Billy Cross (American football)
American gridiron football player (1929–2013)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Jarrel Cross (May 3, 1929 – July 5, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a halfback for three seasons for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).
Fry, Texas, U.S.
Canadian, Texas, U.S.
Cross on a 1953 Bowman football card | |||||||||||||
| No. 90, 20, 93 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 3, 1929 Fry, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | July 5, 2013 (aged 84) Canadian, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 151 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Canadian | ||||||||||||
| College | West Texas A&M (1947–1950) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1951: 24th round, 283rd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Early life
Billy Cross was born May 3, 1929, in Fry, Texas. He attended high school in Canadian, Texas, where he was a star athlete in three sports, earning four athletic letters each in football, basketball, and track and field.[1]
During high school his track specialty was as a jumper, going to the Texas state meet for both the high jump and long jump.[2]
College career
Cross' exploits were particularly apparent on the gridiron. He attended West Texas State College (today's West Texas A&M University) where the speedy back set the school record for rushing — 2,474 yards gained, with an average of 9.2 yards per carry.[2] This record would stand until 1968, when it was broken by future Miami Dolphins halfback Mercury Morris.[2]
His best collegiate season with the Buffaloes was 1950, when Cross teamed up with his backfield running mate Charles Wright to rush for 2,400 yards, a new single-season record for a rushing tandem.[2]
Professional career
Cross played for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons — 1951, 1952, and 1953.[3] Cross played both left and right halfback during his time with the Cardinals, gaining more than 800 yards both as a runner and a receiver and scoring a total of 12 touchdowns.[3]
Ahead of the 1951 season, the diminutive 5'6" Cross was touted as the smallest player in the National Football League.[1] What Cross lacked in size he made up in speed, earning the nickname "The Canadian Comet" — a reference to the name of the town in Texas from whence he came.[1] Ironically, The Canadian Comet would finish his career playing in Canada the country, finishing his career as an all-star in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union with the Toronto Argonauts in 1954.