Allan Watson (American football)
Allan Watson (November 5, 1942 – March 1, 2024) was a Welsh gridiron football player.
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| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 5, 1942 Newport, Wales | ||||||||
| Died: | March 1, 2024 (aged 81) Calcutta, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 162 lb (73 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Blackwood (Wales) | ||||||||
| College: | University of Wales, Newport | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Association football (soccer)
American football
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Born on November 5, 1942, in Wales, Watson attended school in Blackwood, Caerphilly.[1] He later attended the Newport College of Technology, part of the University of Wales, Newport, receiving a degree in metallurgy.[2] He moved to the U.S. in 1967 to work for a crucible steel business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] He grew up playing association football (soccer) and tried out for the local Pittsburgh Phantoms of the short-lived National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), making the team while appearing in three matches as an inside forward.[2][3]
Watson was introduced to American football by a close friend and began practicing to be a placekicker after the Phantoms folded in late 1967.[4] He attended a kicking camp hosted by the Dallas Cowboys and run by Ben Agajanian; Watson performed well enough to be signed by the team.[2] He only appeared in preseason for the team and later requested a release.[4] He tried out for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969 and received a contract, later being sent to the Ohio Valley Ironmen of the Continental Football League (CoFL).[2] He was 7-of-20 on field goal attempts and made all 32 of his extra point attempts with the Ironmen, scoring a total of 53 points while having a long of 41 yards.[2][5]
After returning to the Steelers in 1970, Watson played through preseason but was ultimately released in favor of Gene Mingo; however, after Mingo struggled late in the season, Watson was re-signed and played in the final four games.[6][7] He made 5-of-10 field goal attempts and converted 7-of-8 extra point tries, scoring 22 points while his longest kick was 45 yards.[1] He was released prior to the 1971 season in favor of Roy Gerela.[6]
After his stint with the Steelers, Watson played from 1972 to 1974 with the Youngstown Hardhats of the Midwest Football League (MFL), setting league records with a 56-yard field goal and 90-yard punt.[4] He joined the Chicago Fire of the World Football League (WFL) in 1974, making 4-of-7 field goal attempts including a league-record 53-yard kick.[4] He then played for their WFL successor, the Chicago Winds, in 1975, before retiring.[4]
Watson was married.[8] He died on March 1, 2024, at the age of 81.[8]
NFL statistics
edit| Year | Team | GP | Field goals | Extra points | Total points | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGM | FGA | FG% | <20 | 20−29 | 30−39 | 40−49 | 50+ | Lng | XPM | XPA | XP% | ||||
| 1970 | PIT | 4 | 5 | 10 | 50.0 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 45 | 7 | 8 | 87.5 | 22 |
| Total | 4 | 5 | 10 | 50.0 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 45 | 7 | 8 | 87.5 | 22 | |
| Source:[1] | |||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Allan Watson Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Sell, Jack (July 22, 1970). "Steelers Eye Ex-Phantom". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NASL-Alan Watson". NASLJerseys.com.
- ^ a b c d e Burcham, Dave (August 13, 1975). "Watson Reveals Grid Retirement". The Evening Review. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Allen Watson". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b Burcham, Dave (September 15, 1971). "Steelers Release Watson In Favor Of Roy Gerella". The Evening Review. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Burcham, Dave (August 14, 1971). "Allan Gets His Kicks". The Evening Review. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Allan Keith Watson". The Review. March 4, 2024.
