Category profile
- Dominance
- 82
- Peak
- 92
- Longevity
- 80
- Honours
- 80
- Statistics
- 92
Career timeline · Touchdowns per season
| Season | Touchdowns per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1236 | |
| 2002 | 1683 | |
| 2003 | 1645 | |
| 2004 | 1335 | |
| 2005 | 1462 | |
| 2006 | 1815 | |
| 2007 | 1474 | |
| 2008 | 1110 | |
| 2009 | 730 | |
| 2010 | 914 | |
| 2011 | 280 |
Data sources
- NFL
- Pro Football Reference
- Olympics.com
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why LaDainian Tomlinson ranks #42 in American Football
LaDainian Tomlinson ranks 42nd among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 638th of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 84.7 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 92, Longevity 80, Honours 80, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 378 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.
The record covers 2001–2011 with 11 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2006, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes mvp awards 1, rushing yards 13684, total touchdowns 162, single-season td record 31.
Immediately ahead sits Marvin Harrison on 84.2, a gap of -0.5 points. Directly behind is Von Miller on 84.0. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.
LaDainian Tomlinson GOAT Score explained
- Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
- Measures how far Tomlinson stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full American Football cohort.
- Peak92/100 · weight 20%
- Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2006. Scored 92/100.
- Longevity80/100 · weight 20%
- Rewards staying at that level over time: 10 years of competition and 11 recorded seasons. Scored 80/100.
- Honours80/100 · weight 20%
- Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 80/100.
- Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
- Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.
Top Tomlinson comparisons
LaDainian Tomlinson — frequently asked
- Is LaDainian Tomlinson the GOAT?
- Not on the current data. LaDainian Tomlinson ranks 42nd in American Football with a GOAT Score of 84.7, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
- What is LaDainian Tomlinson's GOAT Score?
- 84.7 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 80 (20%), Honours 80 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
- Where does LaDainian Tomlinson rank all time?
- 638th of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 42nd within American Football.
- LaDainian Tomlinson vs Marvin Harrison: who ranks higher?
- LaDainian Tomlinson, on 84.7 against Marvin Harrison's 84.2 — a margin of 0.5 points.