Every 1,000-Yard Rusher in Florida Football History
By Chris Wright
Last Updated:
Florida has produced two of the best running backs in NFL history — and arguably the greatest in Emmitt Smith.
Smith is among the greatest players in Florida football history.
Long before Smith helped the Dallas Cowboys win 3 Super Bowl rings and eventually retired as the NFL’s all-time rushing leader, Smith wrote his name in Florida’s record books, twice rushing for 1,000 yards and accounting for the two highest totals in program history.
Florida’s 1,000-Yard Rushers
Surprisingly, Florida has only produced 11 1,000-yard rushing seasons in its history, through the 2025 season. Smith and Fred Taylor combined to produce three of them. Fred’s son, Kelvin Taylor, is the most recent Gator to rush for 1,000 yards, doing so in 2015.
Notably, Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 as a dual-threat QB, but with 895 rushing yards, he fell shy of adding his name to the list of 1,000-yard rushers in Gators history.
Florida’s Single-Season Rushing Record Progression
In 1975, Jimmy DuBose became the first Florida Gator to rush for 1,000 yards, thus setting the single-season rushing record. Emmitt Smith broke the record in 1987 and has held it ever since. Here’s a look at the progression (bold indicates the year he set the record):
Every 1,000-Yard Rusher by SEC School
Here’s the complete history for every SEC school’s 1,000-yard rushers and single-season record holders:
- Alabama’s 1000-yard rushers
- Arkansas’ 1000-yard rushers
- Auburn’s 1000-yard rushers
- Florida’s 1000-yard rushers
- Georgia’s 1000-yard rushers
- Kentucky’s 1000-yard rushers
- LSU’s 1000-yard rushers
- Mississippi State’s 1000-yard rushers
- Missouri’s 1000-yard rushers
- Oklahoma’s 1000-yard rushers
- Ole Miss’ 1000-yard rushers
- South Carolina’s 1000-yard rushers
- Tennessee’s 1000-yard rushers
- Texas’ 1000-yard rushers
- Texas A&M’s 1000-yard rushers
- Vanderbilt’s 1000-yard rushers
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
