The 7 Most Efficient Seasons By 30-Plus-Year-Old Running Backs Since the Turn of the Century

Garrison Hearst, 2001

Season: 2001
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Age: 30
Total NEP: 45.29
Production: 1,206 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. 41 receptions for 347 yards and 1 touchdown.

Before there was Frank Gore racking up 1,000-yard seasons for the 49ers on a regular basis, there was Garrison Hearst. The back who once held the franchise record for rushing yards (1,570 yards) and total yards (2,105) in a single season, what makes his age 30 season even more amazing are the circumstances in which he amassed his fifth-place performance in.

Due to complications following surgery to repair his broken ankle suffered against the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round of the playoffs in 1998, Hearst suffered Avascular Necrosis, causing the talus bone in his foot to die. With doctors doubting his ability to play in the NFL again, Hearst would return to the field in 2001 after two years of dedicated rehabilitation to put up an incredible 45.29 Total NEP on the strength of his 4.8 yards-per-carry average. That was the 56th best running back season we've seen since 2000.

His performance would not only help turn around a team that was just 10-22 in two seasons without him to a 12-4 record that year, but would also earn him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2001 as well.