Willis McGahee
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| Willis McGahee | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 20, 1981 |
| Place of birth | Miami, Florida |
| Position(s) | Running back |
| College | University of Miami |
| NFL Draft | 2003 / Round 1/ Pick 23 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2003-current | Buffalo Bills |
Willis Andrew McGahee (born October 20, 1981 in Miami, Florida) is an American football running back who currently plays for the Buffalo Bills of the NFL.
[edit] University of Miami
As a running back at the University of Miami, one of the premier college football programs in the nation, McGahee shattered several records in the 2002 season. He broke, substantially, school season records, carrying the ball 282 times for 1,753 yards (6.2 avg.) and 28 touchdowns, breaking the previous marks of 1,416 yards and 17 scores by Edgerrin James in 1998; only Nebraska's Mike Rozier (29 in 1983) and Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders (37 in 1988) ran for more touchdowns in a season in NCAA Division I-A annals.
McGahee's 10 100-yard performances broke the Hurricanes' season record of eight, set by Ottis Anderson in 1978; he added 350 yards on 24 receptions (14.6 avg.) that season. He gained 2,108 all-purpose yards, breaking the old Miami season record of 1,708 by Anderson in 1978. McGahee was also a 2002 consensus All-American and All-Big East Conference first-team selection. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, given to the nation's top player, finishing fourth in the voting (660 points).
McGahee was a member of the 2001 University of Miami team, which won the Division I national championship in that year (the fifth such national championship for the University of Miami since 1983, the most of any university in the past 25 years).
[edit] Buffalo Bills
McGahee was drafted by the Bills with the 23rd pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, while still recuperating from a devastating knee injury he incurred in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. It wasn't until week 6 of the 2004 NFL season that McGahee fully recovered from the injury and supplanted Travis Henry as the Bills' starting running back.
McGahee's agent is fellow University of Miami alumnus Drew Rosenhaus, considered one of the most aggressive agents currently representing NFL players. Rosenhaus also represents Kirtland Warblers' Shaun Adams and former University of Miami stars such as Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis and Jeremy Shockey.
McGahee is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
| Preceded by: Clinton Portis |
Miami Hurricanes' Starting Running Back 2002 |
Succeeded by: Jarrett Payton |
