Willard Harrell
| No. 40, 39 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back Return specialist | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | September 16, 1952 Stockton, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 162 lb (73 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Edison (Stockton, California) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Pacific (1971–1974) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1975 / Round: 3 / Pick: 58 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Willard Harrell (born September 16, 1952) is an American former
High school career
He went to Edison High School, Stockton, California, in the late 1960s and early 1970s and played under its legendary coach, Charlie Washington.
College career
Harrell attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Known for his speed, San Diego State University head football coach Claude Gilbert said of Harrell, "When he's even, he's leavin'".[1] He was named the co- MVP of the 1974 East-West Shrine Game, the first in the annual series to be held at Stanford Stadium.[2][3] Pacific retired his number, 39, in May, 1986. This was the year after he announced his retirement from the NFL. As of 2021, he is one of only four Pacific football players to have his number retired. The others are Eddie LeBaron, Dick Bass and Eddie Macon.[4]
Professional career
Harrell was a third round draft pick of the
His last seven seasons in the NFL were spent with the St. Louis Cardinals. While playing for the Cardinals, he was the subject of a feature which aired on CBS Sports' pregame show, The NFL Today. The segment, "The Barber of St. Louis", discussed how he enjoyed cutting hair and provided barber service to some of his teammates and coaches. It used instrumental music from "The Barber of Seville" in the background.[7]
Harrell announced his retirement from the NFL in mid-August 1985. Cardinals head coach Jim Hanifan said of Harrell that he was "one of the smallest men to play in the National Football League in size and certainly one of the biggest in heart, desire and intelligence."[8] The Big Red Zone blog, dedicated to the history of the St. Louis football Cardinals, lists Harrell as the #81 St. Louis Cardinals football player of all time.[9]
Personal life
Willard Harrell was born in
References
- ^ Popik, Barry. "Barry Popik". www.barrypopik.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ Athlon Sports. 2014. "College Football Matchup - East-West Shrine Game". Available online: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-matchup-east-west-shrine-game . Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "East-West Shrine Game: A Closer Look". opensfhistory.org. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ "Retired Numbers/Jerseys". University of the Pacific. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ "Pacific Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ "Willard Harrell overcame Packers' down years". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ NFL Today: Willard Harrell "Barber of St. Louis", retrieved 2022-06-30
- ^ "Willard Harrell, the 32-year-old running back of the St..." UPI. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ Underwood, Bob (2019-08-15). "The Top 100 St. Louis Football Cardinals (90-81)". THE BIG RED ZONE. Retrieved 2022-06-30.