The New York Giants are one of the flagship franchises in the NFL which they joined back in 1925. The G-men have won eight NFL titles since joining the league and have featured some of the most dynamic players in NFL history like Lawrence Taylor, Fran Tarkenton and Sam Huff. The best players are in the team’s ring of honor. 

The Giants have had several outstanding running backs since they joined the NFL 95 years ago. They have played in different eras and had different roles, but they all have one thing in common: they exceled in a Giants uniform.

The rankings here only take into consideration what these players did with the Giants. Longevity, consistency and impact on the team’s success are all taken into consideration when ranking these players. 

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Here are the top four running backs in New York Giants history: 

Leroy Butler put a massive hit on Giants running back Tiki Barber in the first quarter on Friday, Aug. 22, 1997 at Lambeau Field.
Leroy Butler

  1. Rodney Hampton (1990-1997)

Hampton spent eight seasons with the Giants and had five straight seasons with 1,000-or-more yards from 1991-1995. The Georgia alum went to the Pro Bowl after the 1992 and 1993 campaigns. 

Hampton ran for a career-high 1,182 yards in 1995 and scored 14 rushing touchdowns in 1992. He won a championship with the Giants during his rookie season when they edged the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. 

Hampton finished his NFL career with 6,897 yards and 49 rushing touchdowns. 

  1. Joe Morris (1982-1988)

Morris stood only 5’7” but he proved the doubters who said he was too small to play in the NFL wrong. The former Syracuse star was able to use his speed and vision to find holes and his lack of size sometimes made it tough for would be tacklers to find him in the backfield. 

Morris earned Pro Bowl honors in 1985 and 1986 and had three 1,000-plus yard seasons. The Giants were a run-first team and Morris was the engine that made the offense go.

He scored a league-high 21 rushing touchdowns in 1985 and gained a career-high 1,516 yards in 1986, the year the Giants won their first Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XXI, Morris gained 87 total yards and scored a touchdown for the Giants as they beat the Broncos 39-20.

  1. Frank Gifford (1952-1964)

Gifford was a versatile talent for the Giants. He could play running back or wide receiver and he was adept at throwing the halfback option pass which the Giants used to trick opposing defenses.

Gifford earned Pro Bowl honors eight times in his career including seven times as a halfback and once as a flanker. He changed positions after being knocked cold by Chuck Bednarik on a famously hard tackle in 1960. 

After he retired, Gifford became a broadcaster and was a star on Monday Night Football in the 1970s and 80s with Howard Cosell and Don Meredith. 

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

  1. Tiki Barber (1997-2006)

Barber spent a decade with the Giants and is the team’s all-time leading rusher with 10,449 career yards. He earned three straight Pro Bowl berths from 2004-2006 and was All Pro in 2005.

In 2005, he gained a career-high 1,860 yards and averaged 5.2-yards per rush. Barber was also an outstanding pass receiver out of the backfield and had eight straight seasons with 50 or more catches for the Giants.

In 2000, Barber was the catalyst of the Giants offense when they reached Super Bowl XXXV. Although the Giants lost the game, Barber gained 75 total yards and caught six passes.

Barber has been inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor. His twin brother Ronde was a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.