Bill Enyart

For the Illinois National Guard adjutant general and politician, see William Enyart.
Bill Enyart
No. 41, 46
Position: Running back / linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1946-04-28)April 28, 1946
Place of birth: Pawhuska, Oklahoma
Date of death: February 10, 2015(2015-02-10) (aged 67)
Place of death: Turner, Oregon
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College: Oregon State
NFL Draft: 1969 / Round: 2 / Pick: 27
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

William "Bill" "Earthquake" Donald Enyart (April 28, 1947 – February 10, 2015) was an American football player who played for the Buffalo Bills from 1969–1970 and for the Oakland Raiders in 1971.

Early life

Enyart was born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He grew up in Medford, Oregon and was a standout prep athlete at Medford High School. In his three seasons playing varsity football, the "Black Tornado" compiled a 26-3-1 record and an A-1 state title in his sophomore season.

College career

Enyart played college football for the Oregon State Beavers. Enyart played four seasons with the Beavers, earning 1st team All-Pac-8 Conference honors in 1967 and 1968 and 1st team All-American honors in 1968.[1] After spending his freshman year on the "Rook" team, Enyart played linebacker in his sophomore (1966) season. He was the starting fullback for the famed 1967 Oregon State Giant Killer team.

In his senior season in 1968, Enyart set a school record with 1,304 yards rushing, while scoring 17 touchdowns, for a total of 102 points.[1] Against the University of Utah, he carried the ball 50 times for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns, setting single game school records in both categories. He also tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns against Kentucky.[2]

In the three seasons Enyart lettered, the Beavers posted an overall record of 21-8-1. Enyart was chosen to play in 5 post-season All-Star games: East-West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl, Coaches All-America Bowl, College All-Star Game, and the Hula Bowl, where he was named the outstanding back. During his career at Oregon State, he rushed for 2,155 yards, seventh-most ever by a Beaver.[2]

Professional career

Enyart played in 14 games in his first season in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills before the AFL-NFL merger. After the merge, he played all 14 games for the Bills in their first season in the National Football League. The following year, Enyart was traded to the Oakland Raiders where he played 1 game before a career-ending injury.

Legacy

Enyart was inducted into the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. In May 2011, he was selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.[3] He eventually settled in Bend, Oregon to raise his two children. He worked as a Medicaid case worker for the State of Oregon until he retired. He died of cancer in Turner, Oregon, on February 10, 2015.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ex-Beaver Enyart Enters Hall of Fame," The Oregonian, July 22, 2012, pg. C3.
  2. 1 2 "RIP Bill Enyart: Beaver Nation loses one of its best". Oregon Stater. Spring 2015.
  3. ↑ "College Football Hall tabs Class of 2011". ESPN. Associated Press. May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ Oregon Live,, report on death
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