The NFL has renamed its annual league rushing title award after legendary Browns running back Jim Brown.
The honor was announced Thursday by Hall of Fame running backs Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders at the NFL Honors. Brown was in attendance at Symphony Hall in Phoenix as the new award name was unveiled.
The honor is fitting for the award, as Brown still stands as one of the league's all-time greatest rushers nearly six decades after his career ended. Brown, who spent nine nine years with the Browns from 1957-65, is 11th on the league's all-time rushing leaderboard with 12,312 career rushing yards and led the league in rushing yards in eight of his nine NFL seasons. He also is sixth in league history with 106 career rushing touchdowns. He won the league MVP award three times, including his rookie season, and is the only player in league history to win the award as a rookie.
Las Vegas' Josh Jacobs was the first recipient of the award after leading the league with 1,653 rushing yards last season.
