William Hill (born April 21, 1959) is a former

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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

in 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) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

. He also was a member of the

New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He played college football at the

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

Early years

Hill attended Howell High School, where he played football and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. As a sophomore in 1974, he was named the starting

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 ...

. As a senior, he received All-Monmouth honors. He recorded more than 1,000 rushing yards in three straight seasons, finishing his high school career with 3,147 rushing yards, 228 scored points and a punting average of 41.3 yards.

College career

Hill accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

. He left the school after suffering an injury and enrolled at

Brookdale Community College Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, ...

to focus on playing

. As a sophomore in 1979, he received honorable-mention All-American honors as an outfielder and was selected by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in the 16th round (#392 overall) of the 1979 Amateur Entry Draft. After participating one season in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

, he walked-on at

, to practice football under head coach Frank R. Burns. In his only season with the team in 1980, he played

, while registering 37 tackles, one interception, one carry for 13 yards and 8 kickoff returns for 177 yards (22.1-yard avg.).

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Hill was signed 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 is a ...

by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

after the 1981 NFL Draft. He was released before the start of the season.

New Jersey Generals (USFL)

On January 15,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, he signed as a

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 is a ...

with the

of the

. He was later released and re-signed on March 21. He started in some of the games at

. He didn't get a chance to play in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

after the league folded.

Dallas Cowboys

After the

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeM ...

strike was declared on the third week of the 1987 season, those contests were canceled (reducing the 16-game season to 15) and the NFL decided that the games would be played with replacement players. In September, he was signed to be a part of the

replacement team that was given the mock name "Rhinestone Cowboys" by the media. He was the backup at right cornerback behind Robert Williams in two games. He started the fifth game against the

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 ...

at right cornerback. He was released after the strike ended on October 26.

Personal life

Hill was a football head coach at

Toms River High School South Toms River High School South is a comprehensive four-year public high school, and was the first high school established in Toms River (formerly Dover Township) in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelf ...

Asbury Park High School Asbury Park High School is a comprehensive, four-year community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. It is in a landmark building in Asbury Park, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, that was cons ...

, and Howell High School. Hill has earned a record of 11-39 as a head football coach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Bill 1959 births Living people Howell High School (New Jersey) alumni Players of American football from Monmouth County, New Jersey Baseball players from New Jersey American football cornerbacks Virginia Cavaliers football players Brookdale Jersey Blues baseball players Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players New Jersey Generals players Dallas Cowboys players National Football League replacement players High school football coaches in New Jersey People from Neptune Township, New Jersey