St. Louis native and former Cardinals running back Willis Crenshaw passed away on Monday at the age of 84.
Crenshaw grew up in St. Louis’ Central West End, where he became a standout two-sport athlete at Soldan High School before continuing his football career at Kansas State University. The Cardinals selected him in the ninth round of the 1963 NFL Draft, and he went on to spend six seasons with the Big Red (1964–69) as a versatile offensive threat who could run, block, and catch. He finished his NFL career with the Denver Broncos in 1970.
In a 2022 interview with Dennis Dillon, Crenshaw was asked what it was like performing in front of friends and family at Busch Stadium during his time in St. Louis.
“I felt fortunate to be able to do that because there were a lot of guys who wished that was their situation,” Crenshaw said. “The whole thing was just an amazing experience for me.”
Crenshaw enjoyed his best season in 1968 when he rushed for 813 yards and scored six touchdowns. On December 8, 1968, he rushed for 162 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a 66-yarder against the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium.
After his playing days, the St. Louis native moved to New York, where he worked as a salesman for CBS-TV and later as a financial planner on Wall Street. He also ventured into entrepreneurship, owning an ice cream parlor called “Ice Cream Park” for five years.
In 1991, he decided to retire. “I just decided to play golf and have fun,” he told Dillon.
And he certainly did. Crenshaw became a skilled golfer with a 10-handicap, earned a black belt in martial arts, and even learned to dance the tango and play the guitar. He enjoyed life in a beautiful apartment overlooking Prospect Park in Brooklyn, which he shared with his longtime partner, Golda Peska.
Willis Crenshaw lived a life as full and versatile as his playing style — one marked by determination, grace, and curiosity. From his days breaking tackles at Busch Stadium to mastering the tango in Brooklyn, he approached every chapter with the same drive that made him a fan favorite in St. Louis.
Learn more about Willis Crenshaw below:
THE BIG RED ZONE 
Thanks for the terrific insights, Bob., and for making this tribute more than just about football. The info about his jobs after football, and his skills at golf, martial arts, dancing and guitar playing helped me appreciate how talented Willis Crenshaw was.
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Thanks, Mark. Someone in the Cardinal Facebook group mentioned that he tried to teach Willis how to play guitar during training camp in the late 1960s but his hands were too big. I guess he finally figured it out after he retired!
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Sorry to hear that Willis Crenshaw has passed away. Unfortunately, there are risks involved in playing professional football. I suppose that’s why perhaps the smartest thing a football player can do is to always prepare for life after football. Willis Crenshaw didn’t have any problems with that. It appears that he was one of those people who knew how to get the most out of life. And something tells me it was probably a really good time to be in his company.
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Thank you for the insightful comment. He definitely appeared to enjoy life after football.
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