Dale Waters


Dale Barnard Waters, nicknamed "Muddy" Waters, was an American college and professional football player who was an offensive and defensive lineman in the National Football League for three seasons during the early 1930s. Waters played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played for three different NFL teams.

Early years

Waters was born in Henry County, Indiana in 1909. He attended Newcastle High School in Newcastle Township, Fulton County, Indiana.

College career

Waters attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was an offensive and defensive lineman and varsity letterman for coach Charlie Bachman's Florida Gators football team in 1928, 1929 and 1930. When he first reported to the freshman team, he weighed just 165 pounds.
Waters was a member of the 1928 Gators team which led the nation in scoring and finished 8–1, losing only to the Tennessee Volunteers by a single point, 13–12. Following his 1930 senior season, he received honorable mention All-American honors from the Associated Press.
He was also a guard for the Florida Gators basketball team, lettering in 1929, 1930 and 1931, and serving as the Gators' team captain as a senior in 1931. He was rated as one of the best guards in the south.
Waters graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1935.

Professional career

Waters became a professional football offensive lineman for the NFL's Cleveland Indians, Portsmouth Spartans, and the Boston Braves/Redskins. During his three-season NFL career, Waters played in twenty-seven regular season NFL games, and started in twelve of them.

Coaching and administrative career

Waters spent many years at Texas Western University as the men's basketball head coach and an assistant football coach, also earning a master's degree at the school. In 1957 he became El Paso's district athletic director.