game, then get the payoff in the fourth quarter when the defense was worn down, he did it for years and that's why the guy is a Hall of Fame RB.

 

[dcgangstas]

3) Earl Campbell2) John Riggins

Can't argue with much, except maybe these two should be reversed.

Without question. The "Tyler Rose" was an absolute monster. Will always remember the Monday Night game against the Dolphins, when he just ran over everyone and everything.

 

[Raider Nation]

Their "Honorable Mention" list of guys who didn't make the Top-10 is as follows.- Sam "Bam" Cunningham- Ironhead Heyward- Walter Payton- Kevin Mack- Tank Younger- John Henry Johnson- Alan Ameche- Bo Jackson- Ricky Williams- Jamal Anderson- Pete Johnson- Natrone Means- Bam Morris

I just got done building my List Of Guys That OBVIOUSLY Were Better Power Backs Than Mike Alstott, and it was almost the exact same as this list. What a weird coincidence.

You got any who haven't been mentioned in this thread yet?

I agree with the guy that mentioned Franco should be above Alstott, Franco at his best was a definite power back, although he wasn't the type like a Bettis, Franco had a style that if a guy didn't get him head on he would run through ALOT of tackles.Franco would be the guy that the Steelers would pound all game, then get the payoff in the fourth quarter when the defense was worn down, he did it for years and that's why the guy is a Hall of Fame RB.

I seem to recall Franco taking a lot of heat for running out of bounds all the time instead of welcoming contact.

 

[AussieOyOyOy]

Can't really comment on Brown, but Campbell is by far the most powerful back I've ever seen. Putting Riggins above him is a joke. AD will wind up on this list. He's a monster's monster.

 

[bcr8f]

No Iron Head???

 

[Godsbrother]

I seem to recall Franco taking a lot of heat for running out of bounds all the time instead of welcoming contact.

You are correct -- Franco did get this reputation because he definitely did this in his last three or four years. Unfortunately a lot of people in Pittsburgh don't remember the Franco in his first 8 or 9 seasons. He was a pretty tough back.

 

[Jake22]

Their "Honorable Mention" list of guys who didn't make the Top-10 is as follows.- Sam "Bam" Cunningham- Ironhead Heyward- Walter Payton- Kevin Mack- Tank Younger- John Henry Johnson- Alan Ameche- Bo Jackson- Ricky Williams- Jamal Anderson- Pete Johnson- Natrone Means- Bam Morris

I just got done building my List Of Guys That OBVIOUSLY Were Better Power Backs Than Mike Alstott, and it was almost the exact same as this list. What a weird coincidence.

You got any who haven't been mentioned in this thread yet?

I agree with the guy that mentioned Franco should be above Alstott, Franco at his best was a definite power back, although he wasn't the type like a Bettis, Franco had a style that if a guy didn't get him head on he would run through ALOT of tackles.Franco would be the guy that the Steelers would pound all game, then get the payoff in the fourth quarter when the defense was worn down, he did it for years and that's why the guy is a Hall of Fame RB.

I seem to recall Franco taking a lot of heat for running out of bounds all the time instead of welcoming contact.

Well, I did say Franco "at his best" for the specific reason that alot of people remember him in his later years going out of bounds to save energy for another play...