William Andrews ( American football ) William Andrews ( born December 25 , 1955 in Thomasville , Georgia ) is a former NFL football running back . He played collegiately at Auburn University along with future NFL backs James Brooks and Joe Cribbs . Andrews was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft . While he was primarily used as a blocking back in college , Andrews excelled as a blocker , runner and pass catcher during his pro career . He would make an immediate impact , finishing with 167 yards rushing in his NFL debut as the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints , 40 - 34 . Playing in 15 games , Andrews finished his rookie season with 1 , 023 yards rushing and was named to the all - rookie team . In 1980 , Andrews helped lead the Falcons to a 12 - 4 record and a first - place finish in the NFC West division . He finished the season with 1 , 308 yards rushing , averaged 4 . 9 yards per attempt and also caught 51 passes for 456 yards . The season was the first of four straight in which Andrews was selected to play in the Pro Bowl . While the Falcons record slipped in 1981 , Andrews would have another great season . He led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2 , 036 , again went over 1 , 300 yards rushing and scored a career - high 12 touchdowns ( 10 rushing , 2 receiving ) . Andrews became one of the first running backs in the NFL , along with Tony Dorsett , John Brockington , Ottis Anderson and Earl Campbell , to gain at least 1 , 000 yards in each of his first three seasons . Andrews was also fourth in receptions that season with 81 . Andrews finished the strike - shortened 1982 season second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1 , 076 and helped the Falcons return to the postseason . In 1983 , Andrews had his best season yet statistically . He was second in the NFL in rushing with 1 , 567 yards , second in rushing yards per game with an average of 97 . 9 and caught for 59 passes for 609 yards . His also finished second in yards from scrimmage with a total of 2 , 176 . At season ' s end , he was named All - Pro by both the NEA and The Sporting News . At the peak of his powers , Andrews sustained a serious knee injury during the 1984 preseason that sidelined him for two years . He returned in 1986 for one season , largely as a tight end . He rushed for 214 yards on 52 attempts and scored 1 touchdown before retiring from the NFL with a career total of 5 , 986 yards rushing . At the time of his retirement , Andrews ranked 24th in NFL history in rushing yards . In his prime , Andrews was regarded as arguably the most bruising , powerful running back in the NFL . Ronnie Lott would later state that a head - on - collision he had with Andrews during a game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Falcons on December 19 , 1982 was the hardest hit that he had received during his NFL career . In addition to leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage in 1981 , Andrews also finished in the top four in that category three other times . Despite the brevity of his career , Andrews is still the Falcons ' all - time yards from scrimmage leader with a total of 8 , 633 . He was named as the Falcons Player of the Year in both 1981 and 1983 . To celebrate his career , his number 31 was retired in 2004 by the Falcons . Andrews was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 . On Friday , March 30 , 2012 , Andrews was jailed in Cobb County , Georgia , on a civil contempt charge , stemming from on - going child support issues ,