One year during the NBA All-Star Game festivities in the 1980s, Larry Bird threw open the door of the locker room where all those competing in the three-point shooting contest were seated

He looked around at all the stunned faces and said, “I just wanted to see who all was going for second place.”

Then he shut the door

OK! Well, then!

You could say the same thing about the incomparable Jim
Brown.

Not just when the talk is who is the best Browns running back ever. Which he is.

Not just when the talk is who is the best pro football running back ever. Which he is.

And not just when the talk is who is the best pro football player ever. Which he is.

As is the case with the first two categories, it isn’t even close. Brown has run away from the others, literally and figuratively.

Having settled all that, then, who all are competing for second place among Browns running backs?

More specifically, who is indeed in second pkace.

All this has come up, of course, with former Browns running back Nick Chubb signing with the Houston Texans recently.

My pick?

Before I reveal that, let me point out that greatness in a player in any pro sport, especially football, which has changed so dramatically over the years, is measured by how he compared with his contemporaries. That is, which guy topped his contemporaries by a wider margin?

That would be Leroy Kelly. He immediately became the league rushing champion upon taking the baton from Brown, and stayed on that realm into the early by. He also was, like Brown and some others, an excellent pass receiver out of the backfield.

In the No. 3 spot is Chubb. He had a gear, another gear and then yet another gear on top of that one. He has — still — a great combination of power and speed.

No. 4 is Greg Pruitt. He hsd incredible moves and was even better as a receiver than as a runner, and he was a great runner. His 43-yard catch and run against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1973 at Cleveland is the most electrifying offensive play in Browns history,

The fifth-best is Mike Pruitt. He was a tremendous runner and developed into a decent receiver, but he had fumbling problems. Without that, he might be third.

Sitting in sixth place is Earnest Byner. Whether by run or pass, he could take over a game all by himself,

Right behind him at No. 7 is Byner’s backfield mate, Kevin Mack, “The Mack Truck.” He was the most powerfulo runner of his era. He knocked out Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd when they collided in the backfield, which was no small feat.

In eighth place is Bobby Mitchell. Though having to play second fiddle to Brown, he carved out his own niche and made the most of every opportunity..

Mitchell and Eric Metcalf, who is ninth, could have switched places. They were the same back 30 years apart, quick and elusive.

Rounding out the top 10 is Marion Motley, who, according to Brown, “was better than I was.” Though it wasn’t true, the fact Brown said it is key because he was always honest. Motley would likely be second on this list if he had not gotten such a late start, as he was a 26-year-old rookie. He was as punishing of a runner as the game has ever seen.

Steve King

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