Truman State University Athletics

Bob Watts lettered three years in football and four years in track at Jacksonville (Ill.) High School, earning All-Conference and honorable mention All-State football recognition. As a junior he was the Illinois state long-jump champion, the only Jacksonville performer to ever win an individual track title. He entered the university in 1959 and played four years of football and competed in track two seasons. Mr. Watts performed both ways for the football team. In 1962 he rushed for an average of 4.2 yards per carry and in 1963, as a senior, he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. As a member of the Bulldog track team Mr. Watts set a school record and an MIAA outdoor record in the 220-low hurdles with a time of 23.9. He also competed in the long jump and rewrote the school mark for that event. After leaving Kirksville in 1963, Mr. Watts was employed in the Jacksonville area until he entered the Army in January of 1966. He was assigned to Vietnam in September of 1967 and was killed in action February 26, 1968.