Emmitt Smith of Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.), the University of Florida and the Dallas Cowboys, is the clear all-time leader when combining total rushing yardage from high school, college and professional football, but keep an eye on Derrick Henry. He's quickly moving up the list and has experience overcoming unreachable records.
At Yulee High School in Florida, Henry broke the seemingly untouchable record of 11,232 career rushing yards, previously held by Ken Hall. The record had lasted for nearly 60 years until Henry took over the mantle. After a Heisman Trophy career at Alabama, Henry is moving up the all-time rushing list in the NFL. Currently ranked No. 192 all-time in league history with 4,209 yards, Henry still ranks No. 16 on our list of the total career rushing leaders from all levels of the game.
Smith has a huge lead over the next running back on the list with 31,087 yards that includes 18,355 yards in the NFL. Henry, if he is to threaten Smith's all-time mark, would need to gain 11,163 over the rest of his career to surpass the former Cowboy great.
The list includes many Hall of Famers, such as Smith, Herschel Walker, Eric Dickerson and LaDainian Tomlinson. It also features future Hall of Famers like Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch. And then there's the case of Thomas Jones. Perhaps one of the most underappreciated running backs in football history, Jones was not a Parade or USA Today All-American, he was only an All-American one year in college and he only played in one Pro Bowl. However, with 21,782 total career yards, he ranks No. 7 all-time. He is a 2020 Hall of Fame candidate.
The rushing yardage does not include Canadian Football League rushing yardage, but did include rushing yardage from the USFL. Junior college rushing yardage and prep school yardage were also included. Some rushers, such as Jim Brown, Franco Harris and Walter Payton, did not have any reported rushing totals in high schools, so estimates were used. Some miscellaneous yardage gained when the running back was an underclassman on the high school varsity was also not available in some cases.
The list was compiled using
Pro-Football Reference, College Football Reference, MaxPreps
leaderboards, state association websites, the NFHS record book and
research via Newspapers.com.
Derrick Henry rushed for a national high school record 12,124 yards during his days at Yulee.
Photo by Gray Quetti
1. Emmitt Smith — 31,087
Prep: Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.), 8,804
College: Florida, 3,928
Pro: Cowboys, Cardinals, 18,355
2. Herschel Walker — 25,183
Prep: Johnson County (Wrightsville, Ga.), 6,137
College: Georgia, 5,259
Pro: Generals, Cowboys, Vikings, 13,787
3. Eric Dickerson — 23,586
Prep: Sealy (Texas), 5,877
College: SMU, 4,450
Pro: Rams, Colts, 13,259
4. Adrian Peterson — 23,513
Prep: Pasadena (Texas), 5,011
College: Oklahoma, 4,041
Pro: Five teams, 14,461
5. LaDainian Tomlinson — 22,312
Prep: University (Waco, Texas), 3,241
College: TCU, 5,387
Pro: Chargers, Jets, 13,684
6. Frank Gore — 22,038
Prep: Coral Gables (Fla.), 4,512
College: Miami, 1,975
Pro: 49ers, Colts, Bills, 15,551
7. Thomas Jones — 21,782
Prep: Powell Valley (Big Stone Gap, Va.), 7,193
College: Virginia, 3,998
Pro: Five teams, 10,591
8. Tony Dorsett — 21,537
Prep: Hopewell (Aliquippa, Pa.), 2,272
College: Pittsburgh, 6,526
Pro: Cowboys, Broncos, 12,739
9. Steven Jackson — 21,459
Prep: Eldorado (Las Vegas, Nev.), 6,396
College: Oregon State, 3,625
Pro: Rams, Falcons, Patriots, 11,438
10. Walter Payton — 21,326
Prep: Columbia (Miss.), 1,000 (estimate)
College: Jackson State, 3,600
Pro: Bears, 16,726
11. LeSean McCoy — 21,072
Prep: Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.), Milford Academy, 7,187
College: Pittsburgh, 2,816
Pro: Four teams, 11,069
12. Ricky Williams — 20,417
Prep: Patrick Henry (San Diego, Calif.), 4,129
College: Texas, 6,279
Pro: Four teams, 10,009
13. Barry Sanders — 20,242
Prep: North (Wichita, Kan.), 1,417
College: Oklahoma State, 3,556
Pro: Lions, 15,269
14. Thurman Thomas — 20,050
Prep: Fort Bend Willowridge (Houston, Texas), 3,129
College: Oklahoma State, 4,847
Pro: Bills, Dolphins, 12,074
15. Cedric Benson — 19,980
Prep: Midland Lee (Midland, Texas), 8,423
College: Texas, 5,540
Pro: Bears, 6,017
16. Derrick Henry — 19,924
