No. 32 | |||||||||
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Position: | Fullback | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | August 1, 1942 | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Teague | ||||||||
College: | North Texas State | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 1964 / round: 8 / pick: 103 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Billie Pittman McWatters (born August 1, 1942) is a former American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and in several minor leagues. He played college football for the North Texas State Eagles.
McWatters was born and grew up in Donie, Texas and attended Teague High School. He was named All-Central Texas and All-District in football as a senior. [1]
McWatters was a member of the North Texas State Eagles for three seasons. He became a starter as a sophomore and was used primarily as a blocking back. [2] McWatters left the team after his junior year to play professionally.
McWatters was selected in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. [3] In training camp as a rookie, Tom Franckhauser suffered a near-fatal and career-ending brain injury when he attempted to tackle McWatters during a scrimmage. [4] He played in 11 games with one start as rookie, serving mostly as the backup to Pro Bowl fullback Bill Brown and rushing for 60 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. [5] [6] He then signed with the Florida Brahmans of the North American Football League. [7] He joined the Richmond Rebels of the Continental Football League in 1966. [8] McWatters was signed by the Richmond Roadrunners of the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1967 and played there for two seasons. [9]
The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It owed its name, at least in part, to the Continental League, a proposed third Major League Baseball organization that influenced MLB significantly, although they never played a game.
James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance was an American professional football player who was a fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League (AFL). He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2009. He played college football for the Syracuse Orangemen.
James Charles Taylor was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, with the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1966 and with the expansion New Orleans Saints in 1967. With the Packers, Taylor was invited to five straight Pro Bowls and won four NFL championships, as well as a victory in the first Super Bowl. He was recognized as the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) after winning the rushing title in 1962, beating out Jim Brown. An aggressive player and fluent trash talker, Taylor developed several personal rivalries throughout his career, most notably with New York Giants linebacker Sam Huff. This confrontational attitude, combined with his tenacious running style, a penchant for contact, and ability to both withstand and deliver blows, earned him a reputation as one of the league's toughest players.
Peter Louis Pihos was an American professional football player who was an end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).
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In each year of its ten-year existence (1960–1969), numerous sports-news services named their choice for the American Football League's best first-year player. UPI selected a rookie for each of the ten seasons, while the Associated Press did selections from 1961 to 1966, which ended up with the same selections that UPI made. In 1967, AP instead selected Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Years for the AFL, with the offensive choices matching the UPI selection.
The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid a base salary of $100 per game and had 36 players on each active roster.
John Hugh Niland is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Lee Roy Caffey was an American professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers. Caffey is one of the top 100 Green Bay Packers of All-Time (#57). Caffey and teammates, Ray Nitchke and Dave Robinson, were named one of the top 10 best linebacking trios in the history of the NFL by ESPN. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and is one of Texas A&M’s top 10 best players in the NFL.
Richard Robert Volk is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, New York Giants, and Miami Dolphins. He retired with 38 career interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries, and totaled 574 yards on interception returns and 548 yards on punt returns.
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J. D. Smith Jr. — the initials stand for nothing — was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Dallas Cowboys. He was a second team All-Pro in 1959 and was twice a member of the NFL Pro Bowl team.
Ray Douglas McDonald was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968.
Alphonse Alan Dotson is an American former professional football defensive tackle who played college American football at Grambling State, where he was All-American in 1964.
Bruce Oliver McLenna was an American football player. He played college football for the University of Michigan in 1961 and for Hillsdale College in 1964 and 1965. He played professional football for the Detroit Lions in 1966 and was later signed by the Kansas City Chiefs. In June 1968, he was killed in an automobile accident at age 26 while riding in a military vehicle as part of his service in the Missouri National Guard.
Jennings Paige Cothren was an American football fullback-placekicker who starred collegiately at the University of Mississippi before he became the first player to sign a contract with the New Orleans Saints in their National Football League (NFL) history although he would never play a game for the team. Known by his middle name, Cothren spent time with two NFL teams, the Los Angeles Rams (1957–58) and Philadelphia Eagles (1959). In his career, he booted 81 consecutive extra points without a miss to join a select group to achieve the feat.
Robert Cero Paremore was an American football halfback who played college football for Florida A&M and professional football for the St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1964), Montreal Alouettes (1966), and Calgary Stampeders (1967–1968).