Greg Pruitt

Who is Greg Pruitt?

Gregory Donald Pruitt is a former American football running back in the NFL from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member of the Los Angeles Raiders, the last one as a kick returner. He was also part of the Raiders' Super Bowl XVIII winning team.

Pruitt was an All-American at the University of Oklahoma in 1971 and 1972, Greg was All-Big 8 as well in '71 and '72. He ranks third among Sooners in career all-purpose yards. Pruitt gained 3,122 rushing yards, 491 receiving yards, 139 yards on punt returns and 679 yards returning kickoffs. Pruitt scored 41 career touchdowns as a Sooner. He came in second in Heisman Trophy voting in 1972, and third in 1971.

In 1999 he was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Greg Pruitt rule established tear-away jerseys as illegal. Pruitt purposely wore flimsy jerseys that ripped apart in the hands of would-be tacklers.

In 1979, Pruitt won ABC's Superstars, an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon.