List of National Football League annual rushing touchdowns leaders


This is a season-by-season list of National Football League players who have led the regular season in rushing touchdowns. Although rushing has both an offensive and a defensive meaning, this list charts offensive rushing touchdowns, usually scored by a running back, either a halfback or a fullback.
Record-keeping for rushing touchdowns began in 1932, when Bronko Nagurski of the Chicago Bears led the league with 4 rushing touchdowns. Since then, LaDainian Tomlinson has set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season, when he led the league in 2006, with 28 rushing touchdowns, while playing with the San Diego Chargers. Prior to Tomlinson's setting of the record, Priest Holmes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks, jointly held the record with 27, reaching that mark in 2003 NFL season and 2005, respectively.
Jim Brown holds the record for most league-leading seasons in rushing touchdowns, with 5. Dutch Clark became the first player to lead the league in consecutive seasons, although in 1937 he co-led the league. The first sole rushing touchdowns leader in consecutive seasons was Johnny Drake, when he led in 1939 and 1940. Steve Van Buren was the first to lead the league in 3 consecutive seasons, from 1947 to 1949, a figure later matched by Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly. Marcus Allen is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in rushing touchdowns while playing with 2 different teams; in 1982, Allen led the league while playing with the Oakland Raiders, and in 1993, he led the league while playing with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 1943, Bill Paschal became the first NFL player to post a 10+ rushing touchdowns season, when playing for the New York Giants. 40 seasons later, in 1983, John Riggins posted the league's first 20+ rushing touchdowns season. Steve Van Buren was the first player to lead the league with consecutive 10+ rushing touchdowns seasons, in 1947 and 1948; he would add a third consecutive in 1949. Emmitt Smith posted the first consecutive league-leading 20+ rushing touchdowns seasons in 1994 and 1995–an achievement later matched by Priest Holmes, in 2003 and 2004.

List

The following is the season-by-season listing:
YearPlayerTDsTeam
1932Bronko Nagurski4Chicago Bears
1933Glenn Presnell6Portsmouth Spartans
1934Dutch Clark
Beattie Feathers		8Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears
1935Ernie Caddel6Detroit Lions
1936Dutch Clark7Detroit Lions
1937Cliff Battles
Dutch Clark
Clarke Hinkle		5Washington Redskins
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
1938Andy Farkas6Washington Redskins
1939Johnny Drake9Cleveland Rams
1940Johnny Drake9Cleveland Rams
1941Hugh Gallarneau8Chicago Bears
1942Gary Famiglietti8Chicago Bears
1943Bill Paschal10New York Giants
1944Bill Paschal9New York Giants
1945Steve Van Buren15Philadelphia Eagles
1946Ted Fritsch9Green Bay Packers
1947Steve Van Buren13Philadelphia Eagles
1948Steve Van Buren10Philadelphia Eagles
1949Steve Van Buren11Philadelphia Eagles
1950Johnny Lujack11Chicago Bears
1951Rob Goode9Washington Redskins
1952Dan Towler10Los Angeles Rams
1953Joe Perry10San Francisco 49ers
1954Dan Towler11Los Angeles Rams
1955Alan Ameche9Baltimore Colts
1956Rick Casares12Chicago Bears
1957Jim Brown9Cleveland Browns
1958Jim Brown17*Cleveland Browns
1959Jim Brown14Cleveland Browns
1960Paul Hornung13Green Bay Packers
1961Jim Taylor15Green Bay Packers
1962Jim Taylor19*Green Bay Packers
1963Jim Brown12Cleveland Browns
1964Lenny Moore16Baltimore Colts
1965Jim Brown17Cleveland Browns
1966Leroy Kelly15Cleveland Browns
1967Leroy Kelly11Cleveland Browns
1968Leroy Kelly16Cleveland Browns
1969Tom Matte11Baltimore Colts
1970MacArthur Lane11St. Louis Cardinals
1971Duane Thomas11Dallas Cowboys
1972Mercury Morris12Miami Dolphins
1973Floyd Little
O. J. Simpson		12Denver Broncos
Buffalo Bills
1974Tom Sullivan11Philadelphia Eagles
1975Pete Banaszak
O. J. Simpson		16Oakland Raiders
Buffalo Bills
1976Franco Harris14Pittsburgh Steelers
1977Walter Payton14Chicago Bears
1978David Sims14Seattle Seahawks
1979Earl Campbell19*Houston Oilers
1980Earl Campbell
Billy Sims		13Houston Oilers
Detroit Lions
1981Chuck Muncie19*San Diego Chargers
1982Marcus Allen11Los Angeles Raiders
1983John Riggins24*Washington Redskins
1984Eric Dickerson
John Riggins		14Los Angeles Rams
Washington Redskins
1985Joe Morris21New York Giants
1986George Rogers18Washington Redskins
1987Johnny Hector
Charles White		11New York Jets
Los Angeles Rams
1988Greg Bell16Los Angeles Rams
1989Greg Bell15Los Angeles Rams
1990Derrick Fenner
Cleveland Gary		14Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles Rams
1991Barry Sanders16Detroit Lions
1992Emmitt Smith18Dallas Cowboys
1993Marcus Allen12Kansas City Chiefs
1994Emmitt Smith21Dallas Cowboys
1995Emmitt Smith25*Dallas Cowboys
1996Terry Allen21Washington Redskins
1997Karim Abdul-Jabbar
Terrell Davis		15Miami Dolphins
Denver Broncos
1998Terrell Davis21Denver Broncos
1999Stephen Davis17Washington Redskins
2000Marshall Faulk18St. Louis Rams
2001Shaun Alexander14Seattle Seahawks
2002Priest Holmes21Kansas City Chiefs
2003Priest Holmes27*Kansas City Chiefs
2004LaDainian Tomlinson17San Diego Chargers
2005Shaun Alexander27*Seattle Seahawks
2006LaDainian Tomlinson28*San Diego Chargers
2007LaDainian Tomlinson15San Diego Chargers
2008DeAngelo Williams18Carolina Panthers
2009Adrian Peterson18Minnesota Vikings
2010Arian Foster16Houston Texans
2011LeSean McCoy17Philadelphia Eagles
2012Arian Foster15Houston Texans
2013Jamaal Charles
Marshawn Lynch		12Kansas City Chiefs
Seattle Seahawks
2014Marshawn Lynch
DeMarco Murray		13Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys
2015Devonta Freeman
Jeremy Hill
Adrian Peterson
DeAngelo Williams		11Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers
2016LeGarrette Blount18New England Patriots
2017Todd Gurley13Los Angeles Rams
2018Todd Gurley17Los Angeles Rams
2019Derrick Henry
Aaron Jones		16Tennessee Titans
Green Bay Packers

Other rushing touchdowns leaders