At Medford High, he was known as "Hoss," in honor of Dan Blocker, the big, lovable, good-natured character on the TV show "Bonanza."

At Oregon State, his football teammates called him "Buff," short for Buffalo.

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.

By whatever name, Bill Enyart emerged as one of the greatest athletes to ever wear a Black Tornado uniform.

Enyart was the only sophomore on the varsity roster when Medford won the A-1 (Class 4A) state football championship in 1962. He was a starting linebacker on that team, and would blossom into an all-state fullback during his senior year in 1964.

Enyart was also an all-state basketball player who could dunk with ease, and a pretty fair pitcher in baseball.

"When I first saw him he looked kind of oafish, but he was actually a very athletic kid," says Dean Benson, an assistant coach with the Black Tornado from 1957-83. "And when he got up a head of steam carrying that football, it was like trying to tackle a bull."

Although Medford posted a 26-3-1 record during Enyart’s three years with the team, the Tornado never won a state playoff game during his junior or senior seasons — losing to Roseburg in the quarterfinals in 1963 and failing to make the playoffs the following year.

But 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.

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.

"I think I slept pretty well that night," says Enyart, now 55 and residing in Bend.

Enyart’s heavy load was necessitated because starting quarterback Steve Preece had gotten hurt the previous week against Iowa. Preece’s replacement, Bob Mayes, was a converted wide receiver.

"I think he (Mayes) only knew about six plays," Enyart says. "The coaches said, if in doubt, just hand the ball to Bill."

Enyart 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.

Enyart’s two other best games came against archrival Oregon. He ran for 168 yards on 37 carries and three touchdowns in a 41-19 win over the Ducks in 1968 and totaled 167 yards on 35 carries and one score when the Beavers rallied from a 10-0 fourth-period deficit to a 14-10 victory in 1967.

The Beavers earned the nickname "Giant Killers" in 1967 after defeating No. 2-ranked Purdue, tying No. 2-ranked UCLA and then handing top- ranked Southern California a 3-0 loss in the rain and mud at Parker (Reser) Stadium in Corvallis.

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.

He caught his first professional touchdown pass from future politician Jack Kemp and found himself in the same backfield with O.J. Simpson, whom the Bills had taken with the first pick of the draft.

Enyart had two steady if unspectacular seasons with the Bills before being traded to the Oakland Raiders prior to the 1971 season.

"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 Medford 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.

Despite the career-ending injury that has left his bad knee about twice the size of his good one, Enyart gets around pretty well these days. He starts every day with a walk on his treadmill and also walks outdoors.

He admits to having mixed feelings about football, but would likely travel down the same path if given the same opportunity.

"The best thing about football is the friends you make along the way," says Enyart, who works as a Medicaid care provider in Bend. "Football has a high element of risk, and for every moment of glory there are many hours of hard work.

"But there’s something about football that sets it apart from the other sports."

And there was something about Enyart that set him apart from virtually everyone who played around him.

Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail dhunt@mailtribune.com