| No. 88 | |
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| Date of birth | (1944-07-24)July 24, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Date of death | December 20, 2010(2010-12-20) (aged 66) |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | DE |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| US college | Michigan |
| AFL draft | 1966 / round: 1 / pick: 13 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1966 | New York Jets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| |
William M. Yearby (July 24, 1944 – December 20, 2010) was anAmerican football player. He playedcollege football as adefensive lineman at theUniversity of Michigan from 1963 to 1965 and was selected as an All-American in 1964 and 1965. He played professional football for theNew York Jets of theAmerican Football League (AFL) in 1966.
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Yearby was born inBirmingham, Alabama, in 1944. He moved toDetroit as a child and attended Detroit'sEastern High School, where he was the Class A state champion in theshot put in 1962.[1]
Yearby enrolled at theUniversity of Michigan in 1962 and played college football for theMichigan Wolverines football team from 1963 to 1965. He was a member of the1964 Michigan Wolverines football team that won theBig Ten Conference championship, played in the1965 Rose Bowl, and was ranked #4 in the finalAP Poll.[2] He was selected by theCentral Press Association,Football News, andNewspaper Enterprise Association as a first-team defensive tackle on the1964 College Football All-America Team. As a senior, he was selected as a consensus All-American,[3] and he was also named the Most Valuable Player on the1965 Michigan Wolverines football team.[4][5]
Yearby was selected in the first round of the1966 AFL Draft by theNew York Jets. In December 1965,Time magazine described Yearby as "a vicious tackier, always on target, always gets his man — and not 5 yds. downfield, like most college kids."[6] The following week,Time noted that "Jets Owner Sonny Werblin signed Michigan's 230-lb. Tackle Bill Yearby to a contract at $1,000 per pound."[7] Yearby played only one season, 1966, for the Jets. The Jets' web site notes that Yearby "missed valuable training camp practice because of All-Star game and injury suffered in pre-season game," and that coaches at Michigan said he was "extremely quick" and could have been a starter on the Michigan basketball team.[8]
A terrific athlete, Yearby was projected to playtight end for the Jets.[9] In 1966, a bad knee limited him to spot appearances as a fill-indefensive end andspecial-teamer. In 1967, Yearby's knee was still not right, and he was farmed out to the Bridgeport Knights of the Atlantic Coast Conference, who were the Jets'minor league affiliate. While playinglinebacker for the Knights, Yearby hurt his knee again, and his pro football career was over.[10]
Yearby died in 2010 at age 66.[citation needed]