Willard Reaves

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Willard Reaves (born August 17, 1959 in Flagstaff, Arizona) was a star Canadian Football League running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Reaves attended Northern Arizona University from 1977 to 1980. He rushed for 2,139 yards in his university career, his best year being 1979 when he rushed for 1,084 yards and was voted an All American.

With his movie actor good looks, Reaves was instantly a fan favourite in Winnipeg. He played 5 seasons from 1983 to 1987. He rushed for 898 yards in his first year and was runner up for the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award and an all star.

He took the league by storm in 1984, rushing for 1,733 yards on 304 carries and 18 touchdowns were team records and helped him win the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award and helped his team win the 72nd Grey Cup, their first victory since 1962.

Reaves rushed for 1,000 yards two other times (1,323 in 1985 and 1,471 in 1987) and finished his career with 5,923 total rushing yards for the Blue Bombers. He was a three time CFL all star.

He also tried out with the NFL (he was originally undrafted) and in 1989 he played 2 games with the Miami Dolphins, returning 6 kickoffs, and one game with the Washington Redskins, running once and losing a yard.

In 1992 he was inducted into the Northern Arizona University Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2002 he became a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

He has since become a Canadian citizen, and he is also the father of Ryan Reaves, a St. Louis Blues prospect playing with the the Brandon Wheat Kings.