Dickerson, a two-time All-America choice at
Southern Methodist University where he formed the "Pony Express" backfield with
Craig James , was selected in the first round of the 1983
NFL Draft by the
Los Angeles Rams , 2nd overall. An immediate success, he established rookie records for most rushing attempts (390), most rushing yards gained (1,808) and most touchdowns rushing (18). His efforts earned him All-Pro,
Pro Bowl , Player of the Year and
Rookie Of The Year honors.
In his second season, Dickerson continued his onslaught of the NFL record book. Twelve times during that season he gained more than 100 yards rushing, breaking the record of 100-yard games in a season held by
O. J. Simpson . His 2,105 total yards rushing in 1984 shattered Simpson’s 1973 record of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season. Nobody to this date has more rushing yards in a single season.
A workhorse runner with the Rams, Dickerson gained more than 1,000 yards each of his first four seasons with the team. In three of those seasons he gained more than 1,800 yards. Although he rushed for 1,234 yards in 1985, he missed the
Pro Bowl for the first time in his short NFL career. He did, however, go on to rush for a playoff record 248 yards against the
Dallas Cowboys in post-season play.
1985 marked the beginning of on-going contract disputes between Dickerson and the Rams, and after playing just three games for the Rams during the strike-shortened
1987 season, Dickerson was traded to the
Indianapolis Colts in one of the NFL's biggest trades ever, the Blockbuster Trade on Halloween 1987. Although he played in just nine games with the Colts that year, he still managed to gain 1,011 yards to finish the season with 1,288.
In 1988, Dickerson, with 1,659 yards rushing, became the first Colt to lead the league in rushing since
Alan Ameche in
1955 . This would mark the apogee of Dickerson's career with the Colts (although he would gain 1,311 yards rushing in
1989 ). Injuries, further contract disputes and suspensions clouded his final 2 seasons with the Colts.
In
1992 , Dickerson was traded to the Raiders and experienced a revival of sorts, leading the team in rushing attempts and yards. The following season, Eric played for the Falcons in a backup role, making his final national televised appearance during the
Monday Night Football game on
September 27 ,
1993 when the Falcons hosted the
Pittsburgh Steelers in a losing effort. Dickerson's neck was injured during the season, and on his doctor's advice, he elected to retire. At the time, he was the NFL's second all-time leading rusher.
Dickerson became the seventh back to gain more than 10,000 yards and the fastest ever to do so, reaching the milestone in just 91 games. During his 11-year career, Dickerson gained 13,259 yards rushing, which was second all-time at the time of his retirement, and rushed for 90 touchdowns. He gained another 2,137 yards and 6 touchdowns on 281 pass receptions. A six-time
Pro Bowl selection, Dickerson was All-Pro in
1983 ,
1984 ,
1986 ,
1987 and
1988 .
In
1999 he was elected to the
Pro Football Hall Of Fame . The following year, he provided on-field commentary during
Monday Night Football broadcasts.
As of the 2005 football season, Dickerson was working as a broadcaster for
KCBS television in
Los Angeles , providing commentary for that station's NFL pre-game and post-game shows.
Note: Eric is an unlockable legend in the videogame ''NFL Street 2''
