Robert Weathers
Robert James Weathers (born September 13, 1960) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State. His brother, Clarence Weathers, also played in the NFL.
No. 24 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Westfield, New York | September 13, 1960||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Fort Pierce Central (Fort Pierce, Florida) | ||||||||
College: | Arizona State | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1982 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 1986 | |||||||||
|
1982 Season
Weathers' rookie season saw him post 83 yards rushing in 6 games, starting 2. Tony Collins would handle the majority of the touches in 1982 for the team (as he would throughout Weathers' career), but Weathers still managed to score a touchdown on September 12 at the Baltimore Colts.[1]
1983 Season
Weathers posted 630 total yards from scrimmage during the 1983 season, which included 418 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, which came on a 9-yard rush against the Baltimore Colts on September 4, 1983.[2]
In 1983, the Patriots would draft Weathers' brother, Clarence Weathers, who would play alongside Robert until the end of Robert's career.[3]
1984 Season
Weathers made only 2 appearances in 1984, making no starts. In total Weathers was only on the active roster for four total games due to an injury to his right knee on a clipping penalty at Miami, which occurred on September 9. Due to this injury, Weathers had and Arthroscopy procedure and ended up placed on IR on September 13. Though he was reactivated on December 8, he recorded no statistics this season.[4]
1985 Season
Weathers finished the 1985 season fourth in rushing, recording 174 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.[5]
Weathers scored a crucial touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1985 season finale at Sullivan Stadium. On fourth-and-one, after the 2-minute-warning, Weathers ran 42 yards to put the Patriots up 34-23 and secure New England an AFC wild-card berth and an 11-5 record.[6]
Weathers recorded 87 yards rushing on 16 attempts, 2 yards receiving on 1 attempt, and a receiving touchdown on January 12, 1986, in the Patriots 31-14 AFC Championship victory over the Miami Dolphins in the Orange Bowl. His 45-yard rush was the longest of the game by any player in the game.[7]
Prior to Super Bowl XX the New England Patriots produced a music video in response to The Super Bowl Shuffle, the Chicago Bears Billboard Hot 100 hit. The Patriots response, "New England, The Patriots and We" failed to chart, however Weathers is featured in the video, delivering the line "run through the wind, for a big T.D."[8]
In Super Bowl XX, Weathers recorded a single carry for 3 yards, and a single reception for 3 yards, in the Patriots 46-10 loss to the Bears.[9]
1986 Season
The 1986 season would prove to be Weathers' final in the NFL. He spent most of the 1986 season on Injured Reserve after suffering ankle injury in car accident during the preseason, which caused him to miss the first three regular season games. He'd post a record-low 58 yards on 21 carries before being placed on IR on November 14, missing the final six games of the season.[4] Weathers would still manage to score a touchdown at Buffalo on October 26.[10]
See also
References
- "1982 New England Patriots Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "1983 New England Patriots Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "Clarence Weathers: Career Stats at NFL.com". www.nfl.com.
- "Official Website of the New England Patriots". 18 December 2014.
- "1985 New England Patriots Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "The 1985 Patriots' historic journey to the franchise's first ever Super Bowl". 7 August 2005.
- "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins - January 12th, 1986 - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "Throwback Thursday: The Patriots and We".
- "Super Bowl XX - New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears - January 26th, 1986 - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "1986 New England Patriots Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.