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Billy Vessels
Billy Dale Vessels (March 22, 1931 – November 17, 2001) was an American football player at the halfback position. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, winning a national championship in 1950 and being awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1952.
Despite being drafted in the first round of the 1953 draft (second pick overall) by the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL), Vessels signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU), playing one season there and winning the inaugural award for the most outstanding player in Canada.
Vessels lost the next two years to military service, playing on the service team at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, before joining the Colts for the 1956 campaign, his only NFL season. Unhappy being relegated to a reserve role under head coach Weeb Ewbank, Vessels retired after the 1956 season to take up the construction business in Coral Gables, Florida.
Billy Vessels gained prominence with the Oklahoma Sooners as a star of what was heralded as the "Phantom Backfield" together with All-American quarterback Eddie Crowder and fellow backs Buck McPhail and Buddy Leake. Vessels was instrumental in leading the team to the national championship in 1950, scoring 15 touchdowns.
During the 1952 season he rushed for 1,072 yards including seven 100-yard performances, and 17 touchdowns en route to winning the 1952 Heisman Trophy. Playing under the legendary Bud Wilkinson, he became the first of seven Sooners, followed by Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978), Jason White (2003), Sam Bradford (2008), Baker Mayfield (2017), and Kyler Murray (2018) to win the award. These achievements led to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
He was also a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of Oklahoma, along with being a member of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
Vessels was the first pick of the Baltimore Colts in the first round of the 1953 NFL draft, but did not join the Colts following the draft, electing instead to play with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU), one of the forerunners of the Canadian Football League.
During his rookie season in 1953, Vessels led the WIFU in rushing with 926 yards gained on 129 carries (7.2 yards per carry), with eight rushing touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 310 yards (15.5 yards per catch) and one touchdown. The halfback Vessels also passed 30 times, completing 18 for 393 yards and 4 touchdowns, against only one interception. Defensively he snagged four interceptions from his defensive halfback position.
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Billy Vessels
Billy Dale Vessels (March 22, 1931 – November 17, 2001) was an American football player at the halfback position. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, winning a national championship in 1950 and being awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1952.
Despite being drafted in the first round of the 1953 draft (second pick overall) by the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL), Vessels signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU), playing one season there and winning the inaugural award for the most outstanding player in Canada.
Vessels lost the next two years to military service, playing on the service team at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, before joining the Colts for the 1956 campaign, his only NFL season. Unhappy being relegated to a reserve role under head coach Weeb Ewbank, Vessels retired after the 1956 season to take up the construction business in Coral Gables, Florida.
Billy Vessels gained prominence with the Oklahoma Sooners as a star of what was heralded as the "Phantom Backfield" together with All-American quarterback Eddie Crowder and fellow backs Buck McPhail and Buddy Leake. Vessels was instrumental in leading the team to the national championship in 1950, scoring 15 touchdowns.
During the 1952 season he rushed for 1,072 yards including seven 100-yard performances, and 17 touchdowns en route to winning the 1952 Heisman Trophy. Playing under the legendary Bud Wilkinson, he became the first of seven Sooners, followed by Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978), Jason White (2003), Sam Bradford (2008), Baker Mayfield (2017), and Kyler Murray (2018) to win the award. These achievements led to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
He was also a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of Oklahoma, along with being a member of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
Vessels was the first pick of the Baltimore Colts in the first round of the 1953 NFL draft, but did not join the Colts following the draft, electing instead to play with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU), one of the forerunners of the Canadian Football League.
During his rookie season in 1953, Vessels led the WIFU in rushing with 926 yards gained on 129 carries (7.2 yards per carry), with eight rushing touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 310 yards (15.5 yards per catch) and one touchdown. The halfback Vessels also passed 30 times, completing 18 for 393 yards and 4 touchdowns, against only one interception. Defensively he snagged four interceptions from his defensive halfback position.