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Richard James Watters (born April 7, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Watters played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he was a wide receiver on the school's 1988 national champion team. In the NFL, he won a second championship in Super Bowl XXIX with the 49ers.
Watters was known throughout his playing career for his outstanding receiving skills and his unique high-stepping running style, which earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman. Watters appeared in the movie Any Given Sunday as a running back for the fictional Dallas Knights.
Currently Watters is a motivational speaker for children who were adopted, as he was. He is also a recording artist, music producer, president and CEO of Tigero Entertainment and an author, having written the book, For Who For What, a Warrior’s Journey. Watters was the head football coach for Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida until he resigned on October 1, 2013. An architecture major in college, he returned to Notre Dame in 2014 to complete the three final credits necessary for a graphic design degree.
Watters joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 1995 as a free agent. He gained notoriety in Philadelphia for his infamous line "For who? For what?" after his first game as an Eagle on September 3, 1995, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The line was an answer to a question on why he didn't stretch himself to catch a Randall Cunningham pass that would've likely resulted in a big hit from a defender and instead "short armed" a pass to avoid contact in a 21–6 loss. But he quickly established himself as a very productive player for the Eagles, leading the league in yards from scrimmage in 1996 and helping Philadelphia get to the playoffs twice. In three seasons with the Eagles, he played and started every game and recorded 3,794 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns on 975 carries. In 1998, Watters joined the Seattle Seahawks and played with them until his retirement in 2001. He finished his professional career with 10,643 yards rushing and 4,248 yards receiving and 91 total touchdowns in regular season play. As of the end of the 2011 NFL season, Watters is one of only two NFL running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season for three teams, along with Willis McGahee. Watters was on the ballot along with Terrell Davis, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, and others for the February 3, 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame selections.
On a 2008 episode of NFL Top 10, a Documentary film series produced by the NFL Network, Watters was ranked #7 out of the top 10 players yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Despite his five Pro Bowl selections and his high rankings in total rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, criticism of his lack of professional demeanor was cited by voters as a primary reason for his failure to be inducted. In particular, he was considered to be a "loud mouth" by some critics, who argued it overshadowed his on-the-field accomplishments. Others interviewed said his behavior was no different from other inductees, in particular, Joe Namath and Lawrence Taylor. The "For Who, For What?" incident is considered by former voters as a defining moment that could hurt his chances, as one Hall of Fame voter said that it would be brought up as a negative by someone whenever Watters' name came up in the future. Another explanation of why he has not yet been voted into the Hall was that despite scoring three touchdowns in Super Bowl XXIX, his achievement was overshadowed by the play of quarterback Steve Young, who threw for six touchdowns and won MVP honors. He has been a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame in 2020 and 2022.
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