Andre Maurice Waters (March 10, 1962 – November 20, 2006) was an American professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
safety
Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
and
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) from
1984 to
1995. Waters was regarded as one of the NFL's most aggressive players, serving as an integral part of one of the league's top defenses. On November 20, 2006, Waters died by suicide and was subsequently diagnosed with
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He is one of at least 345
NFL players to be diagnosed after death with CTE, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.
Early life
Waters was born in
Belle Glade, Florida and grew up in
extreme poverty in rural Florida, and attended
Pahokee High School. Waters received some attention in high school but ended up attending
Cheyney University At
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Waters was recognized as
All-PSAC three straight years.
Professional career
In
1984, Waters was signed as an
undrafted free agent by
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
head coach
Marion Campbell. He returned a
kickoff for an 89-yard game-winning
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
as a rookie in 1984. When
Buddy Ryan took over for Campbell in
1986, he welcomed Waters' aggressive style as a fierce tackler and ferocious hitter, earning Waters a position in the starting lineup for the next eight years. He blossomed under defensive coordinator
Bud Carson. His tackle of
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
Jim Everett in
1988 led to a rule prohibiting defensive players from hitting quarterbacks below the waist while they are still in the pocket; for a while, it was unofficially termed the "Andre Waters Rule". NFL broadcaster
Dan Dierdorf notoriously nicknamed the Eagles defender "Dirty Waters". He scored a touchdown in 1989 when he took a
lateral
Lateral is a geometric term of location which may also refer to:
Biology and healthcare
* Lateral (anatomy), a term of location meaning "towards the side"
* Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle, an intrinsic muscle of the larynx
* Lateral release ( ...
from
William Frizzell after
Reggie White caused a fumble by
New York Giants quarterback
Phil Simms.
Waters served as part of the Eagles' defensive unit that was regarded as one of the league's all-time best, in
1991 ranking first statistically in both run and pass defense, as well as total defense. His hard-hitting style translated into leading the team in tackles for four seasons and endeared him with Philadelphia fans but often led to penalties and fines for some of his tackles. He led the Eagles in tackles in 1986,
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, 1988 and 1991. He recorded 15
interception
In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...
s in 156 games. In 1994, he was replaced by
Mike Zordich due to his contract ending. Waters finished his career playing for Ryan with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
for two seasons.
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Waters worked as a college football coach. In 1996, he joined the staff of
Stump Mitchell at
Morgan State as defensive backs coach. The following year under head coach
Jim Leavitt
James Pierce Leavitt (born December 5, 1956) is an American college football coach and former player. He served as the head coach at the University of South Florida from the football program's inception in 1997 until 2009, compiling a record of ...
, Waters took the same position on the upstart
South Florida
South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
football program. He remained in that position until 1999.
In 2000, Waters left South Florida to join the
St. Louis Rams of the NFL as a coaching intern for training camp under Defensive Coordinator, Bud Carson. Leavitt made Waters choose between South Florida and the internship out of concern that Waters would miss too much preparation time with South Florida.
After his Rams internship, Waters returned to Tampa to be defensive coordinator at
Paul R. Wharton High School in 2000. In 2001, Waters moved back to the college level as defensive backs coach at
Alabama State.
In 2002, Waters joined the
Detroit Lions in his second stint as an NFL coaching intern. He later coached at
St. Augustine's from 2002 to 2005 as defensive coordinator upon the football program's return from a 35-year hiatus.
In 2006, Waters was defensive coordinator at
Fort Valley State.
Waters described his disappointment in not getting a full-time NFL coaching job to ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'' reporter Phil Sheridan.
He remained very close to his former Eagles coach
Buddy Ryan, whom Waters said he tried to emulate in his own coaching career.
Death
Waters died by suicide shortly after 1 a.m. on November 20, 2006, according to the
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, dying of a gunshot to the head. He was at his home in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
where he was discovered by his girlfriend.
He was buried at Foreverglades Cemetery in
Belle Glade, Florida.
Shortly after Waters' death, former
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
defensive tackle and
WWE wrestler
Dr. Christopher Nowinski, whose wrestling career was ended by
post-concussion syndrome and has since written a book about the dangers of
concussions in contact sports, approached Waters' family and asked permission to have his brain tissue examined. After receiving permission, Nowinski had samples of Waters' brain tissue sent to neuropathologist Dr.
Bennet Omalu at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
. Omalu believed, having examined the tissue, that Waters sustained brain damage from playing football: he went on to state that this led to Waters'
depression. Omalu determined that Waters' brain tissue had developed
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and degenerated into that of an 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease, caused or hastened by the numerous concussions Waters sustained playing football.
Waters was portrayed by actor
Richard T. Jones in the 2015 film ''
Concussion''.
See also
*
List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waters, Andre
1962 births
2006 deaths
Players of American football with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
American football safeties
Alabama State Hornets football coaches
Arizona Cardinals players
Cheyney Wolves football players
Fort Valley State Wildcats football coaches
Morgan State Bears football coaches
Philadelphia Eagles players
St. Augustine's Falcons football coaches
South Florida Bulls football coaches
High school football coaches in Florida
Players of American football from Pahokee, Florida
Suicides by firearm in Florida
2006 suicides
Pahokee High School alumni