Age: 26
4th
season in pro football & with Rams
College: Southern
Methodist
Height: 6’3” Weight: 220
Prelude:
A two-time
All-American in college who set a Southwest Conference career rushing record
despite splitting time with Craig James, Dickerson was taken by the Rams in the
first round of the 1983 NFL draft (second overall). An upright runner with
speed as well as power, he moved into the starting lineup in new Head Coach
John Robinson’s ground-oriented offense. After setting a rookie rushing record
in 1983 with 1808 yards, Dickerson went a step farther in ’84 as he set a new
single-season record with 2105 yards on the ground. He was a consensus
first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl selection in 1983 and ’84 but, due to a
contract holdout and nagging injuries, Dickerson’s rushing numbers dropped off
to 1234 yards in 1985, although he still scored 12 touchdowns.
1986 Season Summary
Appeared and
started in all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 404 [1]
Most
attempts, game - 38 (for 193 yds.) at St. Louis 9/7
Yards – 1821 [1]
Most yards,
game – 207 yards (on 30 carries) vs. Tampa Bay 10/5
Average gain
– 4.5 [7, tied with Lorenzo Hampton]
TDs – 11 (5)
200-yard
rushing games – 1
100-yard rushing
games – 11
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 26
Most
receptions, game – 5 (for 12 yds.) at New Orleans 11/9
Yards – 205
Most yards,
game - 46 (on 3 catches) at Chicago 11/3
Average gain
– 7.9
TDs – 0
Passing
Attempts – 1
Completions –
1
Yards – 15
TDs – 1
Interceptions
– 0
Scoring
TDs – 11 [9,
tied with Mark Duper, Stephone Paige & Walter Payton]
Points – 66
All-purpose
yards: 2026 [1]
Postseason: 1 G (NFC Wild Card playoff at
Washington)
Rushing
attempts – 26
Rushing yards
– 158
Average gain
rushing – 6.1
Rushing TDs –
0
Pass
receptions – 0
Awards & Honors:
NFL Offensive
Player of the Year: AP
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Rams went 10-6
to finish second in the NFC West and qualify for a Wild Card playoff berth.
Lost NFC Wild Card playoff to Washington Redskins (19-7).
Aftermath:
Dickerson
gained over a thousand yards in all four of his seasons in LA, but contract
disputes and holdouts also occurred on a regular basis and in a blockbuster
midseason trade in 1987, he was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts. He gained a
total of 1011 yards in just nine games in that strike-shortened season, and
once more led the league with 1659 yards in 1988. With the Colts, he was a consensus
first-team All-Pro in ’88 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1988 and ’89.
Injuries began to take a toll from 1990 on, and he moved on to the Raiders in
1992 and, briefly, Atlanta in ’93 before retiring. In all, he ran for over a
thousand yards in each of his first seven seasons and gained a career total of
13,259. He also scored 90 rushing touchdowns (96 in all). Dickerson’s #29 was
retired by the Rams and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,
Class of 1999.
[Updated 8/4/13]
[Updated 8/4/13]
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself). Also includes Associated Press NFL Offensive and Defensive Players of
the Year.
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