The Historic Season of Jamaal Charles
Jamaal Charles had a remarkable run over the last half of the 2009 season. His race to 1,120 yards is all the more remarkable given the fact that nobody with fewer than his 190 carries has ever topped 1,100 yards.
Simply put, nobody in football history gained more yards on less carries than Charles.
The fewest carries for a 1,000-yard season was done in 1934, as Beattie Feathers of the Chicago Bears ran for 1,004 yards on just 119 carries in 11 games. That was a remarkable performance from the early days of the league, an average of 8.4 yards per carry and 91.3 yards per game.
Seven other runners reached the 1,000-yard mark with fewer than the 190 carries that Charles had during the ‘09 season. But none ran for more than 1,071 yards.
That’s what makes Charles performance all the more noteworthy. Before Charles season, the fewest carries any running back had in reaching 1,100 yards or more was the 1966 performance of Leroy Kelly with the Cleveland Browns. In 14 games, Kelly ran 209 times for 1,141, at 5.5 yards per carry.
| Back | Team | Year | Games | Carries | Yards | Avg. |
| Beattie Feathers | Chicago Bears | 1934 |
11 |
119 |
1,004 |
8.4 |
| Michael Vick | Atlanta | 2006 |
16 |
123 |
1,039 |
8.5 |
| Joe Perry | San Francisco | 1954 |
12 |
173 |
1,049 |
6.1 |
| Paul Lowe | San Diego | 1963 |
14 |
177 |
1,010 |
5.7 |
| Derrick Ward | N.Y. Giants | 2008 |
16 |
182 |
1,025 |
5.6 |
| John David Crow | St. Louis | 1960 |
12 |
183 |
1,071 |
5.9 |
| Stump Mitchell | St. Louis | 1985 |
16 |
183 |
1,006 |
5.5 |
| Franco Harris | Pittsburgh | 1972 |
14 |
188 |
1,055 |
5.6 |
| Mercury Morris | Miami | 1972 |
14 |
190 |
1,000 |
5.3 |
| JAMAAL CHARLES | CHIEFS | 2009 |
15 |
190 |
1,120 |
5.9 |
Here are the fewest carries that pushed running backs over the 100-yard markers from 1,000 to 2,000 yards:
| Over | Carries | Yards | Running Back | Year | Team |
| 1,000 |
119 |
1,004 | Beattie Feathers | 1934 | Chicago Bears |
| 1,100 |
190 |
1,120 | JAMAAL CHARLES | 2009 | CHIEFS |
| 1,200 |
215 |
1,257 | Jim Brown | 1960 | Cleveland |
| 1,300 |
238 |
1,341 | Adrian Peterson | 2007 | Minnesota |
| 1,400 |
272 |
1,474 | Jim Taylor | 1962 | Green Bay |
| 1,500 |
252 |
1,527 | Jim Brown | 1958 | Cleveland |
| 1,600 |
312 |
1,695 | Frank Gore | 2006 | San Francisco |
| 1,700 |
336 |
1,750 | LARRY JOHNSON | 2005 | CHIEFS |
| 1,800 |
291 |
1,863 | Jim Brown | 1963 | Cleveland |
| 1,900 |
373 |
1,934 | Earl Campbell | 1980 | Houston |
| 2,000 |
332 |
2,003 | O.J. Simpson | 1973 | Buffalo |
The Boston Herald is reporting that Romeo Crennel has agreed to join the defensive staff of the Kansas City Chiefs in a currently undisclosed position. Well lets see… I bet its not just going to be the linebackers coach. Haha. I love how as soon as he gets back from vacation Mon Jan 11 this report comes out just after midnight Tues the 12th. I guess the Giants never really had a chance anyways.
family atmosphere…this is a winning move…
charles and cassel will be stars…
welcome to the new decade of KC Chiefs football, to fail, means two of the best coordinators in the NFL who have something to prove, would have to fail…The Best GM candidate in years would have to fail…
Playoffs within 2 seasons.
1ST HALF OF THE SEASON I WANTED AN ALMOST ENTIRE NEW O-LINE. BUT IN THE 2ND HALF WITH LESS SACKS–BETTER 3RD DOWNS–AND CHARLES RUNNING LIKE A MAD MAN, NOW THE O-LINE DOESNT LOOK SO BAD!!
[...] The Historic Season of Jamaal Charles from Bob Gretz [...]
I dont know what the O lines of the other guys on this list were like (except for the LJ year) but the O line this year was mostly terrible. That makes Charles that much more special. Plus with Athletes today training all their lives all year round, The league is just bigger faster and stronger than in years past. I think coaching is more developed too. I think charles just like Priest Holmes just makes things happen with speed and moves.