Sammy Winder (born July 15, 1959) is a former professional

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 with ...

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

who spent his entire professional career playing 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 headquart ...

, from 1982 to 1990. The son of a farmer, Winder played his high school football at Madison-Ridgeland High School in his hometown of

Madison, Mississippi Madison is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 24,841 at the 2010 census. The population is currently over 25,000. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The city of Madison, named ...

. Winder later played his collegiate football at

The University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

College career

Winder played for Southern Mississippi from 1978 to 1981, rushing for 3,114 yards and 39 touchdowns, both school records. He also caught 11 passes for 70 yards. In his junior season, he rushed for 996 yards and a nation-leading 20 touchdowns. As a senior, he rushed for a career-high 1,029 yards and 12 more scores. Winder's teammates at Southern Mississippi included future NFL players

Reggie Collier Reginald C. Collier (born May 14, 1961) is a former professional American football quarterback. Best known as a dynamic college football star, he had a short-lived professional career in both the United States Football League and National Footbal ...

and

Louis Lipps Louis Adam Lipps (born August 9, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL who played nine seasons in the NFL, eight for the Pittsburgh Steelers and one for the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

. In his final two seasons, the team won 9 games each year and went 1-1 in bowl games.

Professional career

Winder was a two-time

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 ...

selection (1984 and 1986), and was a key reason the Broncos appeared in three

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

s in the 1980s (falling to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

). In his 9 seasons, Winder rushed for 5,427 yards and 39 touchdowns, while also catching 197 passes for 1,302 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was known for a signature touchdown celebration he called the 'Mississippi Mud Walk'. During his final two seasons, Winder was demoted to the second running back on the depth chart behind

Bobby Humphrey Bobby Gene Humphrey (born October 11, 1966) is a former professional American football player who played for the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Alabama. Colleg ...

, the Broncos 1989 supplemental draft pick out of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

After NFL career

Winder is now in the construction business. He owns and runs his own company, Winder Construction, which he started while still playing for the

in 1987.Ex-Broncos Find Greener Pastures

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winder, Sammy 1959 births Living people American football running backs Denver Broncos players Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players American Conference Pro Bowl players People from Madison, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi African-American players of American football 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

College career

Professional career

After NFL career

See also

References