A

Eric Dickerson

1960-

American football player

During his professional football career, running back Eric Dickerson more often resembled a thoroughbred than a human being. Game after game, Dickerson electrified fans as he tucked the football under his arm, then sprinted down the field with all the beauty and grace of a well-groomed racehorse. Dickerson also possessed an uncanny ability to read the defense and knew which holes he could burst through to score. Because of these talents, Dickerson enjoyed many record-setting seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and was undoubtedly the most productive ball carrier of his time. Over the course of his eleven-year career, Dickerson set the NFL record for most yards rushed in a single season-2,105 yards. He also became the first player in NFL history to gain more than 1,000 yards in seven consecutive seasons. When he retired in 1993, his 13,259 career rushing yards was the second best of all time.

Raised in the Lone Star State

Eric Demetric Dickerson was born September 2, 1960, in Sealy, Texas, a small town about fifty miles west of Houston. Dickerson was raised by his great-aunt and great-uncle, Viola and Kary Dickerson, and spent the first part of his life believing Viola was his mother. Dickerson was a teenager when he discovered that his birth mother was actually a woman named Helen, whom he believed was his older sister. Helen, just seventeen when Dickerson was born, decided not to marry Dickerson's father, Richard Seal. Giving the child over to Viola seemed like the best option. Dickerson likely inherited some of his athletic ability from his father, Richard, who was a running back at Prairie View College in Texas.

Because he was terribly skinny and wore glasses, Dickerson endured teasing from his the neighborhood kids. That all changed, however, once he began playing football. Dickerson's success on the football field was almost instant. By seventh and eighth grade, Dickerson was making a name for himself as a running back. "I'll never forget our first game," Dickerson recalled in Nancy J. Nielsen's book Eric Dickerson. "I was absolutely terrified, really just running for my life, but I guess my fear was a pretty good motivator. I wound up scoring four touchdowns that day…. Suddenly people were looking at me differently. Their eyes showed respect."

Entering Sealy High School, Dickerson starred on the football and track teams, winning the state 100-yard dash championship with a lightening-quick time of 9.4 seconds. The sport he really stood out in, however, was football.

Even in high school, Dickerson's coaches could tell he had natural instincts as a running back. His senior year, Dickerson rushed for 2,642 yards and thirty-seven touchdowns to lead Sealy to the state high school Class AA championship. He was named a 1978 Parade magazine All-American.

Played Football at Southern Methodist University

Following high school, Dickerson entered Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas because his mother, Viola, wanted him to stay close to home. Dickerson, however, had wanted to play for the Oklahoma Sooners. Injuries plagued Dickerson his freshman year, and the "hometown" boy didn't make much of an impact. His sophomore year, however, Dickerson rushed for more than 100 yards in five different games. His junior year, Dickerson moved the ball 1,428 yards to score nineteen touchdowns and was selected as the Southwest Conference Player of the Year. While Dickerson was at SMU, he and running mate Craig James were dubbed "The Pony Express."

During Dickerson's senior year, he gained 1,617 yards and scored seventeen touchdowns, while helping his team to a Cotton Bowl victory. That year, Dickerson rushed for an average of 147 yards per game-third best in the nation. Dickerson was chosen as an All-American, was voted Southwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and came in third in Heisman trophy balloting.

Drafted by Los Angeles Rams

During the April 1983 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected Dickerson. He was the second player selected in the draft, behind quarterback John Elway.

Dickerson's start in the pros, however, was not nearly as smooth as his stride. His first game, a scrimmage game against the Dallas Cowboys, was a near disaster. "I was so jittery my mind went completely blank," he recalled in Nielsen's book. "I couldn't remember a thing—not a play, not a formation, not anything."

Dickerson's jitters plagued him at the start of his rookie year. In his first three pro game appearances, Dickerson fumbled the ball six times. One of the fumbles led to a game-winning field goal by the opponent. Dickerson soon calmed down and in his fourth game, he made an 85-yard touchdown run against the New York Jets. Later, he rushed for 199 yards against the Detroit Lions. Despite his shaky start, Dickerson ended up rewriting the NFL rookie record book. He ended the season as the NFL's top rusher with 1,808 yards, beating out all of the other veteran players. He scored eighteen touchdowns rushing and gained 100 or more yards in nine games. That season, he set rookie records for rushing yards (1,808), rushing attempts (390), and rushing touchdowns (18) to earn NFL Rookie of the Year honors.

