MVP Profile: Eric Dickerson, 1986

Running Back, Los Angeles Rams

Age: 26

4^th 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

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News

1^st 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]

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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.

1984: Eric Dickerson Breaks NFL Season Rushing Record

In his second season in the NFL, Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams had already established himself as one of the premier running backs in pro football. As a first draft choice out of Southern Methodist in 1983, he set a rookie ground-gaining record with 1808 yards on 390 carries with 18 touchdowns. Now in his second year he was within striking distance of O.J. Simpson’s single-season rushing record as the Rams prepared to host the Houston Oilers at Anaheim Stadium on December 9, 1984.

It was the next-to-last game of the season for the Rams, and with Dickerson 212 yards from surpassing Simpson’s 1973 total of 2003, it was anticipated that, if he was to break the record, it would most likely not happen until the season finale, which was to be a nationally-televised Friday night showdown with the 49ers. LA was 9-5 under Head Coach John Robinson and looking to secure a wild card playoff spot (San Francisco had lost only once and had the division title sewed up). The Rams had lost QB Vince Ferragamo to an injury three weeks into the year, but it hardly mattered as backup QB Jeff Kemp directed the ball-control offense and kept mistakes (and passes) to a minimum. The 6’3”, 218-pound Dickerson had an outstanding line to run behind and the stingy defense was as tough at defending against the run as the offense was at producing on the ground. However, coming into the game, LA was without 34-year-old star DE Jack Youngblood, who had an injured back that ended his consecutive game streak at 201.

The Oilers, coached by Hugh Campbell, were a good team to run against. They had lost their first ten games, and while they then won three of the last four contests, they were 3-11 overall and had the NFL’s worst run defense.

There were 49,092 fans in attendance at Anaheim Stadium. Less than two minutes into the game, the Rams scored when Kemp passed to WR Drew Hill, who had gotten past CB Willie Tullis, for a 57-yard touchdown to finish off a five-play, 77-yard drive. Houston cut the lead to 7-3 thanks to a 21-yard field goal by Joe Cooper to cap a 10-play series, but Los Angeles responded with a 71-yard drive in which Dickerson accounted for 46 of that total, including the last seven for a TD. Mike Lansford added a 35-yard field goal to make it 17-3 after a quarter of play.

The Oilers began to come back behind the passing of QB Warren Moon, the former CFL star in his first season in the NFL. Cooper booted a 42-yard field goal and then RB Larry Moriarty ran for a four-yard touchdown that narrowed the margin to 17-13 with 6:13 remaining in the half. Lansford kicked a 19-yard field goal for LA to make it 20-13 at halftime. Dickerson had gained 106 yards thus far – half of what he needed to catch Simpson.

The Rams started off the third quarter by moving into scoring position, but Kemp was sacked for a 10-yard loss and then Lansford missed a field goal attempt from 41 yards out. The feisty Oilers kept the game close as Cooper kicked his third field goal, this time from 18 yards, and LA’s lead was just 20-16 entering the final period.

On a series highlighted by a 34-yard pass from Kemp to WR Henry Ellard, Dickerson scored on a six-yard run. The Rams were up by 11 points, and the star running back was tantalizingly close to the record – the only question was whether he would get another chance at it in this game.

However, an interception by SS Vince Newsome with 3:30 to play gave Dickerson his final shot at the mark with the ball on the LA 36. Eight seconds later, and with the crowd cheering wildly, he took off on one of his signature plays, the 47 Gap, and running behind G Dennis Harrah, RT Bill Bain, and TE David Hill, cut outside for nine yards and the record. Dickerson finished the contest at 2007 yards after 15 games (one more than the 14-game schedule that was in effect when Simpson set the mark).

Eric Dickerson achieved the new standard in fine style, rushing for 215 yards on 27 carries with two TDs. It was his 12th hundred-yard performance and second over 200 yards in ’84.

The Rams outgained Houston by 453 yards to 338, although the Oilers had more first downs (23 to 21). Unsurprisingly, 276 of LA’s total came on the ground. The Rams didn’t turn the ball over at all, while Houston gave it up twice.

In addition to Dickerson, RB Dwayne Crutchfield ran the ball seven times for 61 yards for the Rams. Jeff Kemp completed 12 of 23 passes for 199 yards and a TD. With 57 yards on his one scoring catch, Drew Hill led the club in pass receiving yardage. Henry Ellard had three receptions for 49 yards and David Hill caught three for 43.

For Houston, Warren Moon was successful on 19 of 29 throws for an even 200 yards with one intercepted. WR Tim Smith grabbed 6 of those passes for 69 yards. Larry Moriarty gained 102 yards on 24 carries that included a TD.

Afterward, Dickerson expressed relief that the chase was over. “Now I can focus in on the playoffs and not worry about 2,000 yards.”

John Robinson praised him as “the greatest football player I've ever been around or seen. He's really pretty good.”

The Rams were defeated in the season finale to end up at 10-6, but in the playoffs. They went on to lose a close 16-13 game to the Giants in the Wild Card round. The Oilers finished at the bottom of the AFC Central with a 3-13 record.

Eric Dickerson topped out at 2105 yards on 379 carries for a 5.6-yard average gain and 14 touchdowns. With his upright running style and wearing his signature goggles, he continued to be one of the league’s most productive runners throughout the decade. He led the NFL twice more in ground-gaining on his way to a career total of 13,259 yards (second all-time in 1993, his last year) and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

MVP Profile: Eric Dickerson, 1983

Running Back, Los Angeles Rams



Age: 23
1st season in pro football
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.

