San Francisco 49ers: Ranking top 10 running backs in franchise history

No. 10: Ricky ‘Running’ Watters (1991-1995)

Ricky Watters may actually be more famous for his time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks than he is for the 49ers since he only played three full seasons in red and gold.

Nonetheless, he was quite productive during his years with the Niners, finishing with 653 rushes for 2,840 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns in his 43 games with the team. Watters was also known for his elite skill in the passing game, finishing with 140 catches for 1,405 receiving yards and eight touchdowns during his tenure with San Francisco.

Watters’ three-touchdown performance in the 1995 Super Bowl (one rushing and two receiving) against the San Diego Chargers and his five-touchdown performance in the 1994 divisional-round game against the New York Giants (all five rushing) will go down as his best games as a Niner, as well as some of the best Niners rushing performances of all time.

He may not have loved being a Niner, but he would have probably been one of the organization’s top five running backs of all time had he stuck around a little longer.