Billy Cross (American football)
 Cross on a 1953 Bowman football card | |||||||||||||
| No. 90, 20 | |||||||||||||
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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. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 151 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Canadian (TX) | ||||||||||||
| College: | West Texas A&M University | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1951 / round: 24 / pick: 283 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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William Jarrel "Billy" Cross (May 3, 1929 – July 5, 2013) was a professional American football player who played halfback for three seasons for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).
Biography
[edit]Early years
[edit]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 years
[edit]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
[edit]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.
Life after football
[edit]After his time in professional football, Cross became an educator, teaching back home in Canadian from 1968 until 1989.[2] He married the former Joyce Bebee in Shattuck, Oklahoma in 1972.[2] Together the couple had five children.[2]
Death and legacy
[edit]Cross died in Canadian, Texas on July 5, 2013.[2] He was 84 years old at the time of his death.[2] He is memorialized with a statue at Canadian's Wildcats stadium, installed in August 2012.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Eddie McGuire (ed.), Chicago Cardinals: 1953 Press, Radio and Television Guide. Chicago: Chicago Cardinals Football Club, 1953; p. 34.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Russell Anglin with Ricky Treon, "Ex-NFL Player, 'Canadian Comet' Bill Cross Dies at 84," Amarillo Globe-News, July 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "Billy Cross Statistics," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com