1983 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 390 [1]
Most attempts, game - 34 (for 127 yds.) vs. Chicago 11/6
Yards – 1808 [1]
Most yards, game – 199 yards (on 30 carries) vs. Detroit 10/2
Average gain – 4.6 [11]
TDs – 18 [2]
100-yard rushing games - 9

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 51
Most receptions, game – 8 (for 60 yds.) at Miami 10/30
Yards – 404
Most yards, game - 60 (on 8 catches) at Miami 10/30
Average gain – 7.9
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 20 [2]
Points – 120 [6]

All-purpose yards: 2212 [1]

Postseason: 2 G
Rushing attempts – 33
Most rushing attempts, game - 23 at Dallas, NFC Wild Card playoff
Rushing yards – 115
Most rushing yards, game - 99 at Dallas, NFC Wild Card playoff
Average gain rushing – 3.5
Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 8
Most pass receptions, game - 6 at Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Pass receiving yards - 20
Most pass receiving yards, game - 11 at Dallas, NFC Wild Card playoff
Average yards per reception – 2.5
Pass Receiving TDs – 0

Pass attempts – 1
Pass completions – 1
Passing yardage – 1
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: Sporting News
NFL Rookie of the Year: NEA
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: AP, PFWA
NFC Rookie of the Year: UPI
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
1st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl

Rams went 9-7 to finish second in the NFC West and secured a wild card playoff spot. Defeated Dallas Cowboys in Wild Card playoff (24-17). Lost to Washington Redskins in Divisional playoff (51-7).

Aftermath:
After setting a rookie rushing record in 1983, Dickerson went a step further in ’84 as he set a new single-season record with 2105 yards on the ground. He gained over a thousand yards in all four of his seasons in LA, leading the NFL in rushing again in 1986 (1821 yards) and achieving consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 1984 and ’86. However, contract disputes and holdouts also occurred on a regular basis and in a blockbuster midseason trade in 1987, Dickerson 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.

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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).

1987: Eric Dickerson Traded to Colts

As the trick-or-treaters made their way around America’s neighborhoods on the night of October 31, 1987, the news broke of a blockbuster three-team trade that sent Eric Dickerson, the NFL’s leading rusher in three of the past four seasons, from the Los Angeles Rams to the Indianapolis Colts. As befitting a player of Dickerson’s stature, the deal was a large one that involved a total of 10 players and draft picks.

Dickerson had been a sensation from his first season in the league, leading the NFL as a rookie with 1808 yards rushing (still the record for a first-year back) in 1983. He followed that up in ’84 by breaking O.J. Simpson’s single-season rushing record with 2105 yards. By the end of the 1986 season he had run for a total of 6968 yards on 1465 carries for a 4.8 average gain per carry and 55 touchdowns – staggering numbers for just four years.

However, by 1987 all was not well between the star running back and the Rams front office. Dickerson had held out in 1985, missing the first two games of the season, and now was asking to renegotiate a contract that was paying him $682,000. Tired of the constant contract bickering and concerned that Dickerson’s attitude was having a bad effect on the team, the Rams decided to swing a deal – provided, of course, that they could receive ample compensation in a trade. The team was off to a dreadful 1-5 start (the only win was registered by replacement players during the players’ 24-day strike) and was looking to re-stock for the future.

The complex deal that was hammered out started off with the Buffalo Bills trading RB Greg Bell along with two number one draft picks (1988 and ’89) and a second round pick in 1989 to the Colts for the rights to LB Cornelius Bennett, who had been their #1 draft pick in ’87 (second overall in the entire draft) but who was holding out for more money than the team was willing to pay. Indianapolis turned around and dealt Bell, RB Owen Gill, all three Buffalo draft choices, plus their own #1 pick in 1988 and #2 choices for 1988 and ’89 for Dickerson.

How did it all turn out? Well, for Dickerson it resulted in a four-year contract worth $5.6 million dollars and being reunited with his college coach at Southern Methodist, Ron Meyer, who was now head coach in Indianapolis. He was in uniform the next day with the Colts and proceeded to run for 1011 yards in the remaining nine games. The Colts won the AFC East with a 9-6 record, making it to the postseason for the first time since they were the Baltimore Colts in 1977.

Buffalo also received an immediate boost from the addition of Bennett, who started the last seven games at outside linebacker and recorded 8.5 sacks. He would go on to be selected to five Pro Bowls with the Bills.

As for the Rams, they rallied to finish the season at 6-9. RB Charles White, a Heisman-winning disappointment in Cleveland, stepped into Dickerson’s position and led the league in rushing (1374 yards to Dickerson’s combined total of 1288). Greg Bell didn’t contribute much the rest of the way in ’87, but had thousand-yard rushing seasons in 1988 and ’89 and scored a total of 31 touchdowns. Owen Gill, on the other hand, appeared in one game and was gone for good. The two #1 draft choices that they picked up in the deal turned out to be RB Gaston Green (did little with the Rams but had a couple of good years with Denver) and WR Aaron Cox (showed promise as a rookie but regressed thereafter), and the #1 draft choice for 1989 was RB Cleveland Gary (led the NFL with 14 rushing TDs in 1990, but was inconsistent and prone to fumbling). The extra #2 choice in 1988 went for LB Fred Strickland (started 27 games in 5 years with LA), and the two second round choices in ’89 were used for LB Frank Stams (16 starts in 3 years with the Rams) and DB Darryl Henley (decent player who started 54 games over 6 seasons and returned punts).

Moreover, the Rams rebounded to return to the postseason in 1988 and ’89, getting all the way to the NFC Championship game in the latter season, before falling into a steep decline that wouldn’t be reversed until the franchise was in St. Louis. The cache of draft choices obtained in the Dickerson deal failed to translate into longer-term success.