Ricky Watters

Richard James Watters, born April 7, 1969, is a former NFL running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks. He began his college career at Notre Dame as a wide receiver, contributing to the Fighting Irish's 1988 national championship team, and later won a second title with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Watters was known for his exceptional receiving ability and a distinctive high-stepping running style, which earned him the nickname "Ricky 'Running' Watters" from ESPN's Chris Berman. He also appeared as a running back for the fictional Dallas Knights in the film Any Given Sunday. Off the field, he works as a motivational speaker for adopted children, a recording artist, music producer, and CEO of Tigero Entertainment. He authored the book For Who For What, a Warrior’s Journey and served as head football coach at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida, until his resignation on October 1, 2013. An architecture major in college, he returned to Notre Dame in 2014 to complete the final three credits needed for a graphic design degree.

Watters grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, attending Bishop McDevitt High School, where he played quarterback and wore number 12, earning four varsity letters. He also played grade school football for Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Golden Gales.

At Notre Dame, Watters arrived in 1987 as part of head coach Lou Holtz's second recruiting class, which was the program's second consecutive top-10 group. He initially backed up Mark Green and returned kickoffs as the team went 8–4 and played in the Cotton Bowl. For the 1988 season, Holtz moved Watters to flanker after Heisman winner Tim Brown's departure, and he led the team in receiving while returning two punts for touchdowns. Before the annual USC game, Holtz suspended Watters and running back Tony Brooks for disciplinary reasons, but Notre Dame still won 27–10.

The Irish then defeated West Virginia 34–21 in the Fiesta Bowl to secure their 11th national championship. In 1989, with Brooks suspended academically, Holtz shifted Watters to tailback. Notre Dame spent 13 weeks ranked number one before losing to Miami, then beat top-ranked Colorado 21–6 in the Orange Bowl to finish second. Watters finished second on the team in rushing behind quarterback Tony Rice.

In the NFL, Watters was drafted by San Francisco in the second round of the 1991 draft but missed the entire season due to injury. He started at running back for the next three years, during which the 49ers led the league in scoring and yardage each season. After losing NFC Championship Games to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993, San Francisco beat Dallas in the 1994 NFC title game and won the Super Bowl. In a 1994 divisional playoff, Watters set an NFL postseason record with five rushing touchdowns in a 44–3 win over the New York Giants, and his 30 points remain a single-game postseason record. In Super Bowl XXIX, he scored three touchdowns in the 49–26 victory, tying a Super Bowl mark shared by Roger Craig, Jerry Rice, and later matched by others.

Watters signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent in 1995. After his first game, a 21–6 loss to Tampa Bay, he famously answered a question about not fully extending for a pass by saying, "For who? For what?" He quickly became a productive player, leading the league in yards from scrimmage in 1996 and helping the Eagles reach the playoffs twice. Over three seasons, he started every game, rushing for 3,794 yards and 31 touchdowns on 975 carries. He joined the Seattle Seahawks in 1998 and played there until retiring in 2002. His career totals include 10,643 rushing yards, 4,248 receiving yards, and 91 regular-season touchdowns. As of the end of the 2011 season, he was one of only two NFL running backs to achieve that milestone.