Shorty McWilliams

Shorty McWilliams

refer to caption

McWilliams on a 1951 Bowman football card
No. 92, 44
Position: Defensive back / Halfback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1926-05-12)May 12, 1926
Place of birth: Newton, Mississippi
Date of death: January 9, 1997(1997-01-09) (aged 70)
Place of death: Meridian, Mississippi
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school: Meridian (MS)
College: Mississippi State
NFL draft: 1948 / Round: 8 / Pick: 62
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Thomas Edward "Shorty" McWilliams (May 12, 1926 – January 9, 1997) was an American football player who played one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the eighth round of the 1948 NFL Draft and the Los Angeles Dons in the 16th round of the 1948 AAFC Draft. He played college football at Mississippi State University and the United States Military Academy. McWilliams attended Meridian High School in Meridian, Mississippi.[1]

College

Mississippi State University

McWilliams first played for the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 1944 and again from 1946 to 1948. He recorded career totals of 1,808 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs. in 1944, he was a Second Team All-American and ranked tenth in the Heisman Trophy vote. McWilliams was an All-SEC selection all four years he played for the Bulldogs.[2] He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1963 and the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame in 1970. In 2014, McWilliams became the sixth Bulldog to be inducted into the Mississippi State Ring of Honor.[3]

United States Military Academy

McWilliams played for the Army Black Knights in 1945. He was ranked eighth in the Heisman Trophy vote, while the Black Knights finished 9-0 and were named consensus national champions.[2]

Professional career

McWilliams was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 62nd pick in the 1948 NFL Draft.[1]

Los Angeles Dons

McWilliams was drafted by the Los Angeles Dons with the 101st pick in the 1948 AAFC Draft. He played in 11 games for the Dons in 1949, starting two.[1]

Pittsburgh Steelers

McWilliams was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1950 AAFC dispersal draft. He played in ten games for the Steelers in 1950.[1] His career was shortened by a knee injury.[4]

Personal life

McWilliams became owner of Weidmann's Restaurant in Meridian, Mississippi in 1955.[4][5] He was also a Korean War veteran.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "TOM MCWILLIAMS". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "THOMAS E. "SHORTY" MCWILLIAMS". msfame.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "SHORTY MCWILLIAMS TO JOIN MSU RING OF HONOR". hailstate.com. October 30, 2014. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Litsky, Frank (January 11, 1997). "Shorty McWilliams, 70, a Star in Army Backfield". New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  5. "About Us". weidmanns1870.com. Retrieved December 9, 2014.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.