Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #86: Lawrence McCutcheon

Lawrence McCutcheon

Teams

Los Angeles Rams (1972-1979)

Denver Broncos (1980)

Seattle Seahawks (1980)

Buffalo Bills (1981)

Playoffs

Appearances - 8 (1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1981)

Conf Champ Games - 5 (1974,1975,1976,1978,1979)

Super Bowls - 1 (1979)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

Pro Bowl - 5 (1973,1974,1975,1976,1977)

All-Pro Second Team - 1 (1974)

All-Time Ranks

Rushing Yards - #75

Yards per Rush - #86

Rushing Yards per Game - #89

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#3-1977, #4-1973,1974, #5-1976)

Rushing Touchdowns (#5-1976,1977)

Yards per Rush (#5-1973,1974)

Rushing Yards per Game (#2-1973, #3-1977, #6-1974,1976, #9-1975)

Total Touchdowns (#6-1976,1977)

Scrimmage Yards (#2-1974, #4-1973,1977, #6-1976)

Yards per Touch (#4-1973,1974)

Lawrence McCutcheon ran for over 1000 yards in both his junior and senior seasons as a Colorado State Ram, and then he was drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft in 1972 by the Los Angeles Rams.

He appeared in 3 games as a rookie, but did not get an opportunity to touch the ball even once all season. That changed the next year, when he started a 5-year run of leading the Rams in rushing, winning their division, and being named to the Pro Bowl each season.

He averaged 5.2 yards per carry in his second season, the best he would average in his career. Although he would have higher yardage totals in 3 later seasons, he was never quite as efficient as he was in that first year as a starter.

In the next season he was named to the All-Pro Second Team for the only time in his career, behind a career-high of 1517 scrimmage yards, and the Rams made it to the Conference Championship game for the first of 3 consecutive seasons, each of which ended in a loss one step short of the Super Bowl.

The next year, he set a playoff record with 202 rushing yards in a playoff game against the Cardinals, but the Rams still fell short of the Super Bowl that year. After those 5 straight years of being the team's star runner, injuries started to take effect, as he missed 9 games over the next 2 seasons and moved into a backup role on the team. 

In 1979, his final year in Los Angeles, the Rams finally broke through and reached the Super Bowl, and McCutcheon threw a touchdown pass that gave the Rams the lead in the second half, but they wouldn't score again, and ended up losing to the Steelers 31-19.

He left the Rams after the Super Bowl, recording short stints with the Broncos, Seahawks, and Bills over the next 2 seasons before calling it quits. He never won a championship, and he never led the league in any category, but he was a very good back for 5 straight seasons, and that is enough to put him here among the best to ever play the game.