Arthur Lee Whittington (September 4, 1955 – April 22, 2024) was an American football running back. He played for five seasons for the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, and from 1983 to 1985 with the Oakland Invaders of the USFL.[1]
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Position: | Running back | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Cuero, Texas, U.S. | September 4, 1955||||||
Died: | April 22, 2024 | (aged 68)||||||
Career information | |||||||
College: | Southern Methodist University | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1978 / Round: 7 / Pick: 176 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com |
Career edit
As a rookie in 1978, Whittington proved to be a valuable weapon in the Raiders backfield. He finished the year with 661 yards rushing and seven scores while recording 23 catches for 106 yards over nine starts. The next season, he started just seven games but ran for 397 yards and two touchdowns while recording 19 catches for 240 yards. By 1980, Whittington had developed a complementary role, running for just 299 yards and 3 TD in two starts but had 19 catches for 205 yards. His final year with Oakland, 1981, saw him start 2 games and run for 220 yards and one touchdown while recording 23 catches for 213 yards and 2 TD.
Along with being a serviceable running back, Whittington proved to be an adept kick returner. In 1978, he averaged 20.6 yards on 23 kick returns. In 1980, he averaged 18.7 yards on 21 returns including 1 TD. In 1981, he averaged 22.5 yards on 25 returns.
Personal life and death edit
Whittington had five children. His two daughters Amber and Ashton are both YouTube personalities. He died on April 22, 2024, at the age of 68.[2]
References edit
- ^ "USFL.info - Oakland Invaders". Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
- ^ "Former Cuero, Super Bowl champion running back Arthur Whittington dies at 68". Victoria Advocate. Retrieved 24 April 2024.