Auburn Football: Top 25 Best Former Auburn Tigers in NFL History
5. William Andrews, RB
A solid, yet not spectacular member of the Auburn football team from 1976-78, William Andrews ran for 1,347 yards and seven touchdowns in his Tigers career with two seasons as the primary backup to Joe Cribbs. He would prove to be much better as a pro.
A third round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 1979, Andrews started 15 games as a rookie and ran for 1,023 yards. A four-time Pro Bowler in just six NFL seasons, Andrews ran for 1,308 yards in 1980, 1,301 yards in 1981 and 1,567 yards in 1983 with a punishing style that made him one of the NFL’s most feared running backs.
In 1981, the Thomasville, Georgia native as he scored ten touchdowns on the ground and added 735 receiving yards and two more touchdowns on 81 receptions for a NFL-best 2,036 yards from scrimmage.
Two years later, the 6-foot, 206-pounder had 609 receiving yards and a career-high four TD catches for a personal best 2,176 yards from scrimmage – his fourth season ranking in the top four among NFL running backs in total offense.
Unfortunately, Andrews suffered a terrible knee injury in training camp prior to the 1984 season and missed two full years. He returned in 1986 and accumulated just 249 total yards in 15 games before retiring.
In five seasons before the injury, Andrews had three 1,000-yard seasons and never ran for fewer than 4.1 yards per carry. Three times he had at least 50 catches and 270 touches.
Simply put, from 1979-1983, William Andrews was one of the best running backs in the NFL. Had he been healthy enough to play a few more seasons, he may have been one of the game’s all-time greats.
William Andrews 86-yard touchdown catch, via Hawkaida:
Next: 4. Takeo Spikes