Willis Andrew McGahee III (born October 21, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honors in 2002. McGahee was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. In addition to his time with the Bills, he played for the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns.
In 2015, McGahee signed on as an athlete for the Miami Surge of the National Pro Grid League.
Early life McGahee was born in Miami, Florida. He attended Miami Central High School for one year after transferring from Miami Springs High School, where he previously attended for three years.
College career McGahee received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Miami, where he played for coach Butch Davis and coach Larry Coker's Miami Hurricanes football teams from 2000 to 2002.
McGahee was a member of the 2001 University of Miami team, which won the National Championship over Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl that year.
In 2002, McGahee, along with Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson, Kellen Winslow II, and others helped lead Miami to an undefeated regular season and a #1 ranking, which included a trip to the National Championship game against second ranked Ohio State. On December 7 against Virginia Tech, he had 39 carries for 205 yards and six rushing touchdowns in the win. His six touchdowns were a Big East record. McGahee broke several records in the 2002 season. He shattered school season records, carrying the ball 282 times for 1,753 yards, for a 6.2 average, and 28 touchdowns. Only UCF's Kevin Smith (29 in 2007), Florida Atlantic's Devin Singletary (32 in 2017), Nebraska's Mike Rozier (29 in 1983), Colorado State's Kapri Bibbs (31 in 2013), Wisconsin's Montee Ball (33 in 2011), and Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders (37 in 1988) ran for more touchdowns in an NCAA Division I-A season. Following his 2002 sophomore season, he was a first-team All-Big east selection and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners , National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 22, 2012. McGahee's ten 100-yard performances broke the Hurricanes' season record of eight, set by Ottis Anderson in 1978; he added 355 yards on 25 receptions, for a 14.2 average, that season. He gained 2,108 all-purpose yards during 2002, which remains a Hurricanes' season record."2010 Football Media Guide, University of Miami", p.186 titled 'Individual Season Records' He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, given to the nation's top player, finishing fourth in the voting (660 votes), while teammate Ken Dorsey finished fifth with 643 votes.
In the early part of the fourth quarter during the 2003 Fiesta Bowl National Championship Game, McGahee suffered an injury after catching a screen pass from Dorsey. He was immediately hit by Buckeye safety Will Allen, turning his left knee into a swivel joint and causing tears of the ACL, PCL, and MCL. Prior to getting hurt, he had rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, as Miami would lose the game in double-overtime, 31–24. This injury required several surgeries and extensive rehabilitation before he would be able to play again. At the season's end, McGahee announced he would not collect on a $2.5 million insurance policy he had taken out before the Championship game, and therefore would enter the 2003 NFL draft.
At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he had rushed for 2,067 yards and 31 touchdowns. He majored in criminology while at the University of Miami.
Professional career Pre-draft
Prior to his knee injury in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, McGahee was considered "a cinch top-five pick." Afterwards, McGahee was projected a late third round pick due to risk of "a long rehabilitation process".
Buffalo Bills 2003 season Eventually, he was selected in the first round with the 23rd overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills. The Bills originally acquired the pick in a trade that sent Peerless Price to the Atlanta Falcons.
Due to the length of the rehabilitation for his knee, he missed the entire 2003 season.
2004 season McGahee made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2004 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars and had nine carries for 31 rushing yards in the 13–10 loss. In Week 6, McGahee assumed the starting role over Travis Henry and had 26 carries for 111 rushing yards in the 20–13 victory over the Miami Dolphins. In Week 8, he scored his first two professional touchdowns in a 38–14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. In the following game, a 22–17 victory over the New York Jets, he had season-highs with 37 carries for 132 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 22–17 victory. In Week 12, a 38–9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, he had 28 carries for 116 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. The close out the 2004 season, McGahee had two games going over the 100-yard rushing mark while scoring two rushing touchdowns in both of the games. He finished the 2004 season with 284 carries for 1,128 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns to go along with 22 receptions for 169 receiving yards. He was named by the PFWA as Comeback Player of the Year for the 2004 season.
2005 season McGahee started the 2005 season strong with 22 carries for 117 rushing yards in the 22–7 victory over the Houston Texans. In Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, he had 27 carries for 140 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 24–16 loss. In Week 6, against the New York Jets, he had 29 carries for 143 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 27–17 victory. In Week 8, against the New England Patriots, he had 31 carries for 136 rushing yards in the 21–16 loss. McGahee closed out the 2005 regular season with 22 carries for 113 rushing yards in a 30–26 loss to the Jets in Week 17. In the 2005 season, McGahee finished with 325 carries for 1,247 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 28 receptions for 178 receiving yards.
