William James Atessis (born July 16, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, who won two NCAA national championships. He was a three-year starter and was a second-team All-American as a junior and a consensus All-American as a senior. He currently resides in Houston, Texas.^{[citation needed]}

Atessis attended Jesse Jones High School, in Houston. He graduated in 1967. He was a Texas All-State tackle in 1966.^[1] Atessis was the state's number one lineman in the recruiting class of 1967.^[2] He played baseball and basketball in addition to football. He was inducted to the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1995.^[3]

Atessis was a member of teams which set a school record 30-game winning streak that currently stands as the twelfth-longest in NCAA history and was a three-year letterman and three-year starter at left defensive end,^[4] including two years as a starter on the back-to-back National Champion Texas Longhorns teams of 1969 and 1970.^[5] He was voted Longhorn Defensive MVP by the Dallas Morning News and Houston Post both in 1969 and 1970.^[6]

The Longhorns also won three consecutive Southwest Conference championships and appeared in three consecutive Cotton Bowl Classic games, winning two^[7] during that time. He was a consensus 1st Team All-American in 1970 and was second-team All-American in 1969. In 1970 he was voted Southwest Conference Co-Lineman of the Year. He was a consensus All-SWC choice in 1969 and 1970.^[8] He was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy and finished fifth in the voting for the UPI Lineman of the Year, both in 1970.

Atessis played in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama in January 1971. He was voted into the University of Texas Men's Athletics Hall of Honor in 2001.^[6] Texas Coach Darrell Royal called him a "[s]uper player, who hasn't played a bad game in three years."^[9] He played in the Coaches' All-America Game in Lubbock, Texas on June 28, 1971.^[10]

In 2005, he was named to the All-Time University of Texas team by the Austin American-Statesman and was named to the Red River Rivalry all-time team by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In 2006, he was named number 16 on a list of the 50 best players in Texas Longhorn history.^[1]

Atessis was selected in the second round, with the 52nd overall pick, of the 1971 NFL draft. He was injured in training camp and released in the preseason. The New England Patriots signed him in 1971, and he played in five games for the team.^[11]