Billy Hillenbrand

Billy Hillenbrand

No. 66, 82
Position:	Halfback Return specialist
Personal information
Born:	(1922-03-29)March 29, 1922 Armstrong, Indiana, U.S.
Died:	July 17, 1994(1994-07-17) (aged 72) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:	Reitz Memorial (Evansville, Indiana)
College:	Indiana
NFL draft:	1944: 1st round, 6th pick
Career history
Chicago Rockets (1946) Baltimore Colts (1947–1948)
Career highlights and awards
AAFC receiving yards leader (1948) Consensus All-American (1942) 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1941, 1942)
Career AAFC statistics
Rushing yards: 889 Rushing average: 4.1 Receptions: 110 Receiving yards: 1,987 Total touchdowns: 31 Return yards: 1,654 Return touchdowns: 3 Stats at Pro Football Reference

William Frank Hillenbrand (March 29, 1922 – July 17, 1994) was an American professional football halfback and return specialist who played professionally in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He attended Indiana University, where he played for the Indiana Hoosiers. In 1942, he was a consensus All-American and was drafted by the New York Giants in the 1st round (6th pick overall) in the 1944 NFL draft. After serving with the Army during World War II, he played three seasons in the AAFC from 1946 to 1948 for the Chicago Rockets and Baltimore Colts. He was a versatile player, who scored 186 points gained over 4,000 all-purpose yards in three years of professional football—1,987 receiving, 1,042 on kickoff returns, 889 rushing, and 612 on punt returns. He also had a 48-yard interception return, a 96-yard kickoff return, and an 89-yard punt return. In 1948, his total of 970 receiving yards, and his average of 11.2 yards per touch was the best in the AAFC, and his total of 2,067 all-purpose yards was second best in the league.

AAFC career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing				Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
1946	CHR	14	9	50	175	3.5	2	21	315	15.0	4
1947	BCL	13	13	66	204	3.1	2	39	702	18.0	7
1948	BCL	14	13	100	510	5.1	7	50	970	19.4	6
		41	35	216	889	4.1	11	110	1,987	18.1	17

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Rushing				Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
1948	BCL	1	1	6	5	0.8	0	7	75	10.7	0
		1	1	6	5	0.8	0	7	75	10.7	0

See also

• List of NCAA major college yearly punt and kickoff return leaders

External links

• "Ex-Colt Hillenbrand dies". The Baltimore Sun. July 19, 1994. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
• Billy Hillenbrand at Find a Grave