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Who are the top NFL players of the 1980s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Dan Marino: a 5x Pro Bowl and 3x All-Pro selection during the decade, Marino led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns for three consecutive seasons in the mid-1980s, including then-records of 5,084 passing yards and 48 touchdowns in his 1984 MVP season.
9. Reggie White: after racking up 23.5 sacks in two seasons in the since-defunct United States Football League (USFL), White jumped to the NFL in 1985 and went on to post five straight double-digit sack seasons and four consecutive years with Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the decade, including a career-best 21.0 sacks in his 1987 Defensive Player of the Year season.
8. Ronnie Lott: a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in his rookie year (1981), Lott went on to be an 8x Pro Bowler and 4x All-Pro during the decade while accumulating more than 45 interceptions as the defensive anchor of a San Francisco 49ers team that won four Super Bowls in the 1980s.
7. Mike Singletary: the middle linebacker and leader of the Chicago Bears’ “Monsters of the Midway” defense in the 1980s, Singletary was an 8x Pro Bowler, 6x All-Pro, and 2x Defensive Player of the Year during the decade who helped guide the team to a Super Bowl XX victory.
6. Jerry Rice: the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, Rice was a 4x Pro Bowler and All-Pro during the 1980s despite only entering the league in 1985; during that time, he led the league in receiving yards twice and touchdowns 3x (including a then-record 22 receiving touchdowns in just 12 games in 1987) while winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the 49ers.
5. Walter Payton: the NFL’s career rushing leader upon retirement (16,726 yards), Payton rushed for nearly 10,000 yards during the 1980s with six 1,000-yard campaigns, five Pro Bowl selections, three All-Pro nods, and a championship with the Bears in Super Bowl XX.
4. Eric Dickerson: the NFL’s single-season rushing leader (2,105 yards in 1984), Dickerson started off his career with a league-leading 1,808 rushing yards in 1983 and went on to rush for 1,000+ yards every year of the decade (7x) for 11,000+ total yards and four rushing titles, six Pro Bowls, and five All-Pro selections.
3. Anthony Munoz: one of the greatest offensive linemen ever, Munoz spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals and earned nine Pro Bowl and eight All-Pro selections during the 1980s while also twice playing in the Super Bowl (both losses to the 49ers).
2. Lawrence Taylor: one of the greatest defensive players ever, Taylor was a pass-rushing force who revolutionized the outside linebacker position – an MVP and 3x Defensive Player of the Year, he had seven straight double-digit sack seasons, including a career-high 20.5 in his 1986 MVP season, en route 100+ sacks, nine Pro Bowl selections, eight All-Pro selections, and a Super Bowl XXI victory with the New York Giants during the 1980s.
1. Joe Montana: the 1989 MVP and also a 6x Pro Bowler and 2x All-Pro during the 1980s, Montana is best-remembered for his postseason prowess – during his time with the 49ers, he led the team to a perfect 4-0 Super Bowl record in the 1980s and was the first player in league history to be named Super Bowl MVP 3x.
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Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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Countdown 64: Top 10 NHL Players of the 1980s