Alvin Henderson of
Elba (Ala.) is once again leading high school football nationally in rushing and scoring – and it's really not even close. In racking up 2,034 rushing yards and 230 points so far this season, Henderson is over 300 yards and nearly 60 points ahead of his nearest competitor.
Some may dismiss Henderson's record-breaking totals due to the fact that he plays for a small school in a small town. Elba has a population of about 3,500 people and its population has declined over the past 30 years. Meanwhile the school has about 180 students in grades 9-12 and plays in Class 1A, the smallest in the state.
Others will point out, however, that it doesn't matter where you play. Phenomenal talent isn't exclusive to the larger schools in the country. The University of Auburn thinks enough of Henderson's talents to offer him a scholarship and
247Sports has Henderson ranked as the No. 15 running back in the nation.
There is a strong history of legendary backs coming from small towns and we set out to identify the 10 greatest.
Alvin Henderson of Elba (Ala.) is closing in on 10,000 career rushing yards. (Photo: Brandon Sumrall)
1. Herschel Walker, Johnson County (Wrightsville, Ga.)
"I don't know quite how to describe him, but he's a hero around here. He's already a legend," Johnson County coach Gary Phillips said it when Walker was just 17 years old.
Walker was regarded as the top prospect in the country in 1979 after rushing for 3,118 yards and 45 touchdowns including 302 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-17 win over Feldwood in the Class A championship game.
Walker signed with Georgia and led the Bulldogs to a national championship the following year in 1980. He won the Heisman Trophy three years later and finished his pro career (in the USFL and NFL) with 13,787 rushing yards. Johnson County played in Class A in Georgia and the town of Wrightsville had a population of just under 2,500 during Walker's senior year.
2. Eric Dickerson, Sealy (Texas)
Dickerson led the state of Texas in rushing in 1978 with 2,642 yards. He had 296 yards and three touchdowns in the state final leading Sealy to the championship. Dickerson went to SMU and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1982 behind Herschel Walker and John Elway.
In the NFL, Dickerson's single-season record of 2,105 yards still stands and he had 13,259 yards rushing in 12 seasons. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. Sealy had a population of about 3,500 people in the late 1970s while playing in the Class 2A division in Texas.
3. Billy Sims, Hooks (Texas)
If not for a knee injury during his fifth season in the NFL, Sims might be at the top of this list. He rushed for 7,738 yards in his high school career at Hooks (population 2,500 in the 1970s) including a streak of 38 games in a row in which he gained over 100 yards. At Oklahoma, Sims won the Heisman Trophy as a junior and finished second in the voting as a senior.
Sims was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1980 and he made the Pro Bowl three times before his career ended in 1984 due to the injury. He finished his career with 5,106 rushing yards.
4. Walter Payton, Columbia (Miss.)
Why is the NFL's all-time rushing leader coming in at No. 4 on this list? For one, Payton's exploits in high school are not close to the three players above, although he did lead his conference in scoring as a senior at Columbia in 1970 with 78 points. The town of Columbia had a population of around 7,000 in the late 1960s, but it had two schools segregated by race. Payton played at Jefferson his junior year and reportedly did not play as a freshman or sophomore. Jefferson and Columbia consolidated for his senior year of 1970.
Playing at Jackson State, Payton didn't receive the recognition that other standout running backs received at the time. Although he was named the Black College Player of the Year, he did not finish in the top 10 in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1973 or 1974.
Nonetheless, the Chicago Bears drafted Payton No. 4 overall in 1975 and he went on to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards.
5. John Riggins, Centralia (Kan.)
Centralia is a town that has stayed fairly static with regard to population growth. The population was about 525 in the 1960s and it's only slightly smaller today. Riggins played quarterback for Centralia but mostly ran the ball in racking up 1,456 yards while scoring 197 points. He also averaged 61 yards per punt return, 48 yards per kickoff and had 78 tackles on defense.
Known as a power fullback in the NFL, Riggins was the state champion in the 100 meters as a junior. He earned All-American honors in football and earned all-state in basketball.
At Kansas, he was twice All-Big Eight and in the NFL he was the Super Bowl MVP in 1983 and he finished his career with 11,352 yards rushing.
6. Kenneth Hall, Sugar Land (Texas) now Fort Bend Dulles (Sugar Land, Texas)
A city of over 110,000 people today, Sugar Land had just 2,300 residents in the early 1950s when Kenneth Hall was setting national records. He scored 899 points and rushed for 11,232 yard in his career. He earned Wigwam Wiseman All-American honors while leading the nation in rushing as a senior with 4,045 yards.
Hall was not as successful at the next level, playing a few years at Texas A&M under Paul "Bear" Bryant along with brief stints in the NFL and AFL and Canadian Football League.
7. David Overstreet, Big Sandy (Texas)
Playing on quite possibly the greatest small town football team in history, Overstreet led the state of Texas with 3,032 yards rushing and scored 56 touchdowns for Big Sandy. The Wildcats outscored opponents 824-15 in going 14-0 and winning the Class B state championship.
He was All-Big Eight while playing at Oklahoma and he played one season with the Miami Dolphins before tragically dying in an automobile accident.
8/9. Michael Hart/Latavius Murray, Onondaga (Nedrow, N.Y.)
A small town outside of Syracuse, Nedrow's population has been in the 2,500 range for most of this century, yet the tiny school of Onondaga Central that is located there has produced two NFL running backs.
Hart nearly became the nation's all-time leading high school rusher as he gained 11,045 yards in his career while leading Onondaga to three Class D state championships.
Hart went to Michigan and became the school's all-time leading rusher with 5,040 yards. He played briefly in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and was the interim coach for the Wolverines (during Jim Harbaugh's suspension) at the beginning of the run to the national championship in 2023.
Murray, meanwhile, earned Gatorade State Player of the Year honors as a senior and finished his three-year varsity career with 5,833 yards rushing. Murray has played in the NFL for 11 seasons and has gained 6,552 yards rushing.
10. Thomas Jones, Powell Valley (Big Stone Gap, Va.)
Jones may fly under the radar when it comes to rating the greatest all-time running backs but his production can't be denied. Only six running backs in history have more yards than Jones when combining high school, college and professional totals. He ran for 7,193 yards while at Powell Valley, gained a school record 3,998 yards at Virginia and 10,591 yards in the NFL.
Jones grew up in Big Stone Gap, a coal town with a population of about 4,750 people in the 1990s.
