Bob Waters
Encyclopedia
Robert Lee Waters (June 22, 1938May 29, 1989) was a successful American football
coach
and athletics director, best known for his contributions to athletics
at Western Carolina University
. Waters coached the football
Catamounts for 20 football seasons (1969 through 1988), and performed the dual roll of athletic director from 1971–1986. According to Western Carolina, "the evolution and success of the school's athletic programs, especially its football program, during that period can be attributed largely to his talents and personality". Waters retried from coaching in March 1989 due to the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(Lou Gehrig's disease). He died on May 29, 1989, at the age of 50 following a six-year battle with the disease.
and was a successful athlete at Screven County
High, receiving 11 varsity letter
s for his participation in three different sports. He initially entered Stetson University
in Deland, Florida
, as a freshman quarterback
and defensive back
, but when Stetson dropped the school's football program at the end of his first season. Waters transferred to Presbyterian College
in Clinton, South Carolina
, where he served as a quarterback and defensive back on the college's team. In 1960, the team was invited to the Tangerine Bowl
meeting Middle Tennessee State
; losing by score of 21–12, Waters was named "most outstanding player". Waters was a member of Mu chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha
fraternity at PC.
's San Francisco 49ers
and American Football League
's San Diego Chargers
both drafted
Waters in 1960. After signing with the 49ers, Waters finished his 4-year career with 3 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions. Waters' four years with the 49ers included one as a defensive back and four as quarterback.
as an assistant at Stanford University
. In 1969, Waters took a football coaching job at Western Carolina, bringing in a victorious season for the 1969 Catamounts in his first year, only losing to his alma mater
Presbyterian College. Under his guidance, the team made national rankings in 1972 and 1974, and in 1983 he took the Catamounts to the NCAA I-AA National Championship Game. According to the university's website, his tenure at Western produced "116 victories, 13 winning seasons and top 10 national finishes at three different levels (NAIA, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division I-AA)". He coached 13 All-Americans and 36 All-Southern Conference
players.
During the 1971–86 seasons, Waters also served as athletics director. During his service to the university, he directed Western's moved from NAIA
, to NCAA Division II, then to NCAA
Division I, and gained entrance into the Southern Conference. He helped raise interest in the construction of the E. J. Whitmire Stadium in 1974 and Hennon Stadium
in 1986.
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...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and athletics director, best known for his contributions to athletics
Western Carolina Catamounts
The Western Carolina Catamounts are the athletic teams of Western Carolina University. The Catamounts compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Southern Conference. Western fields sixteen varsity sports teams. The Catamount football team competes in Division I Football...
at Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
. Waters coached the football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
Catamounts for 20 football seasons (1969 through 1988), and performed the dual roll of athletic director from 1971–1986. According to Western Carolina, "the evolution and success of the school's athletic programs, especially its football program, during that period can be attributed largely to his talents and personality". Waters retried from coaching in March 1989 due to the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
(Lou Gehrig's disease). He died on May 29, 1989, at the age of 50 following a six-year battle with the disease.
Early life
Waters grew up in Sylvania, GeorgiaSylvania, Georgia
Sylvania is a city in Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,675 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Screven County.-Geography:Sylvania is located at ....
and was a successful athlete at Screven County
Screven County, Georgia
Screven County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,374. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 15,037...
High, receiving 11 varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s for his participation in three different sports. He initially entered Stetson University
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
in Deland, Florida
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
, as a freshman quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, but when Stetson dropped the school's football program at the end of his first season. Waters transferred to Presbyterian College
Presbyterian College
Presbyterian College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, South Carolina, USA. Presbyterian College, or PC, is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA. PC was founded in 1880 by William Plumer Jacobs, a prominent Presbyterian minister who also founded the nearby Thornwell Home and...
in Clinton, South Carolina
Clinton, South Carolina
Clinton is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,091 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clinton was first settled by Scots-Irish immigrants two decades before the American Revolutionary...
, where he served as a quarterback and defensive back on the college's team. In 1960, the team was invited to the Tangerine Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
meeting Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represents Middle Tennessee State University in NCAA Division I FBS football competition. The Blue Raiders, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, play their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.Rick Stockstill has...
; losing by score of 21–12, Waters was named "most outstanding player". Waters was a member of Mu chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
fraternity at PC.
Professional career
The National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's San Diego Chargers
History of the San Diego Chargers
This article details the history of the San Diego Chargers American Football Club.-The AFL era :The San Diego Chargers were established in 1959 with seven other American Football League teams: the Denver Broncos, Dallas Texans, Oakland Raiders, New York Titans, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, and...
both drafted
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
Waters in 1960. After signing with the 49ers, Waters finished his 4-year career with 3 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions. Waters' four years with the 49ers included one as a defensive back and four as quarterback.
Coach and administrator
Waters changed career in 1965, going to Presbyterian College as an assistant coach in 1966. After two seasons with Presbyterian, Waters moved back to the West CoastWest Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
as an assistant at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. In 1969, Waters took a football coaching job at Western Carolina, bringing in a victorious season for the 1969 Catamounts in his first year, only losing to his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
Presbyterian College. Under his guidance, the team made national rankings in 1972 and 1974, and in 1983 he took the Catamounts to the NCAA I-AA National Championship Game. According to the university's website, his tenure at Western produced "116 victories, 13 winning seasons and top 10 national finishes at three different levels (NAIA, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division I-AA)". He coached 13 All-Americans and 36 All-Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
players.
During the 1971–86 seasons, Waters also served as athletics director. During his service to the university, he directed Western's moved from NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
, to NCAA Division II, then to NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I, and gained entrance into the Southern Conference. He helped raise interest in the construction of the E. J. Whitmire Stadium in 1974 and Hennon Stadium
Hennon Stadium
Ronnie G. Childress Field at Hennon Stadium is the home of the Western Carolina Catamounts baseball team in Cullowhee, North Carolina.-Dimensions:...
in 1986.