Pervis R. Atkins Jr. (November 24, 1935 – December 22, 2017) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
player.
Early years
Atkins was born in
Ruston, Louisiana,
and raised in Oakland, California.
[ ] He graduated from
Oakland Technical High School
Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech or simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, United States, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District. It is one of six compre ...
in 1953.
College football
After attending
Santa Ana Junior College, he played
college football at
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's ...
,
where he was a halfback, flanker, and
placekicker. In 1959, he became the first of four straight
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's ...
players to lead the nation in rushing yardage with 130 carries for 971 yards. He was the first New Mexico State University football player to be named to the Associated Press All-America first team.
In 1959, Atkins led the nation in yards per carry (7.5), total points (107), and yards per punt return (17.7). As of December 2017, he still held New Mexico State University's records for yards per carry for a career (8.1), punt return average for a career (15.1), and punt return average for a season (21. 8).
[ ]
Professional football
He played professionally in the
American Football League for the
Oakland Raiders in
1965 and
1966. He had previously played for the
Los Angeles Rams and
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. On April 30, 2009, Atkins was elected to the
College Football Hall of Fame.
Show business
Also an actor and producer,
Atkins appeared in the 1974 feature film ''
The Longest Yard'',
the made-for-TV movie ''The Desperate Miles'', and the 1976 pilot for the TV series ''
Delvecchio'', as well as a guest-starring role in an episode of ''
The Six Million Dollar Man
''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is re ...
''. He resided in Los Angeles until his death.
Death
On December 22, 2017, Atkins died in the Los Angeles area. He had been in an assisted-living facility and had suffered from dementia. He was 82 years old.
[ ]
See also
*
List of American Football League players
The following is a list of men who played for the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969).
Players
A
B
C
D
Elbert Dubenion
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
Notes
Player notes
1,398 ...
*
List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders
The list of college football yearly rushing leaders identifies the major college rushing leaders for each season from 1937 to the present. It includes yearly leaders in three statistical categories: (1) rushing yardage; (2) yards per carry; and (3 ...
*
List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders
The list of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders identifies the NCAA major college scoring leaders. Beginning with the 1937 college football season, when the NCAA began maintaining official records, the list includes each year's lea ...
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Pervis
1935 births
2017 deaths
20th-century African-American sportspeople
African-American players of American football
Sportspeople from Ruston, Louisiana
Players of American football from Louisiana
Los Angeles Rams players
Washington Redskins players
Oakland Raiders players
New Mexico State Aggies football players
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
American Football League players
Oakland Technical High School alumni
Players of American football from Oakland, California