Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris joined an elite group, becoming the 14th player in NFL history to record 1,000-yard rushing seasons in each of his first four years. His 71 yards on 13 carries in a 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday pushed his 2024 total to 1,007 yards and five touchdowns on 251 carries. He previously rushed for 1,200 yards as a rookie in 2021, followed by 1,034 yards in 2022 and 1,035 yards in 2023.
Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys (1977-1980) was the first to achieve this milestone, with Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans (2008-2011) being the most recent before Harris. Other notable players to accomplish this feat include Earl Campbell, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, Terrell Davis, Eddie George, Corey Dillon, Jamal Lewis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Clinton Portis, and Adrian Peterson.
Harris also became the 12th player with 1,000 rushing yards this season and the fourth Alabama alumnus to reach that mark in 2024, joining Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens), Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers), and Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions). He is one of 18 players from Alabama high schools and colleges to achieve 1,000 rushing yards in an NFL season, a group that collectively boasts 52 such seasons.
The following table details the 1,000-yard rushing seasons of NFL players with Alabama football roots:
| Player Name | School | Team | Year | Attempts | Yards | TDs |
|————————-|—————|———————-|——|———-|——-|—–|
| William Andrews | Auburn | Atlanta Falcons | 1979 | 239 | 1023 | 3 |
| | | | 1980 | 265 | 1308 | 4 |
| | | | 1981 | 289 | 1301 | 10 |
| | | | 1983 | 331 | 1567 | 7 |
| Joe Cribbs | Auburn | Buffalo Bills | 1980 | 306 | 1185 | 11 |
| | | | 1981 | 257 | 1097 | 3 |
| | | | 1983 | 263 | 1131 | 3 |
| James Brooks | Auburn | Cincinnati Bengals | 1986 | 205 | 1087 | 5 |
| | | | 1989 | 221 | 1239 | 7 |
| | | | 1990 | 195 | 1004 | 5 |
| Bobby Humphrey | Alabama | Denver Broncos | 1989 | 294 | 1151 | 7 |
| | | | 1990 | 288 | 1202 | 7 |
| Antowain Smith | Alabama | Buffalo Bills | 1998 | 300 | 1124 | 8 |
| | | New England Patriots | 2001 | 287 | 1157 | 12 |
| Stephen Davis | Auburn | Washington Redskins | 1999 | 290 | 1405 | 17 |
| | | | 2000 | 332 | 1318 | 11 |
| | | | 2001 | 356 | 1432 | 5 |
| | | Carolina Panthers | 2003 | 318 | 1444 | 8 |
| Shaun Alexander | Alabama | Seattle Seahawks | 2001 | 309 | 1318 | 14 |
| | | | 2002 | 295 | 1175 | 16 |
| | | | 2003 | 326 | 1435 | 14 |
| | | | 2004 | 353 | 1696 | 16 |
| | | | 2005 | 370 | 1880 | 27 |
| Rudi Johnson | Auburn | Cincinnati Bengals | 2004 | 361 | 1454 | 12 |
| | | | 2005 | 337 | 1458 | 12 |
| | | | 2006 | 341 | 1309 | 12 |
| Carnell Williams | Auburn | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2005 | 290 | 1178 | 6 |
| Ronnie Brown | Auburn | Miami Dolphins | 2006 | 241 | 1008 | 5 |
| Brandon Jacobs | Auburn | New York Giants | 2007 | 202 | 1009 | 4 |
| | | | 2008 | 219 | 1089 | 15 |
| Eddie Lacy | Alabama | Green Bay Packers | 2013 | 284 | 1178 | 11 |
| | | | 2014 | 246 | 1139 | 9 |
| Mark Ingram | Alabama | New Orleans Saints | 2016 | 205 | 1043 | 6 |
| | | | 2017 | 230 | 1124 | 12 |
| | | Baltimore Ravens | 2019 | 202 | 1018 | 10 |
| Jordan Howard | UAB | Chicago Bears | 2016 | 252 | 1313 | 6 |
| | | | 2017 | 276 | 1122 | 7 |
| Derrick Henry | Alabama | Tennessee Titans | 2018 | 215 | 1059 | 12 |
| | | | 2019 | 303 | 1540 | 16 |
| | | | 2020 | 378 | 2027 | 17 |
| | | | 2022 | 349 | 1538 | 13 |
| | | | 2023 | 280 | 1167 | 12 |
| | | | 2024 | 278 | 1636 | 13 |
| Josh Jacobs | Alabama | Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders | 2019 | 242 | 1150 | 7 |
| | | | 2020 | 273 | 1065 | 12 |
| | | | 2022 | 340 | 1653 | 12 |
| | | Green Bay Packers | 2024 | 278 | 1216 | 13 |
| Najee Harris | Alabama | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2021 | 307 | 1200 | 7 |
| | | | 2022 | 272 | 1034 | 7 |
| | | | 2023 | 255 | 1035 | 8 |
| | | | 2024 | 251 | 1007 | 5 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | Alabama | Detroit Lions | 2024 | 209 | 1156 | 12 |
For more comprehensive coverage of the NFL, visit AL.com’s NFL page. Mark Inabinett, Alabama Media Group. @AMarkG1