Factoid
You hear about running backs burning out at age 30, but it simply isn’t true. Graph it out, and you don’t see a sudden falloff at that age.
29 … 30 … 31 … it’s just a number deal. Just like it being a sorta big deal when a car hits 100,000 miles or when you have a 30th, 40th or 50th birthday.
If you wanted to put an actual expiration date on running backs, it would be more accurate to go with 31 or 32. But even that is too simplistic. There are different styles of running backs who take varying amounts of punishment.
Anyway, check out this chart. In the last 15 years, 25 backs who at least 30 years old have run for over 1,000 yards.
THIRTYSOMETHING 1,000-YARD RUSHERS
Yards Year Age
1860 2005 30 Tiki Barber, NYG
1697 2004 31 Curtis Martin, NYJ
1662 2006 31 Tiki Barber, NYG
1635 2004 30 Corey Dillon, N.E.
1491 1998 30 Barry Sanders, Det.
1420 2003 30 Priest Holmes, K.C.
1416 2005 30 Warrick Dunn, Atl.
1402 2009 31 Thomas Jones, NYJ
1397 1999 30 Emmitt Smith, Dall.
1312 2008 30 Thomas Jones, NYJ
1308 2003 30 Curtis Martin, NYJ
1242 2000 31 Ricky Watters, Sea.
1210 1999 30 Ricky Watters, Sea.
1206 2001 30 Garrison Hearst, S.F.
1203 2000 31 Emmitt Smith, Dall.
1202 2007 31 Fred Taylor, Jac.
1199 2011 30 Willis McGahee, Den.
1146 2006 30 Fred Taylor, Jac.
1140 2006 31 Warrick Dunn, Atl.
1139 2000 30 Lamar Smith, Mia.
1121 2009 32 Ricky Williams, Mia.
1031 2003 30 Eddie George, Tenn.
1021 2002 30 James Stewart, Det.
1021 2001 32 Emmitt Smith, Dall.
1014 2005 32 Mike Anderson, Den.
—Ian Allan
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