Arizona Cardinals: Top Five Running Backs in History
By Scott Allen
Nov 30, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona Cardinals helmet on the sidelines before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
5. Marcel Shipp
Shipp spent his entire six-year NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals. Drafted out of Massachusetts, Shipp really didn’t see much playing time early on. He only got into 11 games his rookie season but had no offensive statistics. It was his second season he started to see more action.
In 2002, Shipp rushed for 834 yards on 188 carries, a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. He also rushed for six touchdowns. He also had 38 receptions that season for 413 yards and three touchdowns. Although his yards-per-carry average dipped to 3.6 in 2003, he still rushed for 830 yards to go along with 184 yards receiving.
Shipp’s production tailed off as the years went by. He missed the entire 2004 season due to a knee injury suffered in preseason camp. He led the Cardinals in rushing with 457 yards in 2005 but then played backup to Edgerrin James in 2006 and 2007. He was released during training camp in 2008 and later signed with the Houston Texans but was with them for just 11 days in the preseason before being released. He went to the United Football League to finish out his career.
Best Cardinals season: 2002: 834 yards rushing, six touchdowns and 413 yards receiving and three touchdowns
Best Cardinals game: October 26, 2003 vs. San Francisco 49ers: 35 carries for 165 yards
Of course there a number of other backs I could have included. Tim Hightower, Emmit Smith, Beanie Wells, Ronald Moore, Thomas Jones, and even Andre Ellington could have all been mentioned. You might be asking where is Larry Centers on this list. He was a fullback that spent more time receiving than running the ball so I did not include him on this list. I also thought about adding Johnny Johnson. He actually got a Pro-Bowl invite as a rusher in Arizona.
Now we wait and see if the Cardinals can add someone to this list and top all of them. I have a feeling they are going to do just that.