The Kansas City Chiefs have a long and impressive history of talented running backs, and today we want to honor the top fifteen career rushing leaders in Chiefs history.
Many of these players were drafted. Others joined the team through free agency.
Five of the top 15 Chiefs rushers in franchise history played during the 1960s…and here’s something that might surprise you…
The top three rushers in Chiefs history all played after the year 2000.
As the league moved to a more pass-focused offense, the Chiefs continued to draft or pick up All-Pro running backs–like Kareem Hunt.
Hunt is not included on this list. He obviously was not a Chief long enough to gain enough yardage to be in the top fifteen career rushing leaders in Chiefs history. (Who knows how high he could have ranked had he been able to remain a Chief?)
In this post, we want to focus on the 15 players who gained the most rushing yardage in Chiefs history.
Let’s begin with number 15 and work our way down to number one.
15. KIMBLE ANDERS
Total Rushing Yards with Chiefs: 2261
Joined Team: 1991
Years Played: 10 (1991-2000)
Best Season: 1995 – 398 yards, 2 TDs
Interesting Notes:
–Played in seven Chiefs playoff games
–I used to see him working out at the old Gorilla Gym in Blue Springs in 2003 after he retired.
–He lived in the KC area until 2013, when he became a high school athletic director and football coach in his hometown of Galveston, Texas.
14. BARRY WORD
Total rushing yards with Chiefs: 2306
Joined team in 1990
Years played: 3 seasons with Chiefs – 1990, 1991, 1992
Best Season: 1990 – 1015 yards, 4 TDs
Interesting Notes:
–Was the starting RB for the Chiefs in 3 playoff games
–Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 3rd round of the 1986 NFL draft
–Today, Word is the President of SpeedPro Graphics in Manassas, Virginia
13. TED MCKNIGHT
Total rushing yards with Chiefs: 2344
Joined team in 1977
Years played: 5 seasons with the Chiefs – 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
Best Season: 1979 – 755 yards, 8 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 2nd round, but ended up playing for the Chiefs that year.
— Played college football for Minnesota-Duluth
— Finished his career playing one season for the Buffalo Bills
12. Greg Hill
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 2436
Joined team: 1994
Years played: 4 seasons with the Chiefs – 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
Best season: 1995 – 667 yards, 1 TD
Interesting Notes:
— Scored a total of 6 touchdowns with the Chiefs
— Played two more seasons after leaving the Chiefs. One season with the STL Rams and his final season with the Detroit Lions in 1999
— Was a first-round draft pick for the Chiefs (25th overall) in 1994. Although he ranks at number 12, many consider him to be a “draft bust” who didn’t live up to the Chiefs expectations
11. Wendell Hayes
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 2560
Joined Team: 1968
Years played: Played 7 seasons for the Chiefs
Best Season: 1971 – 537 yards, 1 TD
Interesting Notes:
— Hayes was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1963
— He played two seasons with the Denver Broncos in 1965-66
— Has a Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs
10. Herman Heard
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 2694
Joined team: 1984
Years played: 1984, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89
Best Season: 1984 — 684 yards, 4 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Heard was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighted 184 lbs. as a player
— Drafted by the Chiefs in the third round from an NAIA division one school (U. of Southern Colorado)
— Has worked in law enforcement for the past 16 years
9. Curtis McClinton
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 3124
Joined team: 1963
Years played: 1963, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69
Best season: 1965 — 661 yards, 6 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 10th round of the 1960 NFL draft
— played for Wichita North in High School and the University of Kansas
— He was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma
8. Mike Garrett
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 3246
Joined team: 1966
Years played: 1966, 67, 68, 69, 70
Best season: 1967 — 1087 yards, 9 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Won the Heisman Trophy in 1965 with USC Trojans
— Chiefs traded Garrett mid-season in 1970 to the San Diego Chargers, where he played until 1973
— After football, Garrett served as an Athletic Director at several colleges, including California State University
7. Marcus Allen
