Steve Van Buren
Teams
Philadelphia Eagles (1944-1951)
Playoffs
Appearances - 3 (1947,1948,1949)
Conf Champ Games - 3 (1947,1948,1949)
Champ Games - 3 (1947,1948,1949)
Championships - 2 (1948,1949)
Awards and Honors
All-Pro First Team - 5 (1944,1945,1947,1948,1949)
Hall of Fame - 1965
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Touchdowns - #35
Rushing Yards per Game - #39
Yards per Rush - #64
Total Touchdowns - #81
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-1945,1947,1948,1949, #3-1946, #5-1944, #7-1950)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1945,1947,1948,1949, #3-1944,1946, #5-1951)
Yards per Rush (#1-1944, #3-1945,1947, #4-1946,1948, #5-1949)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1945,1946,1947,1948,1949, #3-1950, #4-1944)
Total Touchdowns (#1-1945,1947, #2-1949, #3-1948, #4-1944,1946)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-1947,1948, #2-1945,1949, #8-1946)
Yards per Touch (#5-1945, #7-1946, #9-1944,1948, #10-1947)
After playing as a blocking back up until his junior year of college at LSU, Steve Van Buren was moved to halfback as a senior and gained 847 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, which caught the eye of the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him #5 overall in the 1944 Draft.
He was used mostly as a kick returner as a rookie, leading the league in yards per punt return and being named to the All-Pro First Team at that position. He also led the league in yards per rush, with 5.6 yards per carry on the 80 carries he got that season.
In his second season, he was used more on offense, and he responded by leading the league with 832 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, and raised his average to 5.8 yards per carry, though he didn't lead the league in that category. This time, he was named to the All-Pro First Team as a running back.
His 1946 season was a bit down, but in 1947 he became the second player ever to reach 1000 rushing yards in a season, leading the league with 1008 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Eagles reached the championship game that year, but fell short against the Chicago Cardinals 28-21.
In 1948, he led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns for the third time in 4 years, and took the Eagles back to the championship game. In a rematch with the Cardinals, Van Buren scored the only touchdown in a 7-0 victory to win his first title.
In 1949, he broke his own record for rushing yards in a season, finishing with 1146, and won his third straight rushing title, becoming the first player ever to accomplish that. Three players have done it since, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, and Emmitt Smith. The Eagles defended their championship that year against the Rams, and Van Buren ran for 196 yards in a 14-0 shutout win.
Unfortunately, Van Buren would not have any more effective seasons. He broke his toe before the 1950 season, then suffered from injuries to his back, leg, and neck during the next two seasons. He tore a ligament in his knee before the 1952 season and had to miss the entire year, and he ended up retiring before the 1953 season started.
Van Buren played 8 seasons, and led the league in both rushing yards and touchdowns 4 times. He set the league rushing record twice, and won two championships, but his career was cut very short by injuries. When he retired, he was the all-time rushing yard leader, but today he isn't even in the top 100, but he still played a major role in the development of the game, and was one of the greatest to play it.
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