Highlights
- Terrell Davis was spectacular during the Denver Broncos' run to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s.
- Floyd Little was a key component in Denver's early years.
- Sammy Winder helped the Broncos to several Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s.
The Denver Broncos have been one of the most stable NFL teams of the Super Bowl era, having won the AFC eight times and suffering relatively few losing seasons along the way. During these years, the Broncos have seen Hall of Famers in all shapes and sizes, covering multiple positions, including running back.
While Denver’s running back history may not be as strong as that of other organizations, its elite tailback play dates back to the franchise’s earliest years. At times, it was the star running back that kept the team afloat, and at others, it was what made the Broncos a championship-caliber team.
Here's a look at the five greatest running backs in team history.
1 Terrell Davis
Davis was spectacular during Denver’s back-to-back Super Bowl runs
Terrell Davis may go down as the biggest steal in Broncos history, as the sixth-round pick made an impact that was more akin to an early first-rounder and did so almost immediately.
Davis ran for 1,117 rushing yards in 1995 and finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. This was a precursor to his next evolution, which would go down as one of the best three-year stretches of running back play in NFL history.
He won Offensive Player of the Year in 1996 after running for 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns. Davis would then finish runner-up for the award in 1997, rushing for 1,750 yards and a league-high 15 touchdowns. He tacked on eight more touchdowns in the postseason and won Super Bowl MVP after running for 157 yards and three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
By the time the 1998 season rolled around, Davis was the near-unanimous best running back in football and possibly the league’s best player, regardless of position. With expectations at an all-time high, he rose to the challenge and ran for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns en route to winning NFL MVP.
The Broncos again rode Davis' success into the postseason and won their second consecutive Super Bowl. Sadly, he battled injuries in the following years and retired from football at just 29. The counting stats will never encapsulate his greatness. He only played 78 regular-season games and double-digit games in only four seasons.
The accolades, though, paint a better picture. Three First-Team All-Pro selections, two Offensive Player of the Year Awards, an NFL MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, and two Super Bowl victories do more for Davis' resume than his 7,607 rushing yards and 60 rushing touchdowns.
2 Floyd Little
Little was the Broncos’ first great rusher
Nicknamed “The Franchise,” Floyd Little was a key component of the early Broncos and helped keep the team somewhat relevant during a time of unstable ownership. It took Little a couple of years to get acclimated to the professional game, as he struggled to pick up first downs as a rookie but showed signs of growth in his second season.
It was 1969, Little’s third year and the final season in AFL history, where he took the next step and was named a First-Team All-Pro, leading the league with five yards per carry and 81 yards per game.
Two years later, in 1971, Little won the NFL rushing title with 1,133 yards and once again was the league leader in yards per game with 80.9. He retired in 1976 after recording 6,323 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns.
Little never made a postseason appearance, but he was a crucial figure in the early years of Denver’s history.
3 Sammy Winder
Winder helped Denver reach several Super Bowls
For many Broncos fans, thinking about the 1980s brings back painful memories, ones of a team that was on the brink of immortality, only to fall each time. Denver made three Super Bowls in four years, losing each one. This repeated heartbreak makes it difficult to look back at the many bright spots.
After all, for a team to lose three Super Bowls, they must reach the Big Game on three separate occasions, a challenging task for even the strongest organizations. One of the most notable contributors during that period was two-time Pro Bowl running back Sammy Winder.
Winder, drafted in the fifth round in 1982, was a starter for two of Denver’s three Super Bowl appearances during the decade, including 1986, when he ran for 789 yards and nine touchdowns and added 185 rushing yards in the postseason.
He started six straight years for the Broncos before being moved to the bench during the 1989 season. Overall, Winder ran for 5,427 yards and 39 touchdowns during his nine-year run in Denver, both of which rank third in team history.
4 Otis Armstrong
Armstrong’s prime didn’t coincide with the rest of Denver’s roster
The years that preceded the Broncos' first Super Bowl appearance were headlined by Otis Armstrong, who was selected ninth overall in the 1973 NFL Draft. The Purdue product spent most of his rookie season as a backup but was given the keys to the offense in 1974. That year, Armstrong won the rushing title with 1,407 yards and led the league in yards per carry with 5.3.
He was also a formidable receiver and caught 38 passes for 405 yards, giving him a total of 1,812 yards from scrimmage. Following an injury-shortened season in 1975, Armstrong returned to form in 1976, topping 1,000 rushing yards and making his second Pro Bowl. Unfortunately, Armstrong’s best years were wasted by underperforming Broncos teams.
It wasn’t until 1977 that Denver made its first playoff appearance, which resulted in the team's first Super Bowl appearance, and despite being only one year removed from a Pro Bowl selection, Armstrong was a shell of his former self, having only run for 489 yards in 10 games. The Broncos ultimately lost the title game to the Dallas Cowboys.
This trend continued in 1978. The Broncos made the playoffs yet again, but Armstrong continued to fade. Had the Broncos improved quickly, or Armstrong declined slowly, Denver may have gotten over the hump sooner. Instead, much of Armstrong’s 4,453 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns went toward losing efforts.
5 Mike Anderson
Anderson struggled with injuries in Denver
As Terrell Davis' body began to break down, the Broncos had to look elsewhere for a high-quality running back. It appeared the team had stumbled upon another late-round gem in 2000, when sixth-rounder Mike Anderson ran for 1,487 yards and 15 touchdowns, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in the process. Anderson split reps with Davis in 2001 and moved to fullback in 2002.
He struggled in his new role and went on to miss the entirety of the 2004 season due to a groin injury sustained in the preseason, casting doubt on his future in the league.
Anderson got back on track in 2005, topping 1,000 rushing yards and 1,200 yards from scrimmage, but was waived in the 2006 offseason. While Anderson’s injuries and position change definitely cost him, his early decline was foreseeable.
The former U.S. Marine debuted as a 27-year-old rookie, making his short prime and wavering health far from out of the realm of possibilities. Anderson ran for 3,822 yards and 36 touchdowns with Denver and had little success after leaving the franchise, playing two uneventful seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.
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