Billy Atkins (American football)
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.
 Atkins in 1963 | |||||||||
| No. 29, 20, 2, 28 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive back, punter | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 19, 1934 Millport, Alabama | ||||||||
| Died: | November 5, 1991 (aged 56) El Paso, Texas | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Auburn | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1958 / Round: 5 / Pick: 59 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
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.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (Gulf South Conference) (1970–1971) | |||||||||
| 1970 | Troy State | 6–4–1 | 4–1 | ||||||
| 1971 | Troy State | 6–3 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| Troy State: | 44–16–2 | 19–4 | |||||||
| Total: | 44–16–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Billy Atkins at Find a Grave