Warren Wells: Take a Good Look, Using Mathematics 6/6

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From  http://www.contemporarycollegealgebra.org/newsletters/84Sep08.html

[5] Take a Good Look, Using Math

"Wells' Career Short, but Robust"

Jacqueline Brannon Giles

Texas Southern University

Forty-six years ago a young man greeted me in the hallway of the Nabrit Science Building at Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas. He was on his way to Mrs. Corinne Newell's mathematics class and I was taking a break, walking down the hallway. That moment began an adventure in collaboration and I am taking a good look at the people and experiences of the past.

The man, an elementary education major, who spoke to me in the hallway at Texas Southern is Warren Wells. He became a professional football player, a wide receiver, while I became a mathematics professor. After re-encountering him in February 2007, I began to search for some way to measure the impact of his career. Unfortunately, I did not archive statistics on the National Football League (NFL) or on his career. On May 18, 2008, however, a sports enthusiast and researcher published a quantitative analysis of 33 of the NFL wide receivers, starting with Don Hutson (January 31, 1913 - June 24, 1997). Warren Wells, a veteran who is now 65 years old, was included. I scanned the data and saw that Wells ranked No. 1 in two categories, and it looks like he has held that rank for about 38 years

I decided to compare Warren Wells with Jerry Rice by analyzing the plot of the data for the two wide receivers. Letting the left-most lower corner of the chart be (0,0), I let the vertical axis represent ranking and the horizontal axis categories (spaced at five-point intervals). So, if Jerry Rice, an NFL wide receiver, ranked No. 5 in the fifth subcategory, there was a point in his data set of (5, 5). Data points were plotted and a line graph was drawn for both Jerry Rice and Warren Wells. The next step was to turn the problem over to my calculus class and ask the students to calculate the area under each of the line graphs. One of my students who received his law degree from Harvard University questioned the arbitrariness of the spacing on the horizontal axis. The students finally concluded that the spacing could be arbitrary as long as it was uniform and consistent for both players. The students became excited because they were using calculus to analyze historic NFL data, and they were totally surprised that the mathematics professor was talking about great wide receivers. The students began to take a good look at the NFL data, using mathematics.

What were the results of the study? Well, the students concluded that overall, Jerry Rice ranked higher than Warren Wells, although Warren Wells ranked higher in two subcategories. His rank is No. 1 in "Yards/Reception" and in "Yards/Attempt". He has held the top rank for 38 years, which is longer than Jerry Rice's career of 20 years. Using calculus, the total area under Rice's curve was found to be greater than the area under Wells' curve. The difference in the areas was not that large. Also, although Jerry Rice's overall average rank is greater than Warren Wells', Rice is ranked No. 1 in only one category, "TDs/Game." In the three categories for "Rushing" Warren Wells, Don Hutson and Jerry Rice all rank No. 1.

Hutson, the first NFL wide receiver, dominates "Yards/Game" while Rice dominates "TDs/Game" and Wells dominates "Yards/Attempt." The alumnus from Texas Southern University has career statistics that are still shining bright in 2008.

My students and I encourage you to take a good look at the data on www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2008/5/18/520032/quantitative-analysis-of-t

and decide whose career statistics stands out over a long time period. You may be surprised at your results. Here is a short report based on student input:

Calculus students analyzed a quantitative analysis comparing the career statistics of Jerry Rice and Warren Wells. They created a model for each player by graphing a piecewise defined function connecting ranks and then used integration to find the area under the piecewise linear curves. The students asked, "Why hasn't Wells been considered as a nominee to the NFL Hall of Fame since he ranks No. 1 in two of the seven categories in the quantitative study?" They noted that the statistics indicate that Wells has ranked No. 1 in two categories for about 38 years.  Source: WolfpackSteelersFan on May 18, 2008 7:42 PM EDT

Collaborative Advisory Group

  Jacqueline Brannon Giles

  Damali Binta

  One who studies the Word

  T. A. W. (North Houston, Texas)

  R. W. (Beaumont, Texas)

  B. F. (Baltimore, Maryland)

  C. B. (Galena Park, Texas)

  A. S. (Cleveland, Ohio)