<Table> <Tr> <Th> Reign </Th> <Th> Player </Th> <Th> Team ( s ) by season </Th> <Th> Carries </Th> <Th> Yards </Th> <Th> Average </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1932 -- 1941 ( 9 years ) </Td> <Td> Cliff Battles </Td> <Td> Washington Redskins ( 1932 -- 1937 ) </Td> <Td> 839 </Td> <Td> 3,511 </Td> <Td> 4.2 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1941 -- 1949 ( 8 years ) </Td> <Td> Clarke Hinkle </Td> <Td> Green Bay Packers ( 1932 -- 1941 ) </Td> <Td> 1,171 </Td> <Td> 3,860 </Td> <Td> 3.3 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1949 -- 1958 ( 9 years ) </Td> <Td> Steve Van Buren </Td> <Td> Philadelphia Eagles ( 1944 -- 1951 ) </Td> <Td> 1,320 </Td> <Td> 5,860 </Td> <Td> 4.4 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1958 -- 1963 ( 5 years ) </Td> <Td> Joe Perry </Td> <Td> San Francisco 49ers ( 1948 -- 1960 , 1963 ) Baltimore Colts ( 1961 -- 1962 ) </Td> <Td> 1,737 </Td> <Td> 8,378 </Td> <Td> 4.8 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1963 -- 1984 ( 21 years ) </Td> <Td> Jim Brown </Td> <Td> Cleveland Browns ( 1957 -- 1965 ) </Td> <Td> 2,359 </Td> <Td> 12,312 </Td> <Td> 5.2 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1984 -- 2002 ( 18 years ) </Td> <Td> Walter Payton </Td> <Td> Chicago Bears ( 1975 -- 1987 ) </Td> <Td> 3,838 </Td> <Td> 16,726 </Td> <Td> 4.4 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2002 -- present ( 15 years ) </Td> <Td> Smith , Emmitt Emmitt Smith </Td> <Td> Dallas Cowboys ( 1990 -- 2002 ) Arizona Cardinals ( 2003 -- 2004 ) </Td> <Td> 4,409 </Td> <Td> 18,355 </Td> <Td> 4.2 </Td> </Tr> </Table>
who has the most yards per carry in nfl history
Emmitt Smith