LaDainian Tomlinson
Teams
San Diego Chargers (2001-2009)
New York Jets (2010-2011)
Playoffs
Appearances - 6 (2004,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010)
Conf Champ Games - 2 (2007,2010)
Super Bowls - 0
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
MVP - 1 (2006)
Offensive Player of the Year - 1 (2006)
All-Pro First Team - 3 (2004,2006,2007)
All-Pro Second Team - 3 (2002,2003,2005)
Pro Bowl - 5 (2002,2004,2005,2006,2007)
Hall of Fame - 2017
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Touchdowns - #2
Total Touchdowns - #3
Scrimmage Yards - #6
Rushing Yards - #7
Rushing Yards per Game - #18
Yards per Rush - #86
Receptions - #86
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-2006,2007, #2-2002, #3-2003, #6-2005, #7-2004, #9-2001, #10-2008)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-2004,2006,2007, #3-2005, #4-2001, #5-2002,2009, #6-2003, #7-2008)
Yards per Rush (#4-2003,2006)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-2006, #2-2007, #3-2002, #5-2003, #6-2005, #10-2004)
Receptions (#4-2003)
Total Touchdowns (#1-2006, #2-2004,2007, #3-2003,2005, #6-2002, #8-2008, #10-2001)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-2003, #2-2006,2007, #3-2002, #5-2004,2005, #8-2008, #9-2001)
Yards per Touch (#6-2006,2011)
As a senior at TCU, LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 2158 yards and 22 touchdowns, gained 5.8 yards per carry, and finished 4th in the Heisman voting, which helped him to be picked #5 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.
Tomlinson surpassed 1000 rushing yards in each of his first 9 seasons in the NFL, even when his yards per carry were low. As a rookie he gained 1236 yards on only 3.6 yards per carry, but when he raised that to 4.5 yards per carry in his second season, his yardage total jumped to 1683, and he ended up with 2172 scrimmage yards, third-best in the NFL.
He emerged as a superstar in 2003. He had 1645 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing on the season, gaining a career-high 5.3 yards per carry, and gained an additional 725 yards through the air, putting him at 2370 on the season, the fifth-best total of all time. He was the runner-up for Offensive Player of the Year that season.
His per carry average plummeted in 2004, down to only 3.9 yards per rush, but he led the league in rushing touchdowns that season for the first time, as he reached the end zone 17 times, including 12 games in a row during the season. That earned him his first All-Pro First Team honors, and he was far from being done.
He improved across the board in 2005, up to 1462 yards and 18 touchdowns, but it was 2006 where he really made his mark on history. He led the league in rushing that year with 1815 yards, and set records that still stand with 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 total touchdowns. He won both the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards, and led the Chargers to a playoff berth for just the second time in his career.
He again led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2007, but this time with only 1474 yards and 15 touchdowns, far from the heights he had reached the previous season. He and the Chargers reached the AFC Championship game that year, but he injured his knee in the previous game, and was only able to gain 5 yards before sitting out the rest of the team's loss to the Patriots.
His return from injury was not as good as he hoped for. He gained only 1110 yards on the season, the lowest of his career to that point, and only picked up 3.8 yards per carry. He missed the Pro Bowl for the first time in years, and it didn't get better the next year, as he gained only 730 yards on the season. After 9 years in San Diego, he was released by the team, and he chose to sign with the New York Jets on a 2-year contract.
He rushed for 914 yards in his first season as a Jet, and reached the AFC Championship Game for the second time in his career, but it ended again in a disappointing loss, with Tomlinson gaining only 16 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh. He played one final season as a backup in New York before retiring from the NFL.
Tomlinson is #7 on the all-time list for rushing yards, and #2 in rushing touchdowns, and still holds the record for most touchdowns in a season. His 2006 season was probably the best by any running back in the past 20 years, and he is even among the all-time top 100 in receptions, even though he only finished in the top 10 once in that category in his career. There is no doubt that LT is one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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