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Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 3698
Joined team: 1993
Years played: 1993, 94, 95, 96, 97
Best season: 1995 — 890 yards, 5 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Played 11 seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders before joining the Chiefs as a free agent
— After the 1993 season Allen was named Comeback Player of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association
— His brother Damon Allen played in the CFL 23 seasons and ranks as one of the greatest CFL quarterbacks of all time
6. Abner Haynes
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 3814
Joined team: 1960 when the franchise began as the Dallas Texans
Years played: 1960, 61, 62, 63, 64
Best season: 1962 — 1049 yards, 13 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Was drafted in the NFL draft of 1960 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but chose to play with the AFL’s Dallas Texans, where he played for three seasons, along with two more after the team moved to Kansas City to become the Chiefs
— Hayne’s was the AFL’s first Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year
— He scored 80 touchdowns as a Texan/Chief
Wow! Here now is the Top 5 Career Rushing Leaders in Chiefs History
5. Ed Podolak
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 4451
Joined team: Drafted by the Chiefs in 1969
Years played: 1969 – 1977
Best season: 1970 – 749 yards, 3 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Podolak won a Super Bowl in his rookie season with the Chiefs
— Still holds the NFL playoff record for total yards gained in a playoff game–350 total. 85 rushing, 110 receiving, 155 on kick and punt returns.
— Played college football at the University of Iowa, where he was a tv color commentator for the Hawkeyes for many years
4. Christian Okoye
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 4897
Joined team: drafted in 1987
Years played: 1987, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92
Best season: 1989 — 1480 yards (league rushing title), 12 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Born in Nigeria, Okoye came to the U.S. at age 21 and had never played American football until age 23
— Excelled in track and field at Azuza Pacific and grew up playing soccer
— He retired as the Chiefs all time leading rusher..until the next three guys came along
3. Larry Johnson
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Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 6015
Joined team: drafted in 2003
Years played: 2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09 (seven games)
Best season: 2005 — 1750 yards, 20 TDs, 5.2 YPC
Interesting Notes:
— Set an NFL record in 2007 with 416 carries. Johnson gained 1789 yards that season but his YPC was 4.3 and he had 17 TDs. Another outstanding season overall
— Played at Penn State for Joe Paterno and ran for 2087 yards his senior season on just 271 attempts for a 7.7 YPC. Somehow he didn’t win the Heisman Trophy
— Always considered a controversial player off the field, Johnson is still controversial today through his outspoken views on Twitter
2. Priest Holmes
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 6070
Joined team: free agent signing in 2001
Years played: 2001, 02, 03, 04, 05, 07 (missed entire 2006 season)
Best season: Tie between 2002 and 2003 seasons — 2002, Priest rushed for 1615 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. In 2003, he rushed for 1420 yards and scored 27 touchdowns (NFL rushing TD record since broken)
Interesting Notes:
— Rushed for 1008 yards for the Baltimore Ravens in 1998
— Lost his starting position with Baltimore to rookie Jamal Lewis. Holmes was a 2nd string halfback when the Ravens won the Super Bowl in the 2000 season.
— Led the NFL in rushing in 2001 as a Chief with 1555 yards
1. Jamaal Charles
Total rushing yards with the Chiefs: 7260
Joined team: drafted in the third round of the 2008 draft
Years played: 2008-2016
Best season: 2012 – 1509yards, 5 TDs
Interesting Notes:
— Had at 5.4 yards per carry rushing career average–tops of anyone with over 1000 carries
— averaged 6.4 yards per carry on 230 carries in 2010. Rushed for 1467 yards
— A learning disability as a child enabled Charles to compete in the Special Olympics, where he discovered his natural speed and athleticism
And That’s the Top 15 Career Rushing Leaders In Chiefs History
There are no current Chiefs running backs who are close to breaking Jamaal Charles’ record.
Kareem Hunt might already be in the top 15 by now…will Damien Williams be able to crack the top 15 one day?
The Chiefs will likely be looking for a running back in the next draft.
