Steve Ross Watson (born May 28, 1957) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player who was a wide receiver for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

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 majo ...

(NFL). He later became a wide receivers

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College career

After high school at St. Mark's High School in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

, Watson attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

. In four seasons for the Owls, Watson caught 98 passes for 1,629 yards (5th in school history) and 7 touchdowns. He was also a star on the track and field team as a long jumper, winning two conference titles. He was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 1995.

Pro career

Watson signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in 1979 and played his entire nine year NFL career for the team, appearing in 125 games. After recording only six receptions in each of his first two seasons, in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Watson had 60 receptions for a career-best 1,244 yards and league-leading 13 TDs (including a 95-yard reception in game 6, the longest in the NFL that season and 3rd longest in franchise history). His 20.73 yards per catch remains a Broncos franchise record, and earned him a spot in the

1981 Pro Bowl The 1981 Pro Bowl was the NFL's 31st annual all-star game which featured the outstanding performers from the 1980 season. The game was played on Sunday, February 1, 1981, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was NFC 21, AFC 7. ...

. Watson had 555 receiving yards the 9-game strike-shortened season in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

, hauled in 59 receptions for 1,133 yards in

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

and a career-best 69 receptions for 1,170 in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. The 13-3 Broncos lost to

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in the first round of the playoffs, but Watson had 11 receptions for a franchise record 177 yards. Watson started 31 of 32 games over the next two years, but saw his production fall to 915 yards, then 699. In the 1986 season, Watson assisted the team to a championship appearance in

Super Bowl XXI Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

, catching 2 passes for 54 yards in the game. After starting just one game in the 1987 season, Watson retired with career totals of 353 receptions for 6,112 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Post NFL Career

In 1993, Watson was inducted into the

Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame is a membership-based organization founded in 1976. The organization runs a museum with exhibits at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware and promotes physical fitness in ...

. In 2000, he rejoined the Broncos as a

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assistant. Since 2003 he has been a wide receivers coach. In 2010, he was hired by the

Minnesota Golden Gophers football The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its ince ...

team to be their wide receivers coach.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Steve 1957 births Living people American football wide receivers Denver Broncos coaches Denver Broncos players Minnesota Golden Gophers football coaches Temple Owls football players American Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Baltimore