Philadelphia Eagles: 30 greatest players in franchise history

Even though is has been well over 60 years since he played in an NFL game, Steve Van Buren remains the greatest running back in Eagles football history. Though his career lasted only eight seasons, he was simply magnificent pounding the rock for The Birds in the 1940s. After an All-American season at LSU in the SEC, the Eagles used the No. 5 overall pick to take Van Buren in the 1944 NFL Draft.

Van Buren played in an era where NFL regular seasons were only 12 games long. Four times did he lead the league in rushing. Twice did Van Buren rush for over 1,000 yards in a 12-game season. Perhaps most impressive, Van Buren was the first running back in NFL history to rush for over 10 touchdowns in a season. He found pay dirt on the ground a still incredible 15 times in 1945.

Van Buren was a six-time first-team All-Pro and a second-team All-Pro in 1950. He won was the driving force behind the Eagles’ offense during their back-to-back NFL championships in 1948 and 1949. Van Buren retired after the 1951 NFL season at the age of 31. He finished with 5,860 rushing yards on 1,320 carries for 69 touchdowns in only 84 regular season games.

In 1965, Van Buren earned enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His Canton classmates include John Driscoll, Otto Graham and Sid Luckman. Van Buren made the 1940s All-Decade Team in the NFL and the Eagles’ 75th Anniversary Team. His No. 15 jersey is retired by the Eagles.