Top 25 NFL running backs whose careers were derailed too early
6,789 rushing yards, 45 touchdowns. Philadelphia Eagles. Wilbert Montgomery . 19. player. 54.
Wilbert Montgomery’s legacy in Philadelphia will always be his dash to the end zone for an emphatic touchdown to open the 1980 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys that propelled the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance.
However, that run almost didn’t happen because of the thing that dogged Montgomery long before his first NFL carry: injuries.
Snow and brutally cold conditions forced the Eagles to practice for the NFC Championship Game at Veterans Stadium at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ facility, and at one point during the week Montgomery twisted his ankle on a divot on the practice field. He wound up playing and rushing for 194 yards and a touchdown before his knee gave out late in the game.
A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Montgomery rushed for a career-high 1,512 yards with nine touchdowns in 1979 and produced three 1,000-plus yard performances in his career.
Montgomery went on to play nine seasons but was only able to finish four of them as he dealt with shoulder, hamstring, ankle, and knee injuries throughout his career. Given Montgomery’s talent, downhill running style, and productivity during his healthy years, it isn’t a stretch to say that he’d easily have wound up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame had injuries not constantly been lurking around every corner.
- Career stats: 1,540 carries for 6,789 yards and 45 touchdowns, 273 receptions for 2,502 yards and 12 touchdowns
- Two-time All-Pro
- Two-time Pro Bowler
- Eagles Hall of Fame inductee