Willis McGahee

Willis Andrew McGahee, III (born October 21, 1981) is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for the University of Miami, where he was recognized as an All-American. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft, and he also played for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl twice.

Early years
McGahee was born in Miami, Florida. He attended Miami Central High School, and played for the Miami Central Rockets high school football team.

College career
McGahee received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Miami, where he played for coach Butch Davis and coach Larry Coker's Miami Hurricanes football teams from 1999 to 2002. McGahee broke several records in the 2002 season. He shattered school season records, carrying the ball 282 times for 1,753 yards (6.2 yards avg.) and 28 touchdowns. Only UCF's Kevin Smith (29 in 2007), Nebraska's Mike Rozier (29 in 1983), Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders (37 in 1988) and Wisconsin's Montee Ball (39 in 2011) ran for more touchdowns in an NCAA Division I-A season.

McGahee's ten 100-yard performances broke the Hurricanes' season record of eight, set by Ottis Anderson in 1978; he added 355 yards on 25 receptions (14.2 yard avg.) that season. He gained 2,108 all-purpose yards during 2002, which remains a Hurricanes' season record.

McGahee was a member of the 2001 University of Miami team, which won the Division I national championship in that year (the fifth such national championship for the University of Miami since 1983, the most of any university in the past 25 years).

In 2002, McGahee, along with Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson, Kellen Winslow II, and others led Miami to an undefeated regular season and a No. 1 ranking, which included a trip to the National Championship game against second ranked Ohio State. Ohio State won the game in double overtime. Following his 2002 sophomore season, he was a first-team All-Big east selection and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. He was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, given to the nation's top player, finishing fourth in the voting (660 votes), while teammate Ken Dorsey finished 5th with 643 votes.

In the early part of the fourth quarter during the 2003 Fiesta Bowl National Championship Game, McGahee suffered an injury after catching a screen pass from Dorsey. He was immediately hit by Buckeye safety Will Allen, bending his left knee backwards and causing tears of the ACL, PCL, and MCL. Prior to getting hurt, he had rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, as Miami would lose the game in double-overtime, 31–24. This injury required several surgeries and extensive rehabilitation before he would be able to play again. At the season's end, McGahee announced he would not collect on a $2.5 million insurance policy he had taken out before the Championship game, and therefore would enter the 2003 NFL Draft.

At the conclusion of his collegiate career (2001–2002), he rushed for 2,067 yards and 31 touchdowns. He majored in criminology.

Buffalo Bills
Prior to his knee injury in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, McGahee was considered "a cinch top-five pick." Because McGahee's knee injury was still a major concern to professional scouts, the Buffalo Bills drafted McGahee as the 23rd overall selection of the 2003 NFL Draft.

McGahee was still recuperating at the time, but recovered to make his professional debut in the first game of the 2004 NFL season. He became the team’s starting running back during the season, replacing Travis Henry, who later left to play for the Tennessee Titans. During the season, McGahee rushed for over 1,100 yards and scored thirteen touchdowns, the fourth most in the league. He rushed for a career high 1,247 yards during the following season. In 2006, McGahee did not perform as well in comparison with previous seasons, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards with six touchdowns. McGahee also fell victim to several health concerns during the season, including ailments in his rib cage, ankle, and stomach. The Bills also struggled as a team, and their run blocking was not as good as in previous years, which may have contributed to his diminished stats.

Following the 2006 season, after McGahee had made disparaging remarks about the city of Buffalo—including an implication that the Bills should move to Toronto -- the Bills traded him to the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills received third and seventh round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft, and a third round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Baltimore Ravens
McGahee began his tenure with the Ravens in the 2007 NFL season. He replaced Jamal Lewis, who left the team to play for the Cleveland Browns. He was slated to earn $40.12 million through a seven-year contract, making him one of the league's highest paid running backs. In his first season with Baltimore he rushed for 1,207 yards and 7 rushing TDs. McGahee also made his first Pro Bowl in 2007, on the strength of five 100+ yard games, and a streak of seven straight games with a rushing TD. He also recorded his first career receiving TD, along with a career high 231 receiving yards on 43 receptions. Due to a cracked rib injury suffered against the Seattle Seahawks late in the season, he came up just short (roughly 30 yards) of having his best career rushing season, as he had been on pace to do so at the time with his best yards-per-carry average and his best career yards-per-game average. Until his injury, he had been ranked in the Top 5 rushing leaders all season.

Willis was slated to be the starting running back under new coach John Harbaugh in 2008, but various injuries through the season, including eye, shoulder, knee and ankle injuries, kept him from achieving his fourth 1,000-yard season in the NFL. Fullback LeRon McClain wound up taking a majority of the snaps that season, as both McGahee and rookie Ray Rice suffered injuries during the season. Despite his injuries, McGahee still rushed for 671 yards and 7 TDs, including a career-long 77-yard touchdown run against the Dallas Cowboys. He was instrumental in what Baltimore dubbed their "Three-Headed-Monster" rushing attack and still played a key role in the team's 11-5 record and playoff berth.

McGahee's first career post-season play came in 2008, and he did not disappoint. With minor injuries to McClain and Rice, the Ravens relied on Willis to carry their rushing attack in the playoffs, where he was vital in a 27-9 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the wildcard round, and a close 13-10 victory over the top rated Tennessee Titans in the divisional round. During the 2008 AFC Championship Game, Willis was the Ravens' primary offensive weapon, scoring two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers to keep the game close. However, following a hard helmet-to-helmet hit by Ryan Clark, he was taken off the field on a stretcher to be evaluated by team physicians. He would later be diagnosed with no serious injury and was hailed for his heroic play. McGahee spent the 2009 offseason more seriously dedicated to rehabbing and coming back better than ever. Despite McGahee's extra training, the Ravens decided to go with second-year player Ray Rice as their starter. McClain's carries were drastically reduced, as he took on his traditional run blocking FB role, but McGahee's carries were also severely limited during several games, as the team either tried to have a pass-heavy attack, or relied almost entirely on Rice. Despite this, Willis remained fresh and injury free the entire season, and would actually become the teams' leading scorer, with 14 TDs (12 rushing, 2 receiving). In Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he scored 2 rushing TDs and 2 receiving TDs in one game, another career record. His 14 regular season TDs saw him tied for second most TDs in the league in 2009. It was speculated by some that if OC Cam Cameron had given Willis more carries, he could have easily eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, as his 5.0 yards-per-carry average was a career best.

