| No. 41, 24, 27 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1931-12-07)December 7, 1931 Menominee, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | December 25, 2001(2001-12-25) (aged 70) Altadena, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Menominee (Menominee, Michigan) | ||||||||||||
| College | Michigan State | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1954: 5th round, 55th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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William Prescott Wells (December 7, 1931 – December 25, 2001) was an American professionalfootball player who was ahalfback in theNational Football League (NFL) andAmerican Football League (AFL). He playedcollege football for theMichigan State Spartans from 1951 to 1954. Wells played in the NFL for theWashington Redskins (1954, 1956-1957),Pittsburgh Steelers (1957), and thePhiladelphia Eagles (1958). He played in the AFL for theBoston Patriots (1960).
Wells was born in 1931 inMenominee, Michigan.[1] He spent several years in California as a child while his mother worked as a cartoonist for Disney Productions.[2] The family then returned to Menominee. He began playing football in the seventh grade. He led the Menominee Maroons to a three-year record of 19-4-1.
He enrolled atMichigan State College, where he played college football from 1951 to 1954. In his three years as a starter, the Spartans won national championships in 1951 (9-0) and 1952 (9-0) and a Big Ten and Rose Bowl championship with a 9-1 record in1953. Wells gained 1,293 rushing yards for an average of 5.4 yars per carry. In the1954 Rose Bowl, he led Michigan State to a comeback from a 14-7 halftime deficit, leading a third-quarter touchdown drive and scoring the game's final points on a 62-yard punt return.[3]
Wells was selected by theWashington Redskins in the fifth round, 56th overall pick, in the1954 NFL draft. As a rookie, he started all games at right halfback, tallying 516 yards on 100 carries for an average of 5.2 yards per carry. He also had 19 pass receptions for 295 yards.[1] After the 1954 season, he was chosen to play in thePro Bowl,[1] was also named the Redskins' outstanding player for 1954,[4] and finished second in voting for NFL rookie of the year.
Wells missed the 1955 NFL season while serving in the Air Force. He played on the Bolling Air Force Base during the fall of 1955.[5]
Wells returned to the Redskins in November 1956. He started all seven of the remaining games, tallying 185 rushing yards and 86 receiving yards.
Wells returned to Washington in 1957, but was traded to thePittsburgh Steelers after only one game. He appeared in 10 games for the Steelers, tallying 532 rushing yards and 89 receiving yards.[1]
He attempted a comeback with theSan Diego Chargers but announced his retirement in August 1960.[6] He then joined theBoston Patriots and appeared in 12 games during the 1960 season.[1]
After his playing career, Wells lived inSouthern California, inManhattan Beach and laterAltadena.[7][8] He had three children: Chris Wells, Becca Rosen, and Scottie Wells. In 1961, Wells formed aDixieland band called Billy and His Bachelors that played at Southern California functions. Wells played banjo and sang in the band.[8] He also acted in a few television shows, including episodes ofManhunt andAlfred Hitchcock Presents.[7] He also owned William Wells Productions, a film company that produced movies, including "The Outlaw Legacy" starringRory Calhoun andMarty Robbins.[2] For a time, he also worked as a sportcaster in Chicago. He later worked as a supervisor for a security guard company.[7]
Wells died in 2001 at age 70 at his home inAltadena, California.[9]