Willis Crenshaw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
| No. 33 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | July 16, 1941 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | October 20, 2025 (aged 84) | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Soldan (St. Louis) | ||||||||||||
| College | Kansas State (1959-1963) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1963: 9th round, 114th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1963: 26th round, 204th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Willis Clarence Crenshaw Jr.[1] (July 16, 1941 – October 20, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1970. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats.[2]
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 16, 1941,[2] Crenshaw played for Soldan High School and Kansas State University, where he started out at wide receiver and was a star player;[3][4] played in the 1963 College All Star Football Game.[5] In high school, his main sport was pole vaulting, with a personal best of 13 feet 2 inches (4.01 m); he started out with a double scholarship at Kansas State, where he recalled being one of approximately 50 Black students, before focusing on football after weight training.[5]
Professional career
St Louis Cardinals
Crenshaw was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth round in 1963 NFL draft. In 1968, he led the team in rushing with 813 yds and touchdowns (7).[3]
Denver Broncos
In 1970, he was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a third-round draft pick; he played one season,[5][6][7] although he was listed for the 1971 season.[8]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1964 | STL | 14 | 3 | 60 | 297 | 5.0 | 49 | 1 | 8 | 58 | 7.3 | 19 | 0 |
| 1965 | STL | 14 | 10 | 127 | 437 | 3.4 | 27 | 0 | 23 | 232 | 10.1 | 78 | 1 |
| 1966 | STL | 14 | 7 | 94 | 360 | 3.8 | 33 | 0 | 15 | 46 | 3.1 | 19 | 0 |
| 1967 | STL | 14 | 1 | 44 | 149 | 3.4 | 23 | 0 | 6 | 30 | 5.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 1968 | STL | 14 | 14 | 203 | 813 | 4.0 | 66 | 6 | 23 | 232 | 10.1 | 42 | 1 |
| 1969 | STL | 14 | 5 | 55 | 172 | 3.1 | 26 | 3 | 11 | 94 | 8.5 | 31 | 0 |
| 1970 | DEN | 12 | 12 | 69 | 200 | 2.9 | 25 | 5 | 18 | 105 | 5.8 | 35 | 1 |
| 96 | 52 | 652 | 2,428 | 3.7 | 66 | 15 | 104 | 797 | 7.7 | 78 | 3 | ||
