Las Vegas Raiders all-time team: Running backs
For as storied of a franchise as the Raiders, it’s not particularly close for who challenges the No. 1 running back spot. It’s former Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen. In 11 years with the Silver and Black, Allen was a five-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro, a Super Bowl champion and the 1985 NFL MVP.
With the Raiders, Allen had 2,090 carries for 8,545 yards and 79 touchdowns. As a pass catcher, Allen had 446 receptions for 4,258 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. He would be enshrined in Canton in 2003. Allen rushed for 12,243 yards and 123 touchdowns in 16 NFL seasons split between the Raiders and the arch rival Kansas City Chiefs.
Don’t let anybody ever try to tell you anything otherwise. In the 1980s if you were a fan of the Auburn Tigers, the Kansas City Royals or the Los Angeles Raiders, you were happy to have the greatest athlete of the last 100 years on your team in the form of Bo Jackson.
Though a devastating hip injury in 1990 cut his promising NFL career short, Jackson’s legacy as a dominating running threat is something that has never wavered. Playing only part-time with the Raiders from 1987 to 1990, Jackson rushed for 2,782 yards on 515 carries for 16 touchdowns. It was a brief, but brilliant pro sports career for Jackson. He was a comet that flew across the sky as quickly as he left us, amazing us every step of the way. Thank you for Tecmo Bowl and YouTube!
Honorable mentions: Clem Daniels (1961-67), Marv Hubbard (1969-75), Mark van Eeghen (1974-81)