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Andre Williams (American football)

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Andre Williams
refer to caption
Williams with the New York Giants
Personal information
Born: (1992-08-28) August 28, 1992 (age 32)
Poughkeepsie, New York
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Allentown (PA) Parkland
College:Boston College
Position:Running back
NFL draft:2014 / round: 4 / pick: 113
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2017
Rushing attempts:332
Rushing yards:1,090
Rushing average:3.3
Rushing touchdowns:8
Receiving yards:137
Receiving touchdowns:0
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Andre Rishard Williams (born August 28, 1992) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College, where he was a finalist for the 2013 Heisman Trophy, and won the 2013 Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back. During the 2013 season, Williams became only the 16th player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards and he finished his college career ranked 5th all-time for most yards rushed in a single season with 2,177 yards.

Early years

Born in Poughkeepsie to Jamaican immigrants Lancelene and Ervin, Williams spent his first year back in his family's island nation before returning to live in Central New Jersey with his parents, sister, and two brothers. His family also lived in Atlanta, Georgia and Allentown, Pennsylvania.[1]

"By the eighth grade, " Williams would later explain, "I decided I was going to play Division I football." [1] After transferring from Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia, he attended Parkland High School in Allentown. As a senior, he had 1,913 rushing yards on 128 carries and 33 touchdowns for the football team. He earned All-State Class AAAA first-team honors as a senior running back, and was selected as The Morning Call Player of the Year. He led the Trojans to a 10-3 record in 2009.

In addition to football, he was also a standout athlete for Parkland High School's track and field team. At the 2010 PA 3A state championships, he finished third in the 100 meters, with a time of 10.76 seconds,[2] and second in the 200 meters with a time of 22.01 seconds.[3] He was also timed at 14.61 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles in 2009.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 44th best running back prospect in the nation.[4] He committed to Boston College over offers from Temple, Akron and Vanderbilt.[5]

College career

While attending Boston College, Williams played for the its Eagles football team from 2010 to 2013.[6] He graduated early with a degree in applied psychology and human development.[1]

Freshman season

Williams's first three years at Boston College were relatively uneventful. Playing as a true freshman in 2010, Williams showed his potential while sharing the backfield with Montel Harris and Sterlin Phifer.[7] He played in all 13 games, rushing for 461 yards on 95 carries with two touchdowns.[8] In the final regular season game of the year, playing at Syracuse, he set the school record for rushing attempts in a game, running 42 times as the Eagles beat the Orange 16-7.[9]

Williams during his tenure at Boston College.

Sophomore season

As a sophomore in 2011, Williams continued to improve, but played less time with sharing the backfield with Rolandon Finch, Tahj Kimble, and Montel Harris, starting seven of 10 games and rushing for 517 yards on 124 carries with four touchdowns.[10][11]

Junior season

As a junior in 2012, he continued to be a reliable option, although for a pass-heavy offense, starting eight of nine games, rushing for 584 yards on 130 carries and four touchdowns.[12] His efforts were mostly in vain though, as the Eagles continued to progressively get worse, winning 7 games in 2010, 4 in 2011, and only 2 in 2012.[13] His three years of experience, however would pave the way for his breakout senior year and a turnaround for the Eagles team.

Senior season

With a change in coaching during the offseason, Steve Addazio brought in new coordinators and a new style of offense focused heavily on the run.[14] Williams started off the year as a powerful weapon, running for 114 and 204 yards respectively in wins over Villanova and Wake Forest, and scoring once in each game.[15][16] He had his worst performance of the season against a strong USC defense, managing only 38 yards.[17] However, he bounced back against #8 ranked Florida State and ran for 149 yards as the Eagles nearly upset the eventual National Champions.[18]

The next week during the Homecoming game against Army he exploded offensively, scoring 5 touchdowns and rushing for 263 yards, only 1 yard shy of the school's single game rushing record. He momentarily tied the record, but unfortunately lost a yard on his last rushing attempt of the game, bringing his total back down.[19] After rushing for only 70 yards at Clemson, he gave two solid performances against UNC and Virginia Tech, rushing for 172 and 166 yards, respectively, and scoring three times.[20][21][22] The next week at New Mexico State, Williams managed to break the single game record that he came so close to during the Army game, running for 295 yards and two scores.[23][24][25] The win was the first road win for Boston College since 2011.

