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| Position: | Halfback Return specialist | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | March 29, 1922 Armstrong, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died: | July 17, 1994 (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 / round: 1 / pick: 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career AAFC statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.[1] 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.[1]