New Sack Numbers

The National Football League didn’t recognize sacks as an official statistic until 1982. That has always severely limited thoughts and debates on the league’s great sackers. Thanks to decades of relentless research by John Thuney and Nick Webster, sack numbers can be reliably tracked back to 1960. Those sack numbers are now part of the extensive database at Pro Football Reference. These are reliable statistics but are still considered unofficial by the NFL.

New “Unofficial” NFL Sacks Leader (back to 1960)

Rank	Player	Sacks	Years
1	Bruce Smith+	200	1985-2003
2	Reggie White+	198	1985-2000
3	Deacon Jones+	173.5	1961-1974
4	Kevin Greene+	160	1985-1999
5	Julius Peppers	159.5	2002-2018
6	Jack Youngblood+	151.5	1971-1984
7	Chris Doleman+	150.5	1985-1999
8	Alan Page+	148.5	1967-1981
9	Lawrence Taylor+	142	1981-1993
10	Michael Strahan+	141.5	1993-2007
11	Jason Taylor+	139.5	1997-2011
12	Terrell Suggs	139	2003-2019
13	DeMarcus Ware	138.5	2005-2016
14	Richard Dent+	137.5	1983-1997
14	John Randle+	137.5	1990-2003
16	Jared Allen	136	2004-2015
16	Rickey Jackson+	136	1981-1995
18	John Abraham	133.5	2000-2014
18	Carl Eller+	133.5	1964-1979
20	Leslie O’Neal	132.5	1986-1999
21	Al Baker	131	1978-1990
22	Coy Bacon	130.5	1968-1981
22	Jim Marshall	130.5	1960-1979
24	Claude Humphrey+	130	1968-1981
25	Derrick Thomas+	126.5	1989-1999

+ - Hall of Famers

It’s interesting that three of the Top 4, and four of the Top 7, on the list got their NFL start in 1985.

#1 - Bruce Smith

#2 - Reggie White

#4 - Kevin Greene

#7 - Chris Doleman

The Minnesota Vikings are well represented among the Top 25. 

#7 - Chris Doleman, 150.5

#8 - Alan Page, 148.5

#14 - John Randle, 137.5

#16 - Jared Allen, 136

#18 - Carl Eller, 133.5

#22 - Jim Marshall, 130.5

Alan Page’s 148.5 sacks is the best among defensive tackles. 

Jim Marshall’s 130.5 sacks can only help his continuing case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Deacon Jones and the Purple People Eaters were the biggest beneficiaries of the new sack numbers. 

Michael Strahan has been considered the single-season sack leader since he hauled down Brett Favre. That sack gave him a season total of 22.5 in 2001. There’s a new “unofficial” single-season sack leader. Al Baker racked up 23 sacks as a rookie in 1978. I remember that season. As a Vikings fan, I wasn’t happy about his NFC Central debut. In his first three years in the league, Baker collected 23, 16, and 17.5 sacks. Of his 131 career sacks, 5.5 came in a single season with the Vikings in 1988. I was a fan of those sacks. 

New “Unofficial” Single-Season Sack Leaders

Rank	Player	Sacks	Year	Team
1	Al Baker	23	1978	Detroit
2	Michael Strahan+	22.5	2001	NY Giants
3	Jared Allen	22	2011	Minnesota
3	Mark Gastineau	22	1984	NY Jets
3	Justin Houston	22	2014	Kansas City
3	Deacon Jones+	22	1964	LA Rams
3	Deacon Jones+	22	1968	LA Rams
8	Coy Bacon	21.5	1976	Cincinnati
8	Deacon Jones+	21.5	1967	LA Rams
10	Chris Doleman+	21	1989	Minnesota
10	Reggie White+	21	1987	Philadelphia
12	Aaron Donald	20.5	2018	LA Rams
12	Jim Katcavage	20.5	1963	NY Giants
12	Joe Klecko	20.5	1981	NY Jets
12	Lawrence Taylor+	20.5	1986	NY Giants
12	J.J. Watt	20.5	2012	Houston
12	J.J. Watt	20.5	2014	Houston
18	Mark Gastineau	20	1981	NY Jets
18	Harvey Martin	20	1977	Dallas
18	Derrick Thomas+	20	1990	Kansas City
18	DeMarcus Ware	20	2008	Dallas

Reggie White racked up 21 sacks during a strike-shortened 1987 season. He was sacking quarterbacks at such a rate that he was on pace to hit 28 over 16 games. 

Considering the frequency with which Deacon Jones collected sacks, you’d think that he loved rather than hated quarterbacks. He couldn’t stay away from them. He had three 20-sack seasons. He had a 19-sack season. He had six seasons of at least 15 sacks, eight seasons of at least 12.  

It’s a whole new sack-tracking world.

Thank you John Thuney and Nick Webster for your great research.