Sports
Eric Dickerson
Sealy native Eric Dickerson became half of SMU's 'Pony Express' before setting the still-standing NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards in 1984.
- Roster rank
- #138
- Category
- Sports
- Subject type
- Person
- Profile source
- Published Texas Icons profile
Texas story
Life and career
Eric Dickerson grew up in Sealy, Texas, and starred at SMU alongside Craig James in the celebrated 'Pony Express' backfield. The Los Angeles Rams drafted him second overall in 1983.
Dickerson rushed for 1,808 yards as a rookie and 2,105 in his second season, establishing an NFL single-season record. He later starred for Indianapolis, finished with 13,259 rushing yards and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Defining work
What to know
- SMU Pony Express
- 2,105-yard 1984 season
- 13,259 career rushing yards
- 1999 Pro Football Hall of Fame
Timeline
Key milestones
- 1960Born in Sealy, Texas.
- 1979Begins SMU career.
- 1983Drafted second overall by the Rams.
- 1984Sets NFL single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards.
- 1999Enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Texas connections
Places in the story
Sealy
Hometown.
Dallas
SMU college career.
Legacy
Why the story lasts
Dickerson's 2,105-yard season remains one of football's most durable individual records.
His Texas story is rooted in Sealy and SMU rather than the locations of his NFL teams.
Dickerson's Texas football identity begins in Sealy and continues through the celebrated SMU backfield before his record-setting NFL years. The professional single-season rushing mark made him a national figure, but the earlier Texas chapters explain the scale of expectation around him before the NFL: he was already part of a major high-school and Southwest Conference football story.
Sources
Research trail
Cross-linked profiles