Billie Pittman McWatters (born August 1, 1942) is a former American football

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

who played in the National Football League (NFL) and in several minor leagues. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at North Texas.

Early life

McWatters was born and grew up in

Donie, Texas Donie is an unincorporated community in southern Freestone County Freestone County is a county in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,435. Its county seat is Fairfield. The county w ...

and attended

Teague High School Teague Independent School District is a public school district based in Teague, Texas, United States. In 2009, the school district was rated " academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency. Schools * Teague High School (grades 9–12) ...

. He was named All-Central Texas and All-District in football as a senior.

College career

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. McWatters left the team after his junior year to play professionally.

Professional career

McWatters was selected in the eighth round of the

1964 NFL draft The 1964 National Football League draft was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Monday, December 2, 1963. The first overall pick was Dave Parks, an end from Texas Tech, selected by the San Francisco 49ers. The AFL dra ...

by the Minnesota Vikings. In training camp as a rookie,

Tom Franckhauser Thomas Anthony Franckhauser (May 26, 1937 – April 17, 1997) was an American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college f ...

suffered a near-fatal and career-ending brain injury when he attempted to tackle McWatters during a scrimmage. 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. He then signed with the Florida Brahmans of the North American Football League. He joined the

Richmond Rebels The Richmond Rebels were one of eight teams in the United States Baseball League, and were based in Richmond, Virginia. The league collapsed within two months of its creation from May 1 to June 24, 1912. The Rebels were managed by Alfred Newma ...

of the

Continental Football League 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 beco ...

in 1966. McWatters was signed by the Richmond Roadrunners of the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1967 and played there for two seasons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McWatters, Bill 1942 births Living people North Texas Mean Green football players Minnesota Vikings players American football fullbacks Players of American football from Texas Continental Football League players Atlantic Coast Football League players People from Freestone County, Texas