William Floyd (football player)
Encyclopedia
William Ali Floyd is a former American football
fullback
in the NFL
.
At Lakewood High School
in St. Petersburg, Florida
, he compiled a 34 - 4 record and led the Spartans to the only undefeated regular season in school history in 1988. He earned All-Sun Coast and All-Pinellas County
honors and was rated as the number one running back in the state of Florida and the number two fullback in the country by Super Prep magazine.
He enrolled at Florida State University
in 1990, and helped the football team win the national championship in 1993. He was the premier fullback of the 1994 NFL Draft
and was selected with the 28th pick of the first round by the San Francisco 49ers
. Floyd is the last fullback to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. A brash and loud rookie but also thought to have a very bright career in front of him, he helped San Francisco win Super Bowl XXIX
during his rookie year. In a 1995 divisional playoff game against the Chicago Bears
, he became the first and only rookie to score three touchdown
s in a playoff game. He also scored a touchdown in the NFC title game, assisting the 49ers to a 38-28 win over the Dallas Cowboys
after 2 frustrating losses to Dallas in the previous 2 NFC Championship Games. In Super Bowl XXIX, Floyd rushed for 32 yards, caught 4 passes for 26 yards, and scored a touchdown in San Francisco's 49-26 victory.
Floyd's 1996 season was cut short when he tore three ligaments in his right knee on a goal-line running play that put him on the reserve list for the remainder of the season. He was leading the NFL in receptions (47) at the time of the injury.
He finished his career playing with the Carolina Panthers
from 1998 through 2000. In his 7 NFL seasons, Floyd rushed for 1,141 yards, caught 191 passes for 1,427 yards, returned 1 kickoff for 22 yards, and scored 25 touchdowns (20 rushing and 5 receiving).
Floyd recently accepted a position as Public Relations Liaison for Able Body Labor and is actively pursuing a degree in law. He lives in Orlando, Florida
with his wife Bonita and their three children William, Thai and Jaden. The family is active in his non-profit community-benefit foundation, William Floyd’s Bar None Foundation ('Bar None' was his nickname while playing with the 49ers).
On April 30, 2008, Florida State University and ISP Sports announced that Floyd, who helped win a national championship for the Seminoles in 1993, will join Gene Deckerhoff
as color analyst on the Seminole ISP Sports Network for radio broadcasts of FSU football games. Floyd is also in his third season as a color analyst on Tailgate Overtime, airing live every Monday at 7PM on Sunshine Network during the college football season.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
At Lakewood High School
Lakewood High School (Florida)
Lakewood High School is a public high school in St. Petersburg, Florida operated by Pinellas County Schools. It opened in 1967 with students previously attending St. Petersburg High School and Boca Ciega High School. As of 2006, due to its 54% minority population, Lakewood High was known as one of...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, he compiled a 34 - 4 record and led the Spartans to the only undefeated regular season in school history in 1988. He earned All-Sun Coast and All-Pinellas County
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
honors and was rated as the number one running back in the state of Florida and the number two fullback in the country by Super Prep magazine.
He enrolled at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in 1990, and helped the football team win the national championship in 1993. He was the premier fullback of the 1994 NFL Draft
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
and was selected with the 28th pick of the first round by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. Floyd is the last fullback to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. A brash and loud rookie but also thought to have a very bright career in front of him, he helped San Francisco win Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
during his rookie year. In a 1995 divisional playoff game against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, he became the first and only rookie to score three touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s in a playoff game. He also scored a touchdown in the NFC title game, assisting the 49ers to a 38-28 win over the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
after 2 frustrating losses to Dallas in the previous 2 NFC Championship Games. In Super Bowl XXIX, Floyd rushed for 32 yards, caught 4 passes for 26 yards, and scored a touchdown in San Francisco's 49-26 victory.
Floyd's 1996 season was cut short when he tore three ligaments in his right knee on a goal-line running play that put him on the reserve list for the remainder of the season. He was leading the NFL in receptions (47) at the time of the injury.
He finished his career playing with the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
from 1998 through 2000. In his 7 NFL seasons, Floyd rushed for 1,141 yards, caught 191 passes for 1,427 yards, returned 1 kickoff for 22 yards, and scored 25 touchdowns (20 rushing and 5 receiving).
Floyd recently accepted a position as Public Relations Liaison for Able Body Labor and is actively pursuing a degree in law. He lives in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
with his wife Bonita and their three children William, Thai and Jaden. The family is active in his non-profit community-benefit foundation, William Floyd’s Bar None Foundation ('Bar None' was his nickname while playing with the 49ers).
On April 30, 2008, Florida State University and ISP Sports announced that Floyd, who helped win a national championship for the Seminoles in 1993, will join Gene Deckerhoff
Gene Deckerhoff
Emerson Eugene "Gene" Deckerhoff, Jr. is the radio play-by-play announcer of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a post he has held since 1989...
as color analyst on the Seminole ISP Sports Network for radio broadcasts of FSU football games. Floyd is also in his third season as a color analyst on Tailgate Overtime, airing live every Monday at 7PM on Sunshine Network during the college football season.
External links
- DatabaseFootball: William Floyd