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Bill Atessis
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William James Atessis was born July 16, 1949, in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

 and is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player who played on two NCAA national championship teams at The University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

. One of the most honored and productive defensive ends in NCAA history, he was a three-year starter and was second-team All-America as a junior who was a consensus All-American
1970 College Football All-America Team
The 1970 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Central Press Association, Football Writers...

 as a senior. He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

.http://books.google.com/books?id=RAtYHbmvdloC&pg=PA28&ots=ZUG0hScvcX&dq=Bill+Atessis&sig=tYVJv-epG0uQPc2ZbTMtB_GH1lg

High school career

Attended Jesse Jones High School, in Houston. Graduated in 1967. He was a Texas All-State tackle in 1966 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives Atessis was the state's number one lineman in the recruiting class of 1967.http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docnum=1&+OK+=+OK+ He was an all-around athlete who excelled in football, baseball, and basketball. He was inducted to the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1996 was named as one of the best lineman in the history of Texas high school football, ranking second on the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...

 list.

College career

Atessis was a member of teams which set school record 30-game winning streak that currently stands as the twelfth-longest in NCAA history and was a three-year letterman and three year starter at left defensive end http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=&url_article_id=2253&change_well_id=2. Including two years as a starter on the back-to-back National Champion Texas Longhorns teams of 1969 and 1970 http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=36&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=610&change_well_id=2. Was voted Longhorn Defensive MVP by the Dallas Morning News and Houston Post
Houston Post
The Houston Post was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper was absorbed into the Houston Chronicle.-History:The newspaper was established on February 19, 1880, by Gail Borden Johnson...

 both in 1969 and 1970. http://www.texassports.com/mainpages/001_structure/hoh_pages/hoh_1_a_bla.html

The Longhorns also won three consecutive Southwest Conference championships and appeared in three consecutive Cotton Bowl Classic games, winning two http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=36&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=26&change_well_id=2 during that time. Was a consensus 1st Team All-American in 1970 and was second team All-American in 1969. in 1970 he was voted Southwest Conference Co-Lineman of the Year (with Arkansas All-American Defensive end, Dick Bumpas). Consensus All-SWC
SWC
SWC can refer to:* Sarah Wayne Callies, American actress* Semiwadcutter, a common shape of ammunition* Single Wire CAN* Simon Wiesenthal Center* Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School * Sir Winston Churchill High School...

 choice in 1969 and 1970 http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=36&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=762&change_well_id=2 Also was a finalist for Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...

 and finished fifth in the voting for the UPI Lineman of the Year
UPI Lineman of the Year (College)
The United Press International college football lineman of the year award was among the first and most recognized college football awards. With the demise of UPI in 1997 the award was discontinued. Offensive and defensive linemen were eligible, including offensive ends, with one, Howard Twilley,...

, both in 1970.

Played in the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...

 in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...

, in January 1971. Is a member, University of Texas Men's Athletics Hall of Honor, being voted in in 2001.http://www.texassports.com/mainpages/001_structure/hoh_pages/hoh_1_a_bla.html Texas Coach Darrell Royal
Darrell Royal
Darrell K Royal is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University , the University of Washington , and the University of Texas at Austin , compiling a career college football record of 184–60–5...

 called him a, "Super player, who hasn't played a bad game in three years." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944277-3,00.html Played in the Coaches' All-America Game in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...

, June 28, 1971. Singled out for his "tremendous game" by the Odessa American as worthy of the player of the game award http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewer.aspx?img=16788505&firstvisit=true&src=search¤tResult=2¤tPage=20

Played in what has been called "The Game of the Century
Game of the Century (college football)
The phrase "Game of the Century" is a superlative that has been applied to several college football contests played in the 20th century, the first full century of college football in the United States...

" between #1 Texas and #2 Arkansas on December 6, 1970, with the Longhorns winning 15-14. http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=36&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=610&change_well_id=2 In 2005 was named to the All-Time University of Texas team by the Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....

 and was named to the Red River Rivalry
Red River Rivalry
The Red River Rivalry, commonly known as the OU-Texas Game or Texas-OU Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Oklahoma Sooners football team of the University of Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns football team of the University of Texas. The series is considered...

 All-time team by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News, which is published from the eastern half of the Metroplex. It is owned...

, also in 2005. In 2006 he was named number 16 on a list of the 50 best names in Texas Longhorn history http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives

NFL

Was highly regarded after a stellar collegiate career. Was drafted by the NFL Champion Baltimore Colts. Was injured in training camp and released in mid-season. Played defensive end for the Patriots in 1971. Asked to drop weight and move to outside linebacker, a position he had never played. Left camp in July 1972, and was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals. Was moved to offensive line there and asked to gain back the weight he lost to play linebacker. Was injured again and released by Cards. Signed as a defensive tackle by the Jets for the 1973 season yet was cut in training camp.

NFL saga of an All-American
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