Ricky Watters

Richard James Watters, born April 7, 1969, is a former American professional football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. He played college football at Notre Dame, where he served as a wide receiver on the 1988 national championship team, and later won a second title with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX.

During his playing career, Watters was recognized for his exceptional receiving ability and a distinctive high-stepping running style. ESPN’s Chris Berman nicknamed him Ricky "Running" Watters. He also appeared as a running back for the fictional Dallas Knights in the film Any Given Sunday.

After football, Watters became a motivational speaker for adopted children—having been adopted himself—and works as a recording artist, music producer, and president and CEO of Tigero Entertainment. He authored the book For Who For What, a Warrior’s Journey. He served as head football coach at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida, until resigning on October 1, 2013. An architecture major in college, he returned to Notre Dame in 2014 to complete the three final credits needed for a graphic design degree.

Watters attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he played quarterback, wore number 12, and earned four letters in football. He also played peewee, pony, and varsity grade school football for Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament (OLBS) Golden Gales.

Watters joined Notre Dame in 1987 as a highly touted member of head coach Lou Holtz’s second recruiting class, which was the Fighting Irish’s second consecutive top-10 class, following the 1986 group that included star quarterback Tony Rice. He began the season backing up Mark Green and occasionally returning kickoffs. The team went 8–4 and played in the Cotton Bowl Classic against Texas A&M.

After Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown left, Holtz moved Watters to Brown’s flanker position for 1988 to boost the passing attack. The change worked: Watters led the team in receiving and also returned two punts for touchdowns.

Before the annual Notre Dame-USC game, Holtz suspended Watters and running back Tony Brooks for disciplinary reasons. Without their leading receiver and rusher, the Irish won 27–10 over the second-ranked Trojans on the road.

Notre Dame defeated third-ranked West Virginia 34–21 in the Fiesta Bowl to secure the school’s 11th national championship, with six All-Americans on a team considered one of college football’s greatest.

In 1989, Notre Dame again contended for a national title. With Tony Brooks suspended for the season for academic reasons, Holtz moved Watters back to tailback. The Irish spent 13 weeks ranked number one before losing 27–10 to Miami in the regular-season finale. They finished with a 21–6 win over top-ranked Colorado in the Orange Bowl and ended the year ranked second behind Miami. Watters finished second on the team in rushing behind quarterback Tony Rice.

Watters played ten NFL seasons with San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Seattle. The 49ers selected him in the second round of the 1991 draft, but he missed the entire 1991 season due to injuries. He started at running back for the next three seasons, during which San Francisco’s offense led the league in scoring and yardage each year. The 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game in 1992 and 1993, losing both times to the Dallas Cowboys, before beating Dallas in the 1994 NFC Championship and winning the Super Bowl.

In a 1994 NFC Divisional Round game, Watters set an NFL postseason record with five rushing touchdowns in a 44–3 win over the New York Giants, and his 30 points in that game remain a single-game postseason record. In Super Bowl XXIX, he scored three touchdowns in the 49–26 victory over the San Diego Chargers, tying a Super Bowl mark shared by fellow 49ers Roger Craig and Jerry Rice, and later matched by Terrell Davis, James White, and Jalen Hurts.

Watters joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent in 1995. He became known for his line "For who? For what?" after his first game as an Eagle on September 3, 1995, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The comment came in response to a question about why he didn’t fully extend for a Randall Cunningham pass that would have likely led to a hard hit, instead short-arming the throw in a 21–6 loss.

He quickly became a productive player, leading the league in yards from scrimmage in 1996 and helping the Eagles reach the playoffs twice. In three seasons with Philadelphia, he started every game, recording 3,794 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns on 975 carries. In 1998, he joined the Seattle Seahawks and played there until retiring in 2002. His career totals include 10,643 rushing yards, 4,248 receiving yards, and 91 total touchdowns in regular-season play.

As of the end of the 2011 season, he is one of only two NFL running backs to achieve a certain milestone (the source cuts off here).