Atkins in 1963
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| No. 29, 20, 2, 28 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Punter Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1934-11-19)November 19, 1934 Millport, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | November 5, 1991(1991-11-05) (aged 56) El Paso, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Millport | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Auburn | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1958 / Round: 5 / Pick: 59 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| As a coach: | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career AFL/NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| Career: | 44–16–2 (.726) | ||||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
William Ellis Atkins (November 19, 1934 – November 5, 1991)[2] was an American football professional safety and punter who played for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL), and in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills, the New York Titans / Jets, and the Denver Broncos. He was an AFL All-Star in 1961. He played college footballatAuburn.
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, author William Ellis "Ace" Atkins Jr., also played football at Auburn and was member of the 1993 undefeated team.[3][4]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
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| Troy State Trojans (Alabama Collegiate Conference) (1966–1969) | |||||||||
| 1966 | Troy State | 5–5 | 1–2 | ||||||
| 1967 | Troy State | 8–2 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1968 | Troy State | 11–1 | 3–0 | 1st | W NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1969 | Troy State | 8–1–1 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| Troy State Trojans (Mid-South Athletic Conference / Gulf South Conference) (1970–1971) | |||||||||
| 1970 | Troy State | 6–4–1 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1971 | Troy State | 6–3 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| Troy State: | 44–16–2 | 18–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 44–16–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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San Francisco 49ers 1958 NFL draft selections
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†Denotes American Football League (AFL) punting yards leaders from 1960–1969, which are included due to the NFL absorbing AFL statistics and records. |
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