Yesterday we looked at a fullback from the mountains. Now, today we look at a half back that played in Austin, Texas.
Ricky Williams was a prolific athlete in California where he played for Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, California. He was an elite football and baseball player and a great wrestler. He accepted a scholarship to play college football for the Longhorns.
Williams played in Austin from 1995 to 1998 where he posted 7,580 scrimmage yards and seventy nine total touchdowns. He is arguably the most decorated back to ever play college football.
The Cali native walked into UT Austin and started right away. He rushed for over a thousand yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman which was practically unheard of. His sophomore and junior year were great but his senior season was absolutely ridiculous.
The Texas Tornado went for 2,327 yards on the carpet and ran in twenty nine touchdowns. To go with his unreal rushing line, he had over three hundred receiving yards and one touchdown.
Over his career, Williams was named three time First Team All Big 12 from 1996 to 1998, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998, two time All American in 1997 and 1998, won the Doak Walker Award in 1997 and 1998, was the 1998 Sporting News Player of the Year, the 1998 Walter Camp Award winner, the 1998 Maxwell Award winner, and won the 1998 Heisman.
Williams along with Earl Campbell have statues at the Longhorns stadium to commemorate their Heisman wins. Williams number 34 is also retired.
He was drafted fifth overall in 1999 to the New Orleans Saints. He played in New Orleans from 1999 to 2001, with Miami from 2002 to 2003 and then again in 2005, in the CFL with Toronto in 2006, returned to the Dolphins from 2007 to 2010, and finished his career in Baltimore in 2011.
Tomorrow we look at an old school linebacker that played in Pennsylvania in college and the NFL.