Thomas Edward "Shorty" McWilliams (May 12, 1926 – January 9, 1997) 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 who played one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the eighth round of the

1948 NFL Draft The 1948 National Football League Draft was held on December 19, 1947, at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh. This was the second year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery, with the previous year's winner Chicago Be ...

and the

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first pr ...

in the 16th round of the 1948 AAFC Draft. He played college football at Mississippi State University and the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

Early years and college

McWilliams attended Meridian High School in Meridian, Mississippi. McWilliams first played for the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

of Mississippi State University in 1944 and again from 1946 to 1948. He recorded career totals of 1,808 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs. In 1944, he was an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

Second Team All-American, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and ranked tenth in the Heisman Trophy vote. McWilliams was a First Team All- SEC selection all four years he played for the Bulldogs. He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1963 and the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame in 1970. In 2014, McWilliams became the sixth Bulldog to be inducted into the Mississippi State Ring of Honor. McWilliams played for the Army Black Knights of the

in 1945. He was ranked eighth in the Heisman Trophy vote, while the Black Knights finished 9–0 and were named consensus national champions.

Professional career

McWilliams was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 62nd pick in the

. McWilliams was drafted by the

with the 101st pick in the 1948 AAFC Draft. He played in 11 games for the Dons in 1949, starting two. McWilliams was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1950 AAFC dispersal draft. He played in ten games for the Steelers in 1950. His career was shortened by a knee injury.

Personal life

McWilliams had four daughters and was married to Gloria Weidmann. McWilliams's brother, Billy, played football at Meridian High and

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

. Shorty became owner of

Weidmann's Restaurant Weidmann's Restaurant is a historic restaurant in Meridian, Mississippi, United States, established in 1870. It was originally listed as a contributing property to the Meridian Urban Center Historic District, listed on the National Register of ...

in Meridian, Mississippi in 1955. He was also a

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

veteran.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:McWilliams, Shorty 1926 births 1997 deaths American football defensive backs American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Army Black Knights football players Los Angeles Dons players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Mississippi People from Newton, Mississippi United States Army personnel of the Korean War