4. Emmitt Smith (1990-2004)
On Oct. 27, 2002, Smith took over the top of the all-time rushing list, a prime example of a runner who has always stood for substance over style. He already led the league in carries. Sure, he can avoid tacklers, but the running back, who will retire as a Cowboy after a short stint with the Cardinals, was at his best when he runs right through them. “Emmitt is a warrior,” former Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis said. “His mentality is he’s never going to be beaten, and he’s not going to accept defeat. It’s not like he’s talent-free. But it’s that mentality that puts him over the top.”

Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi is another admirer of Smith’s true grit. “The game is won on the third-and-2s and fourth-and-1s,” Ernie Accorsi said. “I'm not so sure in the last 25 years that, as an opponent, Emmitt Smith wouldn't be the last guy I'd want to see on fourth-and-1 at the goal line. He's going to get into the end zone.” And he did it regardless of how his team was doing. “He’s been there every week – good years, bad years, Super Bowl years, four-win seasons. That’s the mark of a true warrior,” said Tennessee Titans GM Floyd Reese.

Noteworthy stat: Smith has rushed for an NFL record 164 touchdowns.

5. Walter Payton (1975-87)
His nickname, “Sweetness,” was a tribute to his personality, not his running style. Even at a modest-sized 5-10, 202 pounds, Payton epitomized the bruising, roughhouse persona of the Chicago Bears for whom he missed just one game in a 13-year career. “What people didn’t know was how rough he was,” said Matt Millen, a former Raiders linebacker. “He didn’t give straight arms, he’d punch you. Or he would lower his shoulder and kind of jump into you. He was one of the few who got personal fouls running the ball.”

Payton caught passes (a record for running backs of 492 when he retired) and blocked, too, anything to help a team that needed plenty. Before he earned a Super Bowl ring with a team known for its intimidating defense in 1985, Payton endured nine years of futility as Chicago compiled a 61-70 record. He willingly took as much as he gave, though, averaging more than 20 carries a game in eight of his first 10 seasons. “For most of his career, he took on the NFL with no offensive line,” ex-Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow said. And not once did Payton gripe.

Noteworthy stat: In 1977 against the Vikings, Payton carried 40 times for a then-NFL record 275 yards en route to an MVP season in which he rushed for 1,852 yards.

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