Andre Waters
Safety | |||||||
Personal information | |||||||
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Born: | Belle Glade, Florida, U.S. | March 10, 1962||||||
Died: | November 20, 2006 Tampa, Florida, U.S. | (aged 44)||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Pahokee (Pahokee, Florida) | ||||||
College: | Cheyney | ||||||
Undrafted: | 1984 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
As a player: | |||||||
As a coach: | |||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com |
Andre Maurice Waters (March 10, 1962 – November 20, 2006) was an American professional
Early years
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[3] At Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Waters was recognized as All-PSAC three straight years.[4]
NFL career
In
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, 1988 and 1991. He recorded 15 interceptions 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 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.[5] The following year under head coach Jim Leavitt, Waters took the same position on the upstart South Florida football program.[6] He remained in that position until 1999.[7] In 2000, Waters left South Florida to join the St. Louis Rams of the NFL as a coaching intern for training camp. Leavitt made Waters choose between South Florida and the internship out of concern that Waters would miss too much preparation time with South Florida.[7]
After his Rams internship, Waters returned to Tampa to be defensive coordinator at
Death
Waters died by suicide shortly after 1 a.m. on November 20, 2006, according to the
Shortly after Waters' death, former
Waters was portrayed by actor Richard T. Jones in the 2015 film Concussion.
See also
References
- ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Habib, Hal (September 14, 2010). "'Football killed him': The legacy of Pahokee's Andre Waters". Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- ^ "Esteem Alum Andre Waters Passes Away". Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Kubatko, Roch Eric (March 28, 1996). "Morgan hires ex-Eagle Waters". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Knight, Joey (August 18, 2017). "Revisiting the inaugural 1997 USF Bulls football roster". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Scheiber, Dave (December 11, 2006). "The mysterious death of Andre Waters". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on January 11, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "Coach Andre Waters", Saint Augustine's College vs. North Carolina Central University, Raleigh, NC: Saint Augustine's College, p. 20, 2002
- ^ Kravitz, Gary (August 4, 2004). "Where Are They Now: SS Andre Waters". Philadelphia Eagles. Archived from the original on August 21, 2004. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ "Minority coaching fellowship attracts record 83 participants; coordinators Lewis & Lynn grads of program". NFL. August 26, 2002. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Best, Bonitta (March 28, 2002). "Football is officially back at St. Aug's and Shaw". Triangle Tribune. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ a b McDonald, Thomasi (2006-11-20). "Former NFL player, St. Aug's coach dies". News & Observer. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ McPhail, Ayanna (November 20, 2006). "FVSU assistant coach, ex-NFL player Andre Waters, dies". Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 28, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Sheridan, Phil (November 21, 2006). "Suicide of ex-Eagle Andre Waters hits hard". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on November 29, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Schwarz, Alan (January 18, 2007). "Expert Ties Ex-Player's Suicide to Brain Damage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- PMID 17762733