Looking back at the season that was a recently-broken record.
In the Miami Dolphins Week 15 victory over the New York Jets, franchise history was made, as running back Raheem Mostert set a new franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a single season with his 17th.
When celebrating broken records, it’s always a great opportunity to look back and reflect on the individuals who made them so honorable. This was a record that had been held for 20 years by the legendary Ricky Williams, who set the mark during the 2002 season.
Williams was a college standout at the University of Texas. To this day, he holds the program’s single-season rushing record with 2,124 yards (1998), earning him the Heisman Trophy. He also won two Doak Walker awards in 1997 and 1998. His jersey number (No. 34) is retired by the Texas Longhorns football program.
Williams was selected fifth overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 1999 NFL draft, as the Saints traded their entire package of draft picks and two picks the following year to move up and take the running back.
Expectations for Williams were very high, and he delivered. In three seasons with the Saints, Williams totaled 3,129 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
However, after a disappointing losing season in 2001, New Orleans decided to move on from Williams even though the running back was coming off his best statistical season.
Williams was traded from the Saints to the Dolphins the following offseason with Miami sending two first-round picks to acquire the young superstar.
The Dolphins were coming off an 11-5 season that ended in a disappointing 20-3 wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. They already had a star-studded defense with the likes of defensive end Jason Taylor, linebacker Zach Thomas and cornerback Patrick Surtain.
With a fresh start for Williams, he took his game to another level. He rushed for over 100 yards in his first three games, scoring touchdowns in each contest.
Williams started in all 16 games for the Dolphins in 2002, totaling a league-leading 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on an outstanding 115.8 yards per game, all of which were franchise records. He also proved himself respectable in the passing game, catching 47 passes for 363 yards and a score, making his all-purpose touchdown total 17 in 16 games.
The Dolphins unfortunately missed the playoffs in 2002 despite a strong start. After starting 5-1, they finished 9-7 as the offensive passing attack simply wasn’t good enough for the offense to put up points consistently. It was a frustrating finish to a team featuring elite talent on both sides of the football. Williams, Taylor, Thomas, and Surtain were all named First-team All-Pros.
Williams was an obvious choice for All-Pro with his production in 2002. He’s the last Dolphins running back to achieve First-team All-Pro honors. Hopefully, the season Mostert is having will break that trend.
While Williams’ single-season touchdown record might now be broken, his 2002 season should still be considered the best of any running back in team history. His 1,853 yards on 115.8 yards per game are still franchise records by wide margins.
No other Dolphin has rushed for more than 1,300 yards in a season, while Williams has done it twice. He’s also the only Dolphins running back to average over 100 rushing yards per contest in a season. Ronnie Brown came the closest in 2007 with 86 yards per game.
Willams set the bar for any running back who wears the aqua and orange. Passing the torch to other great running backs like Mostert is an invaluable honor when considering the legendary career Williams had with the Dolphins and everywhere else he played.
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