Willis Clarence Crenshaw (born July 16, 1941) is a former

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)

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

from 1964 through 1970.

High school and college career

Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, Crenshaw played for

Soldan High School Soldan International Studies High School (also known as Soldan High School) is a public magnet high school in the Academy neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, that is part of St. Louis Public Schools. Soldan was known for its wea ...

and

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

, where he started out at

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and was a star player;"The Top 100 St. Louis Football Cardinals (90-81): 88. Willis Crenshaw (RB)"
''The Big Red Zone'', August 14, 2019. played in the 1963 College All Star Football Game."Crenshaw Defies Odds to Reach NFL"
Kansas State University Athletics, September 3, 2013. In high school, his main sport was

pole vaulting Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ancie ...

, with a personal best of ; he started out with a double scholarship at Kansas State, where he recalled being one of approximately 50 Black students, before focusing on football after weight training.

Professional career

St Louis Cardinals

Crenshaw was drafted by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

in the 9th round in 1963. In 1968 he led the team in rushing with 813 yds and touchdowns (7).

Denver Broncos

In 1970 he was traded to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in exchange for a 3rd-round draft pick; he played one season, although he was listed for the 1971 season.1971 Denver Broncos media guide
p. 16.

Later career

Crenshaw later worked selling

life insurance Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typical ...

, for

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed ...

, and as a

financial planner A financial planner or personal financial planner is a qualified financial advisor. Practicing in full service personal finance, they advise clients on investments, insurance, tax, retirement and estate planning. As a general rule, a financial p ...

References

External links

Willis Crenshaw
at John Troan's Pro Players database, updated April 21, 2018. Living people 1941 births Players of American football from St. Louis American football running backs Kansas State Wildcats football players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Denver Broncos players 20th-century American sportsmen {{Runningback-1940s-stub