High School

Derrick Henry now has more NFL career rushing yards than his high school total

The 10-year NFL veteran currently holds the overall HS career rushing yards record

Kevin L. Smith

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs against the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs against the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Derrick Henry was a force to be reckoned with during his time at Yulee High School (Florida) 2009 to 2012.

That transitioned into what has become a Hall of Fame career in the NFL. Over the weekend, King Henry accomplished a feat that seemed nearly impossible after his time with the Tennessee Titans came to an end a couple of years ago.

Henry ran for 75 yards on 20 carries in the Baltimore Ravens’ 27-19 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

The 10-year NFL veteran now has 12,127 NFL career rushing yards, surpassing his high school total of 12,124 in the process. Henry’s HS career rushing yards are a record that he’s held for more than a decade.

In high school, Henry broke Ken Hall’s record of 11,232 career rushing yards – a record that was untouched for nearly 60 years. 

Hall, who played for Sugar Land High School from 1950 to 1953, also held the single-season rushing yard record (4,045) before it was broken in 1996 by Travis Henry (4,087) – “Mr. Florida Football” and former Frostproof HS and ex-NFL running back.

“It took longer, but those two levels are a little different,” said Bobby Ramsay, Henry’s HS coach, via ESPN. “That rushing record in high school had stood for 59 years, so even coming close to it in the NFL is remarkable. Breaking it is just insane.”

Henry also had 153 career touchdowns at Yulee, which is within the top five all time. In his 2012 senior campaign with the Hornets, Henry ran for 4,261 rushing yards and 55 TDs on 462 carries.

According to CBS Sports, Henry is currently 15th on the NFL’s all-time career rushing yard list. He is 20 yards away from passing Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Raiders great Marcus Allen (12,243).

Henry is also one of just 17 running backs to reach the 12,000-yard career mark.

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Kevin L. Smith
KEVIN L. SMITH

Kevin L. Smith, a Rochester (NY) native and a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, has been covering high school sports for over a decade. He started out as a freelance sportswriter in 2013. Since then, he’s held sportswriter and editor positions for newspapers in Coudersport (PA), Sayre (PA) and Oswego (NY). Smith currently covers high school sports in the Greater Syracuse Area for syracuse.com | Post-Standard, a position he’s held since 2021. You can follow him on social media @KevLSmittie. Story ideas can be sent to KLSFreelancing@outlook.com.

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