William Ellis Atkins (November 19, 1934 â November 5, 1991) was an American professional football player who was a safety and punter for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL), and in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills, the New York Titans / Jets, and the Denver Broncos. He was an AFL All-Star in 1961. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.
On January 8, 1966, Atkins was named the head coach of the Troy State Trojans football team. In 1968, he coached Troy State to an NAIA National Championship and was named the NAIA Coach of the Year. Atkins finished at Troy State with a 44âÂÂ16âÂÂ2 record before leaving in 1971. He is the second-most winningest coach in Troy history, only behind Larry Blakeney.
Atkins' son, author William Ellis "Ace" Atkins Jr., also played football at Auburn and was member of the 1993 undefeated team.