The 10 best running backs in the history of the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions' recent history does not overshadow the fact that championships permeate through the very foundation of the franchise. Historically, many of Detroit's best teams have come on the back of very strong running games.

While there is a clear top dog in the race for best Lions back ever, the franchise history is dotted with Hall of Famers and players who could have made a run at Canton if their bodies didn't fail them. In totality, running back is clearly one of the strongest positions in franchise history.

These 10 backs have set themselves apart as the best in franchise history. Detroit has some stars at the top with underrated players from some of the better Lions teams of the last few decades filling out the rest of the list.

Criteria for selection

These running backs were chosen based on a combination of:

• Statistical Achievements
• Impact on Success
• Longevity
• Memorable Moments

The top 10 running backs in Detroit Lions history

10. Steve Owens

Owens was a Pro Bowl player who came to Detroit as an Oklahoma legend ready to revitalize the Lions' ground game. His 1971 season saw him amass 1,385 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. He was primed to be one of the best backs in the league in the 1970s.

Owens would eventually turn into more of an injury "what-if" than a star, as bumps and bruises robbed him of game time. A knee injury in 1974 ended his career after just five seasons. The first Lions player to ever run for 1,000 yards in a single season deserves more attention than he gets.

9. James Jones

Originally brought on as a lead blocker for Billy Sims, the injury problems that sidelined No. 20 put James in the spotlight. Together with backup Garry James, Jones became a solid runner who used a 230-pound frame to run over would-be tacklers in the mid-1980s.

Jones was one of the more productive receiving backs in the league, as he recorded three straight seasons with at least 1,190 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. While his volume was reduced later in the 1980s, Jones was a productive enough bulldozer to churn out tough yards game in and game out.

8. Bob Hoernschemeyer

Hoernschemeyer was one of the most multi-talented offensive players of his era, as he is a nominal halfback with 42 touchdown passes to his name. Acquired from the old Brooklyn Dodgers beginning in the 1950 season, Hoernschemeyer was one of Detroit's most lethal offensive weapons on two different Bobby Layne-led title teams.

Hoernschemeyer was a Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro player in 1950 and 1951, averaging slightly over 60 yards from scrimmage per game between 1950 and 1953. "Hunchy" led the team in rushing during each of those four seasons, and Detroit could not have won those titles without him.

7. Mel Farr

While Farr may be remembered for becoming an incredibly successful businessman after his career, he was a quality running back in his prime.

Farr's brother Miller was an All-Pro cornerback with the Oilers, and both his sons played in the NFL. After a legendary college career at UCLA, Farr came to Detroit like a bat out of hell, immediately becoming a reliable ball-carrier who became the center of Detroit's ground game.

The 1967 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Farr was a Pro Bowl in both '67 and 1970. Extrapolating his numbers out to a 17-game pace, Farr would have put up just under 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in his prime. His body failed him, however, and Farr was out of the league by age 30.

6. Dexter Bussey

Bussey played his entire 10-year career with the Lions. While he never rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season, Bussey's consistency and selfless play helped him become Detroit's all-time leading rusher by the time he retired. Those numbers came in adverse situations.

Bussey didn't become the unquestioned starter until his third season, and he moved to fullback in 1980 to make way for Billy Sims. Bussey's 4.2 yards per carry average, despite limited quarterback play, seems to suggest a bigger role for a longer period could have produced even more impressive numbers.

5. Nick Pietrosante

The Lions of the late 1950s and early 1960s were some of the more physical teams in the league, and Pietrosante piling up the would-be tacklers underneath his treads helped set the tone on the offensive end. Pietrosante almost won Rookie of the Year in '59 and was a Pro Bowl player in each of the next two seasons.

After leaving Detroit (and heading to Cleveland after the retirement of Jim Brown), Pietrosante had the Lions' franchise record for rushing yards. George Wilson's last few excellent seasons with Detroit were not exactly finesse aerial circuses, but Pietrosante did everything he could to help Wilson make life tough on opposing defenses.

4. Altie Taylor

Pietrosante's Lions rushing record did not last for very long, as Taylor came right in and became the main man on the ground in Detroit. A seven-year player in Detroit, Taylor and Farr were one of the most fearsome combinations of starter and backup in the backfield the NFL had to offer.

Taylor, who ran for over 4,000 yards in his career with the Lions, tallied 3,812 yards and 20 touchdowns in his prime between 1970 and 1973. The Lions were Top 10 in scoring every year between 1970 and 1972, and one of the main reasons for that uptick was Taylor dominating on the ground.

3. Billy Sims

Sad doesn't even begin to describe what happened to Sims. A No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in 1980, Sims' otherworldly talent would have put him in a position to be a first-rate star and Hall of Fame back if he managed to stay healthy.

The 1980 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Sims was a Pro Bowler in three straight seasons to begin his career and an All-Pro twice. Between 1980 and 1984, only four running backs, three of which of which are in the Hall of Fame, managed to run for more yards than Sims.

Sims would suffer a catastrophic knee injury in 1984 that ended his career right after he took hold of most of the Lions' franchise rushing records. We will never know just how good Sims would have been had he been able to stay healthy for the full length of his tenure.

2. Dutch Clark

Clark was nominally a quarterback for much of his career, but the Jurassic NFL he played in saw him take on primary ball-carrying responsibilities in the way a halfback would. Clark was alternatively called "nearest to perfection" and the hardest man in the NFL to tackle.

Clark was an All-Pro six times in seven years and led the league in rushing touchdowns three times. Serving as the star player, head coach, and general manager of the Lions all at once, Clark is a member of the 1930s All-Decade team and the Hall of Fame. His No. 7 was the first number Detroit retired.

1. Barry Sanders

Wow, what a surprise. There's a good case to be made that not only is Sanders the best Lion ever, but that he is the best running back and offensive player to ever play the game. If nothing else, only he and Emmitt Smith have any claim to the title of best running back of the last 35 years.

Sanders carried the Lions for 10 seasons. He was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in all of them, twice winning Offensive Player of the Year and taking home MVP in 1997, just one year before his sudden retirement. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times, only twice failing to run for more than 1,400 yards in a season.

In a 17-game season, Sanders would have averaged over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a decade, often alongside up-and-down quarterback play and offensive lines. At his peak, Sanders was as close to unstoppable as any player in NFL history.