Joe Stanier Cribbs (born January 5, 1958 in Sulligent, Alabama) is a retired National Football League and United States Football League football running back. He played collegiately at Auburn University along with future NFL backs William Andrews and James Brooks. He began his professional career in 1980 with the Buffalo Bills.

After being drafted in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft, Cribbs went on to start all 16 games of his rookie year with Buffalo, finishing with 1185 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. His performance earned him consensus UPI AFL-AFC Rookie of the Year honors and a spot in the Pro Bowl, the only rookie chosen as a starter that year. In five seasons with the team, split around a detour with the USFL, Cribbs had 13 100-yard games and ran for 1,000 yards in a season three times.

In the spring of 1984, Cribbs left the Bills in a contract dispute and signed on as a member of the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL).

Today, Cribbs is living in Alabama. For the past six years, he has run Joe Cribbs Associates, an advisory company. "I do a lot of work with some current NFL players, helping them with investments and different things. Just basically helping them understand the game and get prepared for life after the game. Some I may assist with disability insurance or help get an annuity. Just various degrees of work. It just depends on the guy."

Cribbs was to serve as the President of Team Alabama of the AAFL, which suspended operations shortly before playing its first games. Almost immediately, Cribbs was named commissioner of the United National Gridiron League, which also has yet to play a game, though its preparatory operations continue (unlike the AAFL).^[1]

Joe Cribbs is the uncle of Cleveland Browns player Joshua Cribbs.

[edit] References

• About.com. "AFL/AFC Rookie of the Year". Retrieved 19 June 2005.
• databaseFootball.com. "Joe Cribbs Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". Retrieved 19 June 2005.

[edit] External links

• Where Are They Now: Joe Cribbs

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