Broke NFL's Single-Season Rushing Record

By 1984, Dickerson's second season, he'd gained enough confidence to calm down. He became choosier about which holes he would try to slip through. That season, Dickerson had twelve 100-yard games. As the end of the season approached, it looked as if Dickerson might be able to break O.J. Simpson's single-season rushing record of 2,003 yards, set in 1973. The pressure mounted, and during a December 2 game against New Orleans, Dickerson gained only 149 yards. He blamed the disappointing numbers on mounting pressure from the press and fans. A few days later, Dickerson said he was having nightmares. According to Sports Illustrated, Dickerson told the press: "I didn't sleep well last night. I was trying to sleep, and I had a dream about getting 2,001 yards." That's exactly where his dream ended—at 2,001 yards—three shy of breaking Simpson's record. Dickerson, however, pulled it together later in the month during the second to last game of the regular season. Playing the Houston Oilers, Dickerson gained 215 yards in twenty-seven carries to break Simpson's single-season rushing record. Dickerson ended the season with 2,105 rushing yards and fourteen touchdowns. He also caught twenty-one passes for 139 yards.

When Dickerson broke Simpson's single-season rushing record in 1984, he found himself thrust into the spotlight. Dickerson, however, gave his teammates plenty of credit for his success. The humble Dickerson didn't forget the ten offensive linemen who made his record-shattering possible. In appreciation, Dickerson gave them each a diamond-studded gold ring etched with the number 2,105.

In each of his first four years with the Rams, Dickerson delivered his team to the playoffs. In 1986, Dickerson set a new record for rushing yardage in a playoff game by gaining 248 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.

Following a salary dispute, Dickerson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 1987. It was one of the biggest deals in NFL history. The trade involved three teams and 10 players, as well as draft-choice swapping. The trade proved good for the Colts, and in 1988, Dickerson earned his fourth rushing title, leading the league with 1,659 yards. Dickerson spent four seasons with the Colts before joining the Los Angeles Raiders in 1992 and the Atlanta Falcons in 1993. He retired in 1993 without ever making it to the Super Bowl.

Nicknamed 'Mr. Fourth Quarter'

While Dickerson had natural athletic abilities, part of his success came from his year-round training program. Strength training and sprinting programs were a staple in his life. Over the course of his career, Dickerson earned the nickname "Mr. Fourth Quarter" because he could turn it up a notch as the others were winding down.

This stamina also helped Dickerson become the seventh back in NFL history to hit the 10,000-yard milestone. Though others had reached that mark, Dickerson did it in the fewest games—ninety-one.

Besides his workhorse mentality, Dickerson was also well-known for his signature prescription goggles, which he wore on the field to correct poor vision. He never seemed to have trouble finding holes in the defense, however.

Off the field, Dickerson involved himself with many youth programs. In 1984, he formed Dickerson's Rangers, a Los Angeles-area youth club for boys and girls aimed at providing an alternative to streets, gangs, and drugs.

Remembered as Potent, Graceful Runner

While it is feasible that another NFL player could match Dickerson's records, no one will surely match his style. A potent and graceful runner, Dickerson stands in a league of his own. In the forward to his book, Eric Dickerson's Secrets of Pro Power, Indianapolis Colts coach Ron Meyer described Dickerson's distinctive running style this way: "He has the power to run right over would-be tacklers, the moves to leave them flatfooted, and the speed to run away from them. He's like a lion on the prowl with a football, hunting for the end zone, or like a thoroughbred in shoulder pads, sprinting down the home stretch. Give him a step and he'll take 6 points." Statistics aside, if just for his running style, Dickerson will forever be rated as one of the best running backs in the NFL simply because he was so magnificent to watch.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY DICKERSON:

(With Steve Delsohn) On the Run, McGraw-Hill, 1986.

(With Richard Graham Walsh) Eric Dickerson's Secrets of Pro Power, Warner Books, Inc., 1989.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Dickerson, Eric, with Richard Graham Walsh. Eric Dickerson's Secrets of Pro Power. New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1989.

Nielsen, Nancy J. Eric Dickerson. Mankato, Minnesota: Crestwood House, 1988.

Periodicals

Dingus, Anne. "Eric Dickerson." Texas Monthly (September 1999): 216.

Nack, William. "He Put the Squeeze on the Juice." Sports Illustrated (December 17, 1984): 16.

"NFL Career Rushing Leaders." St. Louis Post-Dispatch (September 8, 2002).

Other

"Eric Dickerson-Biography." Pro Football Hall of Fame. http://www.profootballhof.com/players/mainpage.cfm?cont_id=99899 (January 2, 2003).

"Eric Dickerson-Highlights." Pro Football Hall of Fame. http://www.profootballhof.com/players/highlights/edickerson.cfm (January 2, 2003).

"Eric Dickerson-Statistics." Pro Football Hall of Fame. http://www.profootballhof.com/players/statistics/edickerson.cfm (January 2, 2003).

Sketch by Lisa Frick