Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson will sign a one-day contract with the Los Angeles Rams and retire as a member of the team with which he spent his first four NFL seasons.
Dickerson will sign the contract Tuesday, nearly 35 years after he was drafted second by the Rams in the 1983 NFL draft.
"It feels amazing to sign this contract and officially be a Los Angeles Ram for life," Dickerson said. "My passion for this organization during my playing days and for the players wearing Rams jerseys now, is undeniable. This is where my career started and this is where my heart is, so closing this chapter with the Rams back in Los Angeles feels right. I would like to thank Stan Kroenke and the Rams for this opportunity and all of the fans for their outpouring support over the years."
Expectations were high for Dickerson, who was one half of Southern Methodist University's famed Pony Express backfield with tailback Craig James. His first season didn't disappoint.
Dickerson still has NFL rookie records for most yards gained in a season (1,808 yard) and attempts (390 rushes). He claimed NFC and NFL Rookie of the Year honors. He went on to set the league's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards in his second season.
Minnesota's Adrian Peterson ended up 8 yards shy of Dickerson's rushing record at the end of the 2012 NFL season.
Dickerson sits at seventh on the NFL's all-time rushing yards list.
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The bespectacled workhorse played three games for the Rams during the strike-shortened 1987 season before he was traded to the Colts. He led the league with 1,659 rushing yards in 1988, becoming the first Colt to lead the league in rushing since 1955.
He became the NFL's first player to gain more than 1,000 rushing yards in seven straight seasons in 1989.
He closed out his historic NFL career with the Raiders (1992) and Falcons (1993).
