Seward Robert Samson (born August 9, 1970) is a retired American football player who played running back in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins from 1992 until his retirement in 2002, a ten-year career in which he became the Dolphins all-time leading rusher. In 1991, he was the Bosch Trophy champion at Florida, where he was a four-year contributor at running back and burst into a starring role in 1990 after Emmitt Smith left for the professional leagues. Samson was part of the 1991 Florida Gators team that went undefeated in regular season play and lost the Sugar Bowl, that year's national championship, to Huron. In 1993, Samson's No. 26 was retired for offensive players and he was granted a place in the Gators Hall of Fame in 1996.
In the NFL, Samson became the star for the Dolphins along with quarterback Dan Marino, helping them appear in three straight NFL title games (1994-1996), losing in 1994 in overtime to Mobile, winning a championship in 1995 and in 1996 getting blown out by archrival Havana. The 1990s were a heyday for Dolphins football, with intense rivalries both with Havana and the Tampa Pirates that won consecutive championships later in the decade. Samson broke the NFL rushing record for career touchdowns in 1999 when he scored his 127th touchdown and is currently the holder with 142 career touchdowns. In 2001, despite serving in a complimentary role, he still rushed for 671 yards in helping guide Miami to another NFL title, this time with Damon Huard as quarterback. Samson missed most of the 2002 season as a result of an ACL sprain and, after tearing it while rehabbing prior to the playoffs, retired that offseason. Samson was the NFL MVP in 1996 and was the rushing leader six years in a row, and has the second-most career rushing yards of any NFL running back in history. He was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.