D7
SUNDAY • AUGUST 28, 2016
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
C O L L EG E FO OT BA L L
RUSHING THROUGH THE RANKS
BY KIRK KENNEY & BETO ALVAREZ
San Diego State’s D.J. Pumphrey is the nation's active rushing leader. If Pumphrey’s senior season is anything like his previous two years at SDSU, then he will pass Heisman winners
and NFL Hall of Famers in his rise up the list of the most prolific running backs in college football history.
When he’s done, Pumphrey’s name could be etched among the top 10 on the NCAA’s career rushing list.
Career rushing totals
NCAA career rushing leaders
Rank and player
School
1. Ron Dayne
Wisconsin
2. Tony Dorsett
Pittsburgh
3. Ricky Williams
Texas
4. Charles White
USC
Heisman
winner
NFL Hall
of Famer
Three-season
yard totals
San Diego
Charger H.S. player
Final
season
6,279
6,245
Pumphrey needs
1,116 yards to surpass
LaDainian Tomlinson’s
college total.
6,026
Miami, Ohio
7. Archie Griffin
Ohio St.
5,589
8. Cedric Benson
Texas
5,540
5,596
9. LaDainian Tomlinson TCU
5,387
So. Mississippi
5,302
n Indiana
11. Anthony Thompson
5,299
12. Herschel Walker
Georgia
5,259
13. Garrett Wolfe
Northern Illinois
5,164
14. Montee Ball
Wisconsin
5,140
15. George Rogers
South Carolina
5,091
16. LaMichael James
Oregon
5,082
17. Ken Simonton
Oregon St.
18. Michael Hart
Michigan
19. Avon Cobourne
West Virginia
5,039
20. Darren Lewis
Texas A&M
5,012
21. Darren Sproles
Kansas St.
4,979
22. Dontrell Moore
New Mexico
4,956
23. Trevor Cobb
Rice
4,948
24. Michael Turner
Northern Illinois
4,941
25. Ray Rice
Rutgers
4,926
26. Melvin Gordon
Wisconsin
27. Paul Palmer
Temple
28. Lorenzo White
Michigan St.
29. Thurman Thomas
Oklahoma St.
4,847
30. Steve Bartalo
Colorado St.
4,813
31. Marcus Allen
USC
4,810
32. Montel Harris*
Temple
4,789
33. Mike Rozier
Nebraska
4,780
34. Terry Miller
Oklahoma St.
4,754
35. Ed Marinaro
Cornell
4,715
36. Denvis Manns
New Mexico State
4,692
37. Kevin Smith
Central Florida
4,679
38. Anthony Davis
Wisconsin
4,676
39. Robbie Rouse
Fresno St.
4,647
40. Tyrell Fenroy
Louisiana-Lafayette
4,646
44. Marshall Faulk
San Diego State
4,589
45. Ameer Abdullah
Nebraska
4,588
Nevada
4,588
47. Keenan Reynolds
Navy
4,559
48. Jahwan Edwards
Ball St.
4,558
49. Kevin Faulk
Louisiana St.
4,557
50. Bobby Rainey
Western Kentucky
4,542
51. Darrell Thompson
Minnesota
4,518
52. Denard Robinson
Michigan
53. Damien Anderson
Northwestern
54. Kenneth Dixon
Louisiana Tech
55. Pat White
West Virginia
56. Eric Dickerson
SMU
57. Earl Campbell
Texas
4,602
130
318
Number of yards rushing
Pumphrey has averaged
a game over the past two
seasons.
Number of yards needed to
move past NFL Hall of Famer
Marshall Faulk and become
SDSU’s career rushing leader.
728
1,728
Number of yards needed
to become the 21st player
to reach 5,000 career yards.
Number of yards needed to
become only the sixth player
in NCAA history to reach the
6,000-yard mark.
4,483
If Pumphrey rushes for
130 yards in the season
opener Sept 3. against
New Hampshire, he will
move up to No. 59 on
the all-time list.
4,480
4,450
4,443
4,403
Michigan St.
4,398
61. Jamie Morris
Michigan
4,392
62. Amos Lawrence
North Carolina
4,391
63. Troy Davis
Iowa St.
4,382
64. Deland McCullough
h Miami, Ohio
4,368
65. Mewelde Moore
Tulane
4,364
66. Jordan Lynch
Northern Illinois
4,343
67. Autry Denson
Notre Dame
4,318
70. Bo Jackson
Auburn
1982-85: 4,303 yards
4,318
69. Noel Devine
West Virginia
70. Bo Jackson
Auburn
4,303
71. Stepfan Taylor
Stanford
4,300
72. Mike Mayweather
Army
4,299
Syracuse
4,299
4,315
74. D.J. Pumphrey
San Diego State
75. Matt Forte
Tulane
4,265
76. Chris Lemon
Nevada
4,246
77. Reggie Taylor
Cincinnati
4,242
78. Ka’Deem Carey
Arizona
79. Lance Dunbar
North Texas
80. Tico Duckett
Michigan State
752
1,867
74. D.J. Pumphrey
San Diego State
2013-2015: 4,272 yards
*Montel Harris was redshirted in Oct. 2011, which allowed him to play a fifth year in 2012.
Source: sports-reference.com
Pumphrey rushed for a school-record 1,867 yards in 2014 and
1,653 yards last season. If he lands between those two figures
he will become only the sixth player in NCAA history to reach
the 6,000-yard mark. Some notable milestones along the way:
4,485
4,398
Joe Morris
Pumphrey’s potential
4,495
44. Marshall Faulk
San Diego State
1991-93: 4,589 yards
Ohio
Oklahoma St.
The only player to reach 7,000 career
rushing yards. Wisconsin’s Dayne also
is the only player to rush for 2,000 yards
twice, achieving the feat during his
freshman and senior seasons.
4,646
31. Marcus Allen
USC
1978-81: 4,810 yards
4,590
David Thompson
1. Ron Dayne
Wisconsin
1996-99: 7,125 yards
4,887
Arkansas
Javon Ringer
Pittsburgh’s Dorsett replaced Griffin
atop the career rushing chart a year
later when he rushed for an NCAA
record 2,150 yards and became the first
player to surpass 6,000 career yards.
4,895
43. Darren McFadden
59. Kalvin McRae
2. Tony Dorsett
Pittsburgh
1973-76: 6,526 yards
4,915
North Carolina St.
58. Johnathan Franklin UCLA
Ohio State’s Griffin was
the first player to reach 5,000 career
yards, accomplishing it in 1975 when
he also became the only two-time
Heisman Trophy winner.
5,040
12. Herschel Walker
Georgia
1980-82: 5,259 yards
Toledo
7. Archie Griffin
Ohio State
1972-75: 5,589 yards
5,044
9. LaDainian Tomlinson
TCU
1997-2000: 5,387 yards
42. Ted Brown
Vai Taua
The first player to
reach 4,000 career
yards, eclipsing
it in 1971 when
he rushed
for a then-NCAA
single-season
record 1,881 yards.
Today, Marinaro
ranks No. 35 in
career yards. His
single-season mark
ranks just 49th now
in NCAA history.
6,526
6. Travis Prentice
Chester Taylor
35. Ed Marinaro
Cornell
1969-71: 4,715 yards
Total
7,125
5. DeAngelo Williams Memphis
10. Damion Fletcher
Milestone makers
Pumphrey’s 3-year total: 4,272
Totals include bowl games.
1,653
4,272
4,239
4,224
4,212
Photos: ASSOCIATED PRESS
D.J. Pumphrey rushed
for 752 yards as a
freshman in 2013 while
backing up Adam Muema.