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'''Richard "Ricky" James Watters''' (born [[April 7]], [[1969]], [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]) is a former [[American Football]] [[running back]] who played for the [[San Francisco 49ers]], [[Philadelphia Eagles]], and the [[Seattle Seahawks]] of [[National Football League|NFL]]. Watters |
'''Richard "Ricky" James Watters''' (born [[April 7]], [[1969]], [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]) is a former [[American Football]] [[running back]] who played for the [[San Francisco 49ers]], [[Philadelphia Eagles]], and the [[Seattle Seahawks]] of [[National Football League|NFL]]. Watters attended the [[University of Notre Dame]] where he played [[wide receiver]] on the the school's 1988 [[NCAA Division I-A national football championship|national champion]] team. He also won a [[Super Bowl]] as member of the 1994 [[San Francisco 49ers]]. Watters was known throughout his playing career for his outstanding receiving skills and his unique high-step running style, which earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters, from [[ESPN]] sportcaster [[Chris Berman]]. |
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==High school years== |
==High school years== |
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Revision as of 23:31, 20 May 2007
{{NFL.com player}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
Richard "Ricky" James Watters (born April 7, 1969, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is a former American Football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seattle Seahawks of NFL. Watters attended the University of Notre Dame where he played wide receiver on the the school's 1988 national champion team. He also won a Super Bowl as member of the 1994 San Francisco 49ers. Watters was known throughout his playing career for his outstanding receiving skills and his unique high-step running style, which earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters, from ESPN sportcaster Chris Berman.
High school years
Watters attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where was a four year letterman in football. He played pewee, pony, and varsity grade school football for OLBS Green Machines.
College career
Recruitment and 1987 season
Watters arrived in South Bend in 1987 as a highly touted member of head coach Lou Holtz's second recruiting class. The class was Notre Dame's second consecutive top 10 recruiting class, following on the heels of the '86 class which included star quarterback Tony Rice. Watters began the season backing up Mark Green and occasionally returning kickoffs. Behind Rice and an infusion of new talent the team went 8-4 and appearanced in the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M.
1988 national championship season
Following the departure of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, Holtz moved Watters to Brown's flanker position for the 1988 season to ignite the Irish passing attack. The move paid dividends as Watters led the team in receiving. Watters' contribution on special teams was equally impressive as he returned two punts for touchdowns.
Suspension against USC
Before the annual Notre Dame-USC game, Holtz suspended Watters and running back Tony Brooks for disciplinary reasons. Playing their biggest road game of the season against the #2 ranked Trojans without their leading receiver and rusher, Notre Dame pulled out a convincing 27-10.
Fiesta Bowl
In a memorable season filled with victories over ranked opponents, Notre Dame defeated the #3 ranked West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to secure the school's 11th national championship. With six All-Americans, the team cemented its place as one of the greatest teams in the history of college football.
1989 season
1989 would again see Notre Dame contending for the national championship. With teammate Tony Brooks suspended for the season for academic reasons, Holtz switched Watters back to tailback. Watters did not disappoint as Notre Dame spent 13 weeks ranked #1 before losing to Miami 27-10 in their regular season finale. The Irish concluded the season with a victory over #1 ranked Colorado in the Orange Bowl, but ultimately finish the season ranked #2 behind Miami. For the season, Watters finished second on the team in rushing behind quarterback Tony Rice.
NFL career
Watters had an outstanding NFL career. He was the first running back to rush for over 1000 yards in a season for 3 separate teams, he finished his NFL career with 10,643 yards rushing and 4248 yards receiving, as well as 91 touchdowns in regular season play.
Watters gained notoriety in Philadelphia for his infamous line "For who? For what?" after his first game as an Eagle on September 3, 1995 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he "short armed" a pass to avoid contact in the 21-6 loss.
On January 29, 1995, Watters scored 3 touchdowns in San Francisco's Super Bowl XXIX 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers. He also shares the postseason record for rushing touchdowns in a game, with 5 against the New York Giants in a January 1994 playoff game.
Ricky Watters is the epitome of a running back in a "West Coast Offense," gaining over 1,500 total yards in 7 consecutive seasons. Additionally, Ricky is one of approx 10 players in NFL history to average over 100 total yards/per game over a career.
Ricky is also remembered for a cutscene where he was in tears while listening to the National Anthem as a Seattle Seahawk when he played in the game after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Watters was on the ballot along with Terrell Davis, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, and others for the February 3, 2007 Hall of Fame selections.