Prep: Yulee (Fla.), 12,124
College: Alabama, 3,591
Pro: Titans, 4,209
17. Shaun Alexander — 19,680
Prep: Boone County (Florence, Ky.), 6,662
College: Alabama, 3,565
Pro: Seahawks, Redskins, 9,453
18. Edgerrin James — 18,706
Prep: Immokalee (Fla.), 3,500 (estimation)
College: Miami, 2,960
Pro: Colts, Cardinals, Seahawks, 12,246
19. Marshall Faulk — 18,668
Prep: Carver Collegiate Academy (New Orleans, La.), 1,800
College: San Diego State, 4,589
Pro: Colts, Rams, 12,279
20. Curtis Martin — 18,449
Prep: Taylor Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 2,643
College: Pittsburgh, 1,705
Pro: Patriots, Jets, 14,101
21. Jamal Lewis — 18,163
Prep: Douglass (Atlanta, Ga.), 4,879
College: Tennessee, 2,677
Pro: Ravens, Browns, 10,607
22. Marcus Allen — 18,151
Prep: Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.), 1,098
College: Southern California, 4,810
Pro: Raiders, Chiefs, 12,243
23. Jerome Bettis — 18,026
Prep: Mackenzie (Detroit, Mich.), 2,452
College: Notre Dame, 1,912
Pro: Rams, Steelers, 13,662
24. Jonathan Stewart — 18,001
Prep: Timberline (Lacey, Wash.), 7,775
College: Washington, 2,891
Pro: Panthers, Giants, 7,335
25. O.J. Simpson — 17,979
Prep: Galileo (San Francisco, Calif.), 768
College: San Francisco City College, Southern California, 5,975
Pro: Bills, 49ers, 11,236
26. Fred Taylor — 17,675
Prep: Glades Central (Belle Glade, Fla.), 2,905
College: Florida, 3,075
Pro: Jaguars, Patriots, 11,695
27. Tiki Barber — 17,446
Prep: Cave Spring (Roanoke, Va.), 3,608
College: Virginia, 3,389
Pro: Giants, 10,449
28. DeAngelo Williams — 17,370
Prep: Wynne (Ark.), 3,248
College: Memphis, 6,026
Pro: Panthers, Steelers, 8,096
29. Corey Dillon — 17,356
Prep: Franklin (Seattle, Wash.), 1,356
College: Garden City College, Dixie State, Washington, 4,759
Pro: Bengals, Patriots, 11,241
30. Marshawn Lynch — 17,060
Prep: Oakland Tech (Oakland, Calif.), 3,417
College: California, 3,230
Pro: Bills, Seahawks, Raiders, 10,413
31. Ahman Green — 16,895
Prep: Omaha Central (Omaha, Neb.), 3,810
College: Nebraska, 3,880
Pro: Packers, 9,205
32. Eddie George — 16,709
Prep: Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, Va.), 2,500
College: Ohio State, 3,768
Pro: Titans, Cowboys, 10,441
33. Billy Sims — 16,664
Prep: Hooks (Texas), 7,738
College: Oklahoma, 3,820
Pro: Lions, 5,106
34. Mike Rozier — 16,552
Prep: Woodrow Wilson (Camden, N.J.), 4,000 (estimation)
College: Coffeyville Community College, Nebraska, 5,937
Pro: Maulers, Bulls, Oilers, Falcons, 6,615
35. Matt Forte — 16,493
Prep: Slidell (La.), 2,432
College: Tulane, 4,265
Pro: Bears, Jets, 9,796
36. Earl Campbell — 16,486
Prep: Tyler (Texas), 2,636
College: Texas, 4,443
Pro: Oilers, Saints, 9,407
37. Travis Henry — 16,385
Prep: Frostproof (Fla.), 7,221
College: Tennessee, 3,078
Pro: Bills, Titans, Broncos, 6,086
38. Michael Hart — 16,349
Prep: Onondaga (Nedrow, N.Y.), 11,045
College: Michigan, 5,040
Pro: Colts, 264
39. Warrick Dunn — 16,115
Prep: Catholic-B.R. (Baton Rouge, La.), 1,189 (estimate)
College: Florida State, 3,959
Pro: Buccaneers, 10,967
40. Anthony Thomas — 15,957
Prep: Winnfield (La.), 7,594
College: Michigan, 4,472
Pro: Four teams, 3,891
41. George Rogers — 15,899
Prep: Duluth (Ga.), 3,632
College: South Carolina, 5,091
Pro: Saints, 7,176
42. Franco Harris — 15,522
Prep: Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly, N.J.), 1,400
College: Penn State, 2002
Pro: Steelers, Seahawks, 12,120
43. John Riggins — 15,467
Prep: Centralia (Kan.), 1,456
College: Kansas, 2,659
Pro: Jets, Redskins, 11,352
44. Jim Brown — 15,403
Prep: Manhasset (N.Y.), 1,000 (estimate)
College: Syracuse, 2,091
Pro: Browns, 12,312
45. Ottis Anderson — 15,370
Prep: Forest Hill (West Palm Beach, Fla.), 1,766
College: Florida, 3,331
Pro: Cardinals, Giants, 10,273
46. Clinton Portis — 15,282
Prep: Gainesville (Fla.), 2,836
College: Miami, 2,523
Pro: Broncos, Redskins, 9,923
47. Michael Turner — 15,011
Prep: North Chicago (Ill.), 2,732
College: Northern Illinois, 4,941
Pro: Chargers, Falcons, 7,338
48. Darren McFadden — 14,882
Prep: Oak Grove (North Little Rock, Ark.), 4,871
College: Arkansas, 4,590
Pro: Raiders, Cowboys, 5,421
49. Toby Gerhart — 14,859
Prep: Norco (Calif.), 9,662
College: Stanford, 3,522
Pro: Vikings, 1,675
50. Ron Dayne — 14,787
Prep: Overbrook (Pine Hill, N.J.), 3,940
College: Wisconsin, 7,125
Pro: Giants, 3,722
