Ottis Anderson

Football's second "O.J.," Ottis James Anderson broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979 by exploding for 193 yards on 21 carries against the Dallas Cowboys. A 76-yard touchdown sprint in the final quarter proved to be the longest run of his pro career. He won both rookie of the year and NFC player-of-the-year honors for his season total of 1,605 rushing yards.

Although Anderson topped 1,100 yards in four of his next five seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals traded him to the New York Giants in the middle of the 1986 season. He never matched his St. Louis rushing totals, but he did experience something he had missed with the Cardinals: championships.

Anderson won two Super Bowls with the Giants, garnering most valuable player honors in Super Bowl XXV. When Joe Morris was injured in 1989, coach Bill Parcells turned to Anderson. He ran for 1,023 yards and scored 14 touchdowns after gaining just 214 yards in th previous two seasons. He rushed for 784 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1990 as he led the team in rushing for the second straight year.

The 34-year-old Anderson keyed the Giants' 20-19 victory over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. Parcells planned to keep the No-Huddle Offense of the favored Bills off the field by controlling the ball and it worked, thanks to Anderson, who ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

He carried 5 times for 37 yards on the Giants' opening drive of the second half, a 75-yard, nine-minute march that culminated with Anderson scoring the go-ahead touchdown.