When talking about consistently good running backs from the early to mid 90's, Ricky Watters' name is almost always thrown into the mix. Ricky Watters, who actually played wide receiver for Notre Dame during their 1988 National Championship team, was always a threat that opposing defenses feared and planned against. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and elude defenders earned him 5 Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl championship with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994. In that Super Bowl, Watters scored an astonishing 3 touchdowns, which ties a Super Bowl record held by Roger Craig, Jerry Rice, and Terrell Davis. Also during that 1994 postseason, Watters set a postseason record when he rushed for 5 touchdowns against the New York Giants in a 44-3 laugher. Another distinction that Watters has from any other player in the history of the NFL is that he is the only running back to rush for 1,000 yards with 3 different teams, as he did with the 49ers, Eagles, and Seahawks.

After completing his final NFL season in 2001 with the Seattle Seahawks, Watters finished his career with 10,643 rushing yards, 4,248 receiving yards, and 91 total touchdowns. With numbers like that, the Hall of Fame looks like a strong possibility for Ricky Watters. However, some on and off the field attitude problems might be preventing him from getting into Canton, as a player with his numbers would usually have gotten in by now. Personally I feel that the Hall of Fame should have nothing to do with the way a player chooses to behave. If his numbers are worthy of being recognized by the masses, he definitely deserves the acolades. Great players belong in the Hall of Fame, great people belong in history books. I am sure Ricky Watters would not mind being left out of the next McGraw-Hill text book.