The legend of ''Earthquake'' Enyart

by Dozerdog

Bill “Earthquake” Enyart had the unfortunate circumstance of playing under a huge shadow. One of the nation’s premiere collegiate running backs of the late 1960’s, his feats on the gridiorn were eclipsed by the accomplishments of one of the game’s all- time greats. Simpson was electrifying and had seized the imagination of sports fans and the media alike.

But 2,000 miles up the coast at Oregon State, was another great running back. His football teammates called him "Buff," short for Buffalo. It was a descriptive moniker, and considering where his future would lie, a prophetic one. And to Beaver football fans across the state, the 6-foot-3½ , 236-pound fullback was known as "Earthquake," for the way he rumbled up the field, jolting and jarring any defender who dared to hit him head-on.

Oregon State coach Dee Andros knew a good fullback when he saw one. He offered Enyart a scholarship and Enyart responded by earning first-team All- American honors and galloping into the OSU record book. As a junior in 1967, Enyart totaled 167 yards on 35 carries and one score. The Beavers rallied from a 10-0 fourth-period deficit to a 14-10 victory in against the rival Oregon Ducks.

On Sept. 28, 1968, Enyart carried the ball an astonishing 50 times for 299 yards and three touchdowns during a 24-21 victory over Utah at Salt Lake City. Both records — for carries and yards — are still in the books. Enyart’s return engagement with the Oregon Ducks was just like the first.. He ran for 168 yards on 37 carries and three touchdowns in a 41-19 win. In Enyart’s 1968 senior year, he went on to rush for a single-season school record 1,309 yards (and 17 touchdowns) that season, a mark that stood for 31 years until Ken Simonton broke it in 1999.

Following his senior season at OSU, Enyart was taken as the first pick in the second round of the NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo had visions of pairing the behemoth FB with their first overall selection, Heisman Trophy winner OJ Simpson from USC. This dream backfield combined for 2,964 yards and 38 TDs in 1968. Unfortunately, the Bills were in the midst of a regime change, and they brought in Oakland Raider head coach John Rauch.

Rauch turned out to be a horrible selection. His Raiders flourished with a wide open vertical passing game. With ex-Bills backup QB Daryl “The Mad Bomber” Lamonica, WR’s Fred Biletnikoff, Clem Daniels, and Art Powell at his disposal, the Oakland Raiders played the wide open style Al Davis loved. Inexplicably, with a solid core of a veteran offensive line (led by NFL Hall of Fame Guard Billy Shaw) and the best 2 running backs in the draft he refused to exploit the obvious. Instead he tried to force a passing game on an aging and often injured QB in Jack Kemp, and his receiving corps led by 2nd year wide out Haven Moses and Marlin Briscoe, a converted QB picked off waivers from Denver.

Buffalo’s last shot at a winning season went down the tubes behind Rauch’s game plan. Simpson was used as a return man, a decoy, and a wide receiver. Enyart suffered a similar fate. Instead of being the road grater paving the way for Simpson, he was used sparingly and brought in for his receiving. He played behind veteran Wayne Patrick on the depth chart. Buffalo’s aging but still able defense buckled under the weight of poor field position and constant Bills turnovers.

Enyart scored his first professional touchdown in week 1 against the New York Jets. With Buffalo Trailing 19-3 late in the 3rd, Jack Kemp took over for a struggling James Harris. In his first game action since 1967, he found Enyart for a 5 yard scoring strike. Kemp rallied the Bills to a 19-19 tie, only to see the reigning Super Bowl Champions capitalize on Bills mistakes in a 33-19 win.

His finest day came in week 6 against the Raiders. In one of his best games as a pro, “Earthquake” led all running backs in the game with 68 yards on a mere 10 carries. His touchdown came on a 30 yard pass play from Jack Kemp. He finished with 3 receptions for 69 yards, and led all players with 137 total purpose yardage. It was in vain, as Lamonica threw for six TD passes in the first half, en route to a 50-21 rout.. Enyart’s only other score for the year was a 1 yard plunge against Miami in week 10. The 28-3 victory marked Buffalo’s last win against the Dolphins for a decade.

Bill Enyart would finish with 191 yards rushing and 186 receiving in his inaugural season. His 4.1 rushing average was higher than his more celebrated team mate, as Simpson garnered only 3.9 YPC.

Not learning the lessons of 1969, Rauch and the Bills woes continued in 1970. The Bills lost veterans Kemp, Center Al Bemiller, and Tackle Stew Barber from the offense. With rookie Dennis Shaw as the new signal caller, Rauch continued with his commitment to the pass and shunned the run. Enyart was regulated to a minor role in the offense sharing duties with Wayne Patrick at fullback. Against the Patriots the Bills played their best game of the season (and earned their last victory). Dennis Shaw capped off a 31-0 first half connecting with Enyart on a 37 yard scoring pass with 17 seconds remaining. It would be Enyart’s last score in a Bills uniform. Simpson went down with a knee in week 8, and it was all over for Buffalo.

In the 1971 draft, Buffalo selected FB Jim Braxton from West Virginia. Enyart was traded to the Oakland Raiders for cornerback Alvin Wyatt. Realizing his athletic skills and size, Al Davis and Coach John Madden had plans to switch Bill Enyart from offense to defense.

"I wanted to get back to the West Coast and the Raiders wanted me as a linebacker, which I felt was probably my best position in the pros," Enyart says. "Dan Conners was getting along in years and I think they saw me as their next middle linebacker." But what looked like a positive situation turned dreadful during a 1971 exhibition game against the New York Jets.

As Enyart chased New York quarterback Al Woodall along the sideline, he was blindsided by a Jets backup receiver. Enyart tore the anterior cruciate, medical collateral and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee, along with some cartilage.

"You see a lot of cheap shots in exhibition games because of all the guys trying to make the team, and on that play I got clipped," Enyart says. "Plus, Woodall had stepped out of bounds and so I had pulled up and relaxed. And then — bam — I got nailed."

Enyart says the Raiders team doctor had suffered a heart attack a couple of months prior to the game and wasn’t available to look at his knee. The doctors on hand didn’t think the injury was nearly as series as it was, he says. "About five different doctors looked at it and they all had a different diagnosis," he says. Enyart underwent an operation in his home town of Medford, Oregon about one month later. He attempted a comeback the following year, but his knee was never the same and he never played in another game. He filed a medical malpractice suit against the Raiders in 1973 and won, but says his lawyers got most of the settlement.

Thankfully for the Buffalo Bills and the future career of OJ Simpson, the inept John Rauch had also coached his last game. While the return of Lou Saban to the coaching ranks of the Bills was still a season away, one can only wonder what Simpson and Enyart could have accomplished together under Saban’s smash-mouth football philosophy. Career Statistics Portions of this article were excerpts from an article appearing in Medford Mail Tribune by Don Hunt