William Andrews (born December 25, 1955) is a former
NFL football running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
. He played
collegiately at
Auburn University along with future NFL backs
James Brooks and
Joe Cribbs
Joe Stanier Cribbs (born January 5, 1958) is a retired National Football League and United States Football League football running back. He played collegiately at Auburn University along with future NFL backs William Andrews and James Brook ...
.
Andrews was selected by the
Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astori ...
. While he was primarily used as a blocking back in college, Andrews excelled as a blocker, runner and pass catcher during his pro career. He would make an immediate impact, finishing with 167 yards rushing in his NFL debut as the Falcons defeated the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, 40-34. Playing in 15 games, Andrews finished his rookie season with 1,023 yards rushing and was named to the all-rookie team. In 1980, Andrews helped lead the Falcons to a 12-4 record and a first-place finish in the
NFC West
The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Ang ...
division. He finished the season with 1,308 yards rushing, averaged 4.9 yards per attempt and also caught 51 passes for 456 yards. The season was the first of four straight in which Andrews was selected to play in the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
.
While the Falcons record slipped in 1981, Andrews would have another great season. He led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,036, again went over 1,300 yards rushing and scored a career-high 12 touchdowns (10 rushing, 2 receiving). Andrews became one of the first running backs in the NFL, along with
Tony Dorsett
Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. (born April 7, 1954) is a former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
From Western Pennsylvania, Dorsett attended the ...
,
John Brockington
John Stanley Brockington (born September 7, 1948) is a former American football player, a running back
in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. He was a first round draft choice out of Ohio State ...
,
Ottis Anderson
Ottis Jerome Anderson (born January 19, 1957) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants. He played college football at Miami, wh ...
and
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955), nicknamed "the Tyler Rose", is an American former professional football player who played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. K ...
, to gain at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. Andrews was also fourth in receptions that season with 81. Andrews finished the strike-shortened 1982 season second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,076 and helped the Falcons return to the postseason.
In 1983, Andrews had his best season yet statistically. He was second in the NFL in rushing with 1,567 yards, second in rushing yards per game with an average of 97.9 and caught for 59 passes for 609 yards. His also finished second in yards from scrimmage with a total of 2,176. At season's end, he was named
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
by both the
NEA and
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
.
In the prime of his career, Andrews sustained a serious knee injury during the 1984 preseason that sidelined him for two years. He returned in 1986 for one season, largely as a
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
. He rushed for 214 yards on 52 attempts and scored 1 touchdown before retiring from the NFL with a career total of 5,986 yards rushing. At the time of his retirement, Andrews ranked 24th in NFL history in rushing yards.
In his prime, Andrews was regarded as arguably the most bruising, powerful running back in the NFL.
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel Lott (born May 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s.
Lott played college football for the Univ ...
would later state that a head-on-collision he had with Andrews during a game between the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
and the Falcons on December 19, 1982, was the hardest hit that he had received during his NFL career. In addition to leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage in 1981, Andrews also finished in the top four in that category three other times. He was named as the Falcons Player of the Year in both 1981 and 1983. To celebrate his career, his number 31 was retired in 2004 by the Falcons. Andrews was inducted into the
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in the United States at .
Exhibitions
The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Induc ...
in 1996.
On Friday, March 30, 2012, Andrews was jailed in Cobb County, Georgia, on a civil contempt charge, stemming from on-going child support issues.
[http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/31/ex-falcon-william-andrews-in-jail-again/ Ex-Falcon William Andrews in jail again]
NFL career statistics
References
External links
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, William
American football running backs
1955 births
Living people
Auburn Tigers football players
Atlanta Falcons players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
People from Thomasville, Georgia
Players of American football from Atlanta
Ed Block Courage Award recipients