2006 season
In Week 3, McGahee had 26 carries for 150 rushing yards in the 28–20 loss to the New York Jets. In Week 12, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had two rushing touchdowns in the 27–24 victory. In Week 14 against the Jets, he had 16 carries for 125 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 31–13 victory. He finished the 2006 season with 259 carries for 990 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with 18 receptions for 156 receiving yards.
Following the 2006 season, after McGahee had made disparaging remarks about the city of Buffalo—including an implication that the Bills should move to Toronto—the Bills traded him to the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills received third and seventh round picks in the 2007 NFL draft and a third round pick in the 2008 NFL draft.
Baltimore Ravens
2007 season McGahee was traded to the Baltimore Ravens before the 2007 season. He replaced Jamal Lewis, who left the team to play for the Cleveland Browns. He was slated to earn $40.12 million through a seven-year contract, making him one of the league's highest paid running backs. In his first season with Baltimore, he had 294 carries for 1,207 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. McGahee made his first Pro Bowl in 2007, on the strength of five 100+ yard games, and a streak of seven straight games with a rushing touchdown. In addition, he recorded his first career receiving touchdown, along with a career-high 231 receiving yards on 43 receptions. Due to a cracked rib injury suffered against the Seattle Seahawks late in the season, he came up just short of having his best career rushing season, as he had been on pace to do so at the time with his best yards-per-carry average and his best career yards-per-game average.
2008 season McGahee was slated to be the starting running back under new head coach John Harbaugh in 2008, but various injuries through the season, including eye, shoulder, knee and ankle injuries, kept him from achieving his fourth 1,000-yard season in the NFL. Fullback LeRon McClain wound up taking a majority of the snaps that season, as both McGahee and rookie Ray Rice suffered injuries during the season. Despite his injuries, McGahee still rushed for 671 yards and seven touchdowns, including a career-long 77-yard touchdown run against the Dallas Cowboys. He was instrumental in what Baltimore dubbed their "Three-Headed-Monster" rushing attack and still played a key role in the team's 11–5 record and playoff berth.
McGahee's first career post-season play came in 2008, and he did not disappoint. With minor injuries to McClain and Rice, the Ravens relied on McGahee to carry their rushing attack in the playoffs, where he was vital in a 27–9 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round, and in a close 13–10 victory over the top rated Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round. During the 2008 AFC Championship, Willis was the Ravens' primary offensive weapon, scoring two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers to keep the game close. However, following a hard hit by Ryan Clark, he was taken off the field on a stretcher to be evaluated by team physicians. He would later be diagnosed with no serious injury.
2009 season McGahee spent the 2009 offseason more seriously dedicated to rehabbing and coming back better than ever. Despite McGahee's extra training, the Ravens decided to go with second-year player Ray Rice as their starter. McClain's carries were drastically reduced, as he took on his traditional run blocking FB role, but McGahee's carries were also severely limited during several games, as the team either tried to have a pass-heavy attack, or relied almost entirely on Rice. Despite this, Willis remained fresh and injury free the entire season, and would actually become the teams' leading scorer, with 14 touchdowns (12 rushing, 2 receiving). In Week 2 against the San Diego Chargers, he scored two rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns in one game, another career record, in the 31–26 victory. In the following game, a 34–3 victory over the Cleveland Browns, he had two more rushing touchdowns. In Week 14, a 48–3 victory over the Detroit Lions, he had a third game with two rushing touchdowns. His 14 regular season touchdowns saw him tied for second most touchdowns in the league in 2009. McGahee ended the season with his best career game, racking up 167 rushing yards on 16 carries and three rushing touchdowns in a 21–13 victory over the Oakland Raiders. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against Oakland. He recorded 20 carries for 62 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a Wild Card Round 33–14 blowout of the New England Patriots.
2010 season During the 2010 offseason, McGahee opted to remain with the Baltimore Ravens, instead of going to another team as a possible starter. He appeared in 15 games and recorded 100 carries for 380 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 14 receptions for 55 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. In the Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs, McGahee scored a 25-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for Baltimore. The Ravens won by a score of 30–7.
The Ravens released McGahee on July 28, 2011, to allow the team to free up salary cap space. In his four seasons as a Baltimore Raven, he accrued over 3,300 total yards from scrimmage, as well as 35 total regular season touchdowns, including 31 rushing touchdowns.
Denver Broncos
2011 season