Auburn football: 5 most underrated players in Auburn Tigers history

Don’t forget about the impact William Andrews had on Auburn football.

Not to say he was completely misused while at Auburn, but how did the Tigers not have a firm grasp of what they had in William Andrews as a running back in the late 1970s? Though Auburn did have two other great college running backs in James Brooks and Joe Cribbs, usually Andrews primarily as a blocking back was criminal.

Andrews left Auburn with 267 carries for 1,347 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He would be a third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1979 NFL Draft. That’s when he became a southeastern NFL legend. Andrews made four-straight Pro Bowls from 1980 to 1983, earning All-Pro consideration throughout his pro career in Atlanta.

However, in the middle of his prime, Andrews suffered a brutal knee injury in the 1984 preseason and had to miss two full seasons in recovery. He returned in 1986 as essentially a blocking tight end, as former Arizona State standout Gerald Riggs became Atlanta’s new bell-cow back. Andrews retired after that 1986 season with 5,986 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns.

Though Brooks starred in the 1980s for the Cincinnati Bengals and Cribbs early in the same decade with the Buffalo Bills, people often wonder what could have been if Andrews stayed healthy. Odds are he would have been the first Falcon to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His No. 31 is retired by the organization, but how did Auburn not see it in him in the 1970s?

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.