Billy Atkins (American football)
File:Bill Atkins Troy State.jpg | |||||||
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Position: | Defensive back/punter | ||||||
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Born: | Millport, Alabama | November 19, 1934||||||
Died: | November 5, 1991 El Paso, Texas | (aged 56)||||||
Career information | |||||||
College: | Auburn | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1958 / Round: 5 / Pick: 59 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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William Ellis Atkins (November 19, 1934 – November 5, 1991[2]) was an American football defensive back and punter from Auburn University who played for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League, and in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills, the New York Titans/Jets, and the Denver Broncos. He was an AFL All-Star in 1961.
On January 8, 1966, Atkins was named the head coach of the Troy State Trojans football team. In 1968, he coached Troy State to an NAIA National Championship and was named the NAIA Coach of the Year. Atkins finished at Troy State with a 44–16–2 record before leaving in 1971. He is the second-most winningest coach in Troy history, only behind Larry Blakeney.
Atkins' son, William Ellis "Ace" Atkins Jr., also played football at Auburn and was member of its 1993 undefeated team.
See also
References
- ^ "Billy Atkins". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
- ^ "Billy Atkins". The Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
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- 1934 births
- 1991 deaths
- American football defensive backs
- American football punters
- Auburn Tigers football players
- Buffalo Bills players
- Denver Broncos (AFL) players
- New York Titans (AFL) players
- New York Jets players
- San Francisco 49ers players
- Troy Trojans athletic directors
- Troy Trojans football coaches
- American Football League All-Star players
- People from Lamar County, Alabama
- Players of American football from Alabama
- American Football League players
- American football defensive back, 1930s birth stubs
- College football coaches first appointed in the 1980s stubs