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Bill Yearby
No. 88
Date of birth	July 24, 1944
Place of birth	Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Date of death	December 20, 2010 (aged 66)
Career information
Position(s)	DE
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	235 lb (107 kg)
US college	Michigan
AFL draft	1966 / round: 1 / pick: 13
Career history
As player
1966	New York Jets
Career highlights and awards
	Consensus All-American (1965); First-team All-American (1964); 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1964, 1965);
Career stats
	Playing stats at NFL.com; Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com;

William M. Yearby (July 24, 1944 – December 20, 2010) was an American football player. He played college football as a defensive lineman at the University of Michigan from 1963 to 1965 and was selected as an All-American in 1964 and 1965. He played professional football for the New York Jets of the American Football League (AFL) in 1966.

Early years

Yearby was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1944. He moved to Detroit as a child and attended Detroit's Eastern High School, where he was the Class A state champion in the shot put in 1962.^[1]

University of Michigan

Yearby enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1962 and played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1963 to 1965. He was a member of the 1964 Michigan Wolverines football team that won the Big Ten Conference championship, played in the 1965 Rose Bowl, and was ranked #4 in the final AP Poll.^[2] He was selected by the Central Press Association, Football News, and Newspaper Enterprise Association as a first-team defensive tackle on the 1964 College Football All-America Team. As a senior, he was selected as a consensus All-American,^[3] and he was also named the Most Valuable Player on the 1965 Michigan Wolverines football team.^[4]^[5]

Professional football

Yearby was selected in the first round of the 1966 AFL Draft by the New York Jets. In December 1965, Time magazine described Yearby as "a vicious tackier, always on target, always gets his man — and not 5 yds. downfield, like most college kids."^[6] The following week, Time noted that "Jets Owner Sonny Werblin signed Michigan's 230-lb. Tackle Bill Yearby to a contract at $1,000 per pound."^[7] Yearby played only one season, 1966, for the Jets. The Jets' web site notes that Yearby "missed valuable training camp practice because of All-Star game and injury suffered in pre-season game," and that coaches at Michigan said he was "extremely quick" and could have been a starter on the Michigan basketball team.^[8]

A terrific athlete, Yearby was projected to play tight end for the Jets.^[9] In 1966, a bad knee limited him to spot appearances as a fill-in defensive end and special-teamer. In 1967, Yearby's knee was still not right, and he was farmed out to the Bridgeport Knights of the Atlantic Coast Conference, who were the Jets' minor league affiliate. While playing linebacker for the Knights, Yearby hurt his knee again, and his pro football career was over.^[10]

Later years

Yearby died in 2010 at age 66.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Moyes, Jim and Bill Khan. "Boys Track and Field Individual Champions -- 1960-1969". Michigan High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
^ "Michigan's Bowl History" (PDF). University of Michigan & Host Interactive. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
^ "University of Michigan Football All-American: William Yearby". The Regents of the University of Michigan. February 10, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
^ "1965 Football Team". The Regents of the University of Michigan. March 31, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
^ "Pick of the Pros (2 of 3)". Time. Time Inc. December 3, 1965. Archived from the original on November 30, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
^ "The Bonus Battle". Time. Time Inc. December 10, 1965. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
^ "Bill Yearby - #88 - DT-DE - Michigan - Profile". New York Jets. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
^ "Jets Draft Ace Plays Dual Role". The Morning Call, Meriden, CT (AP story). August 9, 1966. p. 5.
^ "More Mailbag". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. August 25, 2006. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved November 27, 2007.