No. 22, 21 | |||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | September 4, 1955 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Cuero, Texas | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
College: | Southern Methodist University | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1978 / Round: 7 / Pick: 176 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Rushing attempts-yards: | 448-1592 |
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Receptions-yards: | 84-764 |
Touchdowns: | 16 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Arthur Lee Whittington (born September 4, 1955) is a former professional American football player who played running back for five seasons for the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, and from 1983-85 with the Oakland Invaders of the USFL.
As a rookie in 1978, Whittington proved to be a valuable weapon in the Raiders backfield. He finished the year with 661 yards rushing and 7 TD while recording 23 catches for 106 yards over 9 starts. The next season, he started just 7 games but ran for 397 yards and 2 TD while recording 19 catches for 240 yards. By 1980 Arthur had developed a complimentary role, running for just 299 yards and 3 TD in 2 starts but had 19 catches for 205 yards. His final year with Oakland, 1981, saw him start 2 games and run for 220 yards and 1 TD while recording 23 catches for 213 yards and 2 TD.
Along with being a serviceable running back, Whittington proved to be an adept kick returner. In 1978 he averaged 20.6 yards on 23 kick returns. In 1980, he averaged 18.7 yards on 21 returns including 1 TD. In 1981, he averaged 22.5 yards on 25 returns.