He also ended the season with his best career game, racking up 167 yards and 3 TDs against the Oakland Raiders. He also added 60 yards and a TD in a wildcard round 33-14 blowout of the New England Patriots.

During the 2010 offseason, Willis McGahee opted to remain with the Baltimore Ravens, instead of going to another team as a possible starter. In week one versus the Jets, McGahee scored the game's only touchdown on a 1-yard run which contributed to a Ravens' win. McGahee scored a crucial 9-yard touchdown against the Steelers in week four. In week five, McGahee rushed for 67 yards and a 30-yard touchdown against the Broncos. In week 7, McGahee faced his former team, the Buffalo Bills. In that game, McGahee had 74 total yards which included a 25-yard run and a 2-yard touchdown. In week 9, McGahee scored a touchdown on a 32-yard screen reception on Baltimore's opening drive. This marked the first time in the season that the Ravens had scored on the opening drive. In week 14 against the Texans, McGahee scored the team's first touchdown on a 1-yard run. In week 15 versus the Saints, McGahee had 7 carries for 53 yards and a 28-yard run up the middle. In the 2010 Wildcard Playoff Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, McGahee scored a 25-yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter that sealed the win for Baltimore. The Ravens won 30-7.

McGahee was released on July 28, 2011, to allow the team to free up salary cap space. In his four seasons as a Baltimore Raven, he accrued over 3300 total yds. from scrimmage, as well as 35 total regular season TDs, including 31 rushing TDs. That makes him the highest touchdown scoring Raven in the last half decade.

Denver Broncos and comeback
On July 30, 2011, McGahee signed a four-year deal with the Denver Broncos worth $9.5 million, $3 million being guaranteed. Following an injury in Week 1 to Knowshon Moreno, McGahee became the primary back for the Broncos and in Week 2 versus the Cincinnati Bengals, he rushed for 101 yards on 28 carries and a 1 yard touchdown run, in which he also brought back the famed "Mile High Salute". In a Week 3 loss to the Titans, McGahee ran for 52 yards on 22 carries and had a 5 yard reception for a touchdown. During a Week 4 loss to the Packers, McGahee rushed 15 times for 103 yards with two receptions for 10 yards. In a Week 5 loss to the Chargers, McGahee rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries. In the Week 7 win against the Dolphins, in the early second half McGahee already racked up 76 yards with an average of 4.2 yards per carry. It looked as if McGahee was on pace for his third-straight 100 yard game, and fourth of the season. However, McGahee fractured his hand early in the second half as well. In that game McGahee could've moved up from 10th in the NFL in rushing to 8th. McGahee was unable to play the following week against the Lions due to his injury. The Broncos lost 45-10. However, the following week against the Raiders McGahee came back with a strong performance. He put up 163 rushing yards, which included a 60 yard touchdown and 24 yard touchdown. That game moved McGahee up to 9th in the NFL rushing leaders statistics. In a Week 10 bout against the Chiefs, McGahee was favored to have another 100 yard game, giving him a total of 5 on the season.

However, in the first quarter McGahee ran up one of his blockers legs, and suffered a left hamstring injury. He was taken to the locker room and listed as questionable to return. Coach John Fox stated in a post-game press conference that McGahee was fine and could've returned in an emergency situation. Coach Fox also said McGahee would most likely be able to play in the next game. McGahee then was moved from 9th to 12th in the NFL Rushing Leaders statistic board. During Week 11 against the Jets, McGahee only picked up 18 yards on the ground. McGahee stated after the game that he did not feel quite like himself. It is very probable that his hamstring was bothering him.

On November 23, 2011, McGahee was named a team captain after the release of captain and backup quarterback Kyle Orton. Coach Fox attributed this to the fact that McGahee "had the next most votes when we took the vote [for team captain] back before the season started." In the Week 12 versus the Chargers, he rushed for 117 yards on 23 carries. The 117 yards included two 20 plus yard runs. One of which was a 24 yard run in overtime which set up the Broncos inside of the 20-yard line. This critical run set up the game winning field goal for Denver. In a Week 13 win against the Vikings, he picked up 111 yards on the ground, which included a 24 yard touchdown run. This game moved McGahee back up to 10th in the NFL in rushing. This marked McGahee's sixth 100 yard performance on the year in which he leads the NFL.

After a week 14 win against the Chicago Bears McGahee had 930 yards on the season. He was expected to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since his first season with the Ravens in 2007. On Week 15 against the New England Patriots, McGahee rushed for 70 yards averaging 10 yards per carry and 7 carries but was unfortunately pulled out of the game due to an hamstring injury. With only 10 yards to go to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, Willis was able to accomplish that feat on a 24-yard run against the Buffalo Bills in week 16. He ended the game with only 64 yards rushing and 15 carries. The next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, McGahee rushed for 145 yards on 28 carries averaging 5.2 yards per carry which marked his seventh's 100 yard performance tying for 1st place with Houston Texans running back Arian Foster for most individual triple-digit rushing performances during the 2011 season. January 17, 2012, McGahee was added to Pro Bowl Roster to replace Arian Foster.