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what his statistics could have been if he had been able to play another four or five years.

OK, I must include OJ. In the days before he became infamous, he was famous for his spectacular feats on the football field as he dominated the 1970s. Like Sayers, his career was a relatively short eleven years, and he played on a lousy team, the Buffalo Bills. Therefore, as many records as he set and broke, we can only guess how much more impressive his statistics would have been. OJ was the first pro to run for more than 2,000 yards in a single season, amassing more than 11,000 in his career. He scored a total of 61 touchdowns, and like Brown, opted to quite pro football early to go to Hollywood. He was in a number of movies, most notably several of the "Naked Gun" police comedies. Sadly or at long last, depending on your feelings about OJ, he's currently awaiting sentencing for his latest run-in with the law.

Unlike some of the overpaid and self-important and self-indulgent pro jocks of today, Walter Payton, running star of the Chicago Bears who dominated the 1980s, was a self-effacing nice guy both on the field and off. His nickname, "Sweetness", fit him for his delicious running style of moving almost effortlessly for long gains down the field, and for his friendly personality as he worked at many volunteer community activities in Chicago. In his 13 seasons, Payton had ten with 1,000 or more rushing yards, including 275 in one game.

Barry Sanders was the dominant NFL runner of the 1990s. Like OJ, who could have been even more of a superstar if he had played for any other team than the Buffalo Bills, Sanders served out most of his years with an even worse team, the Detroit Lions. Even so, he ran for more than 15 thousand yards during his years and played in all ten Bowl Games during his 10-year pro career.

Who is considered the NFL running star of the new millenium so far? With just a couple of seasons left, I'd have to vote for LaDainian Tomlinson. Maybe I'm leaning too far into what a player does off the field, but if you liked Walter Payton's community service, you've gotta love this guy. The Chargers running star has established Tomlinson's Touching Lives Foundation in San Diego, which provides funding for inner city kids' activities, summer camps, college scholarships, meals for the homeless and training programs for the underemployed, among many other worthy servicse.

Of course, on the field, Tomlinson is considered by many experts as the NFL's current best running back. In his seven years in the NFL, he made it to four Pro Bowls, and has run for at least 1,200 yards in each of his NFL years. He holds the record as the Chargers' all-time leading rusher, and in one game in 2005, he emulated the Red Grange style by running, throwing and catching a pass for touchdowns in one game. Still young, and with years ahead of him, LT is expected to continue to perform great feats, both on and off the field.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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