Chester "Chet" Winters (born October 22, 1960) is an American former football running back. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and later was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL).
| No. 20 | |||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 22, 1960 Chicago, Illinois, US | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Jacksonville (Jacksonville, Arkansas) | ||||||
| College: | Oklahoma (1979–1982) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 1983 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editWinters was born on October 22, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois.[1] He attended Jacksonville High School in Arkansas and is one of only six of their alumni ever to make it to the NFL.[2] He was considered one of the best running backs in the state and was selected to Associated Press' Arkansas "Super Team" as a senior in 1978, after having helped Jacksonville win the Class AAAA championship.[3][4] Winters totaled over 2,000 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns in his time at Jacksonville.[5] He committed to play college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.[6]
College career
editAs a true freshman at the University of Oklahoma in 1979, Winters was behind Billy Sims in rushing priority and ran 16 times for 123 yards (a 7.7 average) and two touchdowns.[7] After Sims graduated, Winters saw more playing time in the 1980 season, although behind David Overstreet, recording 79 rush attempts for 370 yards and four touchdowns, as Oklahoma won the conference championship with a 10–2 record.[8][9][10]
Winters saw limited action in his final two seasons behind Buster Rhymes and then Marcus Dupree, only having 140 rushing yards and no touchdowns in 1981 and just 60 yards with no scores in 1982.[8][10][11] Having been behind others in rushing priority for his entire stint at Oklahoma, Winters finished his collegiate career having rushed 144 times for 693 yards (a 4.8 average) with seven touchdowns. He also recorded four catches for 57 yards.[8][10]
Professional career
editAfter going unselected in the 1983 NFL draft, Winters was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.[5] He led the team in rushing in their first preseason game and finished the preseason with 32 carries for 102 yards, but ultimately was released during roster cuts.[5][12][13]
Winters tried out for the New York Giants the month after his release and near the end of October had a tryout with the Green Bay Packers.[14][15] He was signed by the Packers after his tryout as a replacement for Eddie Lee Ivery, who was placed on the reserve list.[16] He made his NFL debut in the Packers' 35–21 win over the Cleveland Browns in week 10 and appeared in three further games in the season.[17] He had his only touches in a week 12 loss to the Detroit Lions, having three kickoff returns for 28 yards.[17] He was released by the Packers in July 1984.[18]
Winters signed with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) in October 1984; the team had previously selected him in the 1983 USFL Territorial Draft.[19][20] He did not make the final roster.[21]
References
edit- ^ "Chet Winters Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Jacksonville (Jacksonville, AR) Alumni Pro Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "Sooners tab 14". Casper Star-Tribune. United Press International. February 22, 1979. p. 12. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ King, Harry (December 18, 1978). "Arkansas High School Super team". The Daily World. Associated Press. p. 5. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Wesley, Tim (August 3, 1983). "Winters, Williams drawing stares at Steeler camp". Indiana Gazette. p. 17. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Guymon, J. Carl (February 22, 1979). "24 Join Sooners; Pokes Corral 14". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 41. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kelly, Bob (September 4, 1980). "Winters has opportunity to shake Sims' shadow". The Salina Journal. p. 15. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Chet Winters College Stats". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "1980 Oklahoma Sooners Stats". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c Smizik, Bob (August 1, 1983). "Roster battles tell the score". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Clayton, John (July 22, 1983). "Steeler Rookie coming out of the shadows". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 27. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Transactions". Spokane Chronicle. August 31, 1983. p. 24. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McGinn, Bob (October 29, 1983). "Ivery on non-football illness list". The Post-Crescent. p. 9. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ DiTrani, Vinny (September 13, 1983). "Notebook". The Record. p. 53. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ivery out Winters in?". Portage Daily Register. Associated Press. October 29, 1983. p. 7. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dodd, Mike (October 30, 1983). "Infantry May Be A Force For Bengals". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 33. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Chet Winters Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". Arizona Daily Star. July 20, 1984. p. 17. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Generals sign three". The Courier-News. Associated Press. October 12, 1984. p. 15. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chet Winters Stats". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". Manitowoc Herald-Times. February 12, 1985. p. 12. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
