| 1. Jim Brown, 1958 Topps Rookie Card |
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Without a doubt, one of the most iconic football cards of all-time. Topps 1958 offering of Jim Browns RC is a must have in every collection. If you plan on starting a collection, here’s a good place to start. |
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| 2. Walter Payton, 1976 Topps Rookie Card |
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Walter Payton and Jim Brown are equal in my books, but Brown gets the nod due to the card itself. Payton had terrific balance and knew how to hit and explode through the hole like no other runningback. |
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| 3. Barry Sanders, 1989 Score Rookie Card |
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Barry Sanders had the agility and cutback ability that no back has ever shown. Sanders’ rookie card is part of the iconic ’89 Score set which is good for 3rd overall. |
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| 4. LaDainian Tomlinson Topps Rookie Photoshoot Auto |
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Tomlinson is already in the downturn of his career, but when all is said and done and he’s finished compiling his already ridiculous statistics, he will be the greatest runningback of all time. Until Tomlinson, there’d never been a runningback that had both the best running and receiving skills in the entire league. |
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| 5. Emmitt Smith 1990 Score Supplemental |
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Emmitt Smith along with Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin were the stars of America’s team during their historic run and came to be known as the triplets. Smith didn’t have the moves, the speed, the agility or the power of the other guys on this list, but ran with the best balance ever. Playing behind the best offensive line of the modern era, Smith would hit the hole perfectly and continue right through |
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| 6. Earl Campbell 1979 Topps |
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Like so many of the greats, Earl Campbell was forced to retire early. Campbell’s punishing running style definitely took it’s toll on defenders, but eventually caught up to him. Campbell’s 1980 season is still one of the greatest of all-time |
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| 7. Eric Dickerson 1984 Topps |
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Dickerson will always be the forgotten one. For my money, Dickerson could rank anywhere on this list and compare favourably with whomever’s currently holding that spot. A 2100yd season, eight 1000yd seasons, and the ability to stay fairly healthy despite an outright ludicrous workload. |
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| 8. O.J. Simpson 1970 Topps |
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O.J. Simpson has become the guy that drove a white bronco down the freeway after allegedly killing his wife to an entire generation. It’s quite sad, really. O.J. Simpson still has the most dominant season on the books (1975), but his legacy will never be the same. |
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| 9. Marshall Faulk 1994 SP Foil |
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Faulk wasn’t quite the runner that Tomlinson was, but he was probably the best pass-catching runningback of all-time. I’m not sure if the greatest show on turf was built around Faulk or if Faulk was just the perfect fit for the system. Either way, when you look at total yards and total touchdowns, Faulk’s amongst the greatest to have ever played the game |
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| 10. Gale Sayers 1966 Philadelphia |
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What could’ve been — Oh, what could’ve been. Sayers’ rookie card is still one of the most sought after football cards, ever. The combination of the perfect running style, the perfect franchise, and the optimistic dreams of every football fan makes Sayers a top-10 back. |
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| 11. Marion Motley 1950 Bowman |
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The statistics aren’t there which leads to Motley being forgotten by the majority of football fans. However, Motley has a devoted following and there’s an argument to be made that he had the best pure tools and skills of any runningback….ever. If you love football and it’s history, this card probably ranks #2 behind Jim Brown’s RC. |
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| 12. Steve Van Buren 1948 Bowman or Leaf |
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The Philadelphia Eagles have a storied history and Steve Van Buren may well be the best offensive Eagle of all time. Van Buren has two rookies, the 1948 Bowman and the 1948 Leaf. |
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| 13a. Jim Taylor 1959 Topps |
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The first of two Packers’ greats. The Pack have one of the loyalist followings and most storied history’s in all of football. Owning Packers’ cards, whether it’s Bart Starr or Brett Favre is an accomplishment and’ll set you back a pretty penny. You’ve gotta go to 1961 to get a picture of Taylor wearing Packer-Green and his #31. |
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| 13b. Paul Hornung 1957 Topps |
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Paul Hornung was The Golden Boy. His career as a Packer wasn’t as statistically dominant as other Packer greats, yet he’s still remembered as one of the greatest Packers. Why? The Golden Boy went to Notre Dame. |
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| 14. John Riggins 1972 Topps |
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Riggins was never the most talented runningback, but behind the Hogs, Riggins cemented his place in history by an epic run of playoff performances. In 1982, Riggins was a playoff god. Recently Riggo has taken to Twitter and Facebook to keep himself busy; Well that, and chopping wood. |
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| 15. Marcus Allen 1983 Topps |
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Allen like Riggins put up the best numbers of his career in the playoffs. The majority of Allen’s numbers are due to his longevity, but like Cris Carter, all Marcus Allen did was score touchdowns. |
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| 16. Priest Holmes 1998 Playoff Contenders |
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Priest Holmes just doesn’t have the it factor for me. I’m not sure what it is, because his statistics compare favourably with just about everyone. So many of his yards and scores came courtesy of the screen-game and Kansas City’s terrific offensive line. For Priest, it was the perfect place to land. |
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| 17. Thurman Thomas 1989 Score Supplemental |
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Thurman Thomas was an all-time great, but if the Bills would’ve won just one of those Superbowls, he’d probably slip into the top-10. Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed are all downgraded, despite the fact that they made it to four consecutive Super Bowls. |
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| 18. Curtis Martin 1995 |
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Curtis “My Favourite” Martin’s numbers are irrefutable, but there are some definite holes in his rookie card selection. Whether it’s the finest, the select, the SP, or the signature rookies, it’s tough. Martin’s greatness doesn’t really stick with you until you go back over the numbers. Like Emmitt Smith, his skillset didn’t jump out at you; yet as a runningback, he was definitely one of the all-time greats. |
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| 19. Lenny Moore 1956 Topps |
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Lenny Moore was a do-everything runningback and was a key to the Colts’ success. The ’56 set is amongst my favourites, and this card should probably be a little higher. |
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| 20. Adrian Peterson 2007 Exquisite |
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Adrian Peterson’s still just a baby, but the pricetag attached to copies of his exquisite rookie card are absolutely insane. You could probably nail down the previous 19 guys in PSA8 condition for the same amount of cash-money |
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