On the following week, playing on senior day, Boston College's final home game of the season against NC State, Williams broke his own record and ran for 339 yards on 42 carries, scoring twice.[26] The performance also surpassed the ACC record, previously set at 329 yards by John Leach of Wake Forest in 1993. During the game, he also broke the school's single season record for rushing yards, finishing the day with 1,810 yards.[27] The win made BC bowl eligible for the first time since 2010, and tripled the previous year's win total, prompting the students and fans to rush the field and celebrate with the team following the win. Williams's performance was recognized by media across the country, as he was named the Walter Camp National player of the week, as well as ACC offensive back of the week.[28] His successes and statistics as the league's leading rusher made him the front-runner for the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back.

After the success against NC State at home, the Eagles took on Maryland for the first of their final two road games of the season. Williams had another big day, running for 263 yards and two scores, passing 2,000 yards and becoming only the 16th player in NCAA history to accomplish this feat.[29][30] With this achievement, Williams became a part of the Heisman conversation.[31][32]

The final game of the regular season was at 5–6 Syracuse. Unfortunately, Williams re-aggravated a right shoulder injury that he had been dealing with since the UNC game. He left the game early in the 3rd quarter and did not return, having rushed for only 29 yards for the day. Despite the disappointing end to the game, those 29 yards put Williams over 2,100 yards for the season and placed him at 9th all time in the FBS single-season rushing list.[33]

The Eagles final game of the season was in the 2013 Independence Bowl against the Arizona Wildcats. The game featured a matchup between the nation's two best running backs in Williams and Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey, who was a consensus All-American in 2012 as well as a finalist for the 2013 Doak Walker award, which Williams won. The game was a blowout win for Arizona, as they cruised to a 42–19 victory. Williams ran for 75 yards in his final contest as a college back, finishing with 2,177 yards on the season, 5th most all-time in the NCAA.[34]

Postseason awards

Williams was one of six finalists for the Heisman Trophy in 2013, and finished fourth in the voting.[35] He was the winner of the 2013 Doak Walker Award and was named a unanimous All-American.[36][37] In addition, he was a unanimous first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection[38] and was also a finalist for the Walter Camp Award.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 11+3⁄8 230 lb
(104 kg) 		33+1⁄2 9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.56 s 1.56 s 4.06 s 7.27 s 38 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 9 in
(3.28 m)
All values from NFL Combine[39]

New York Giants

The New York Giants drafted Williams in the fourth round with the 113th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.[40] He made his NFL debut in the season opener against the Detroit Lions. In the 35–14 loss, he had five carries for nine yards.[41] On September 25, in a 45–14 victory over the Washington Redskins, he scored his first professional rushing touchdown.[42] On December 7, against the Tennessee Titans, he had 24 carries for 131 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 36–7 victory.[43] Overall, he finished his rookie season with 721 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.[44] His production dipped in his second season as he recorded 88 carries for 257 yards and a rushing touchdown.[45] He was released by the team on September 3, 2016.[46]

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

On September 4, 2016, the San Diego Chargers claimed Williams off waivers.[47] He was released on September 24, 2016[48] and was signed to the practice squad two days later. He was promoted to the active roster on December 27, 2016.[49] He appeared in the regular season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs and had 18 carries for 87 rushing yards.[50]

On March 9, 2017, the Chargers re-signed Williams.[51] He was waived on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the Chargers' practice squad the next day.[52][53] He was promoted to the active roster on October 7, 2017.[54] In Week 14, Williams suffered a broken wrist on the final play of the game and was ruled out for the rest of the 2017 season.[55] He was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2017.[56] Overall, he finished the 2017 season with nine carries for 25 yards in eight games.[57]

Personal life

Since his college years, Williams has been writing what he calls a "philosophical memoir," which is entitled " A King, a Queen and a Conscience." He expects to complete the manuscript in 2015. Williams is also trying to secure a patent for a "compression shirt" type of athletic gear that could improve backfield running.[1]

Andre wed college sweetheart Carolyn Jay, who also went to Boston College, in 2014.[58] They had their first child, Barron Zavier, in February 2016.[59]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Pennington, Bill (July 27, 2014). "Budding Author and Inventor Emerges Quickly in Giants' Backfield". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2014-07-28. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Williams, Andre - DyeStat.com TFX - The Internet Home of High School Track, Field and Cross Country".
  4. ^ "Rivals.com". sports.yahoo.com.
  5. ^ "Andre Williams, Boston College Eagles, Running Back". 247Sports. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  6. ^ "Andre Williams College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  7. ^ "2010 Boston College Eagles Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  8. ^ "Andre Williams 2010 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  9. ^ "Boston College at Syracuse Box Score, November 27, 2010". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  10. ^ "2011 Boston College Eagles Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  11. ^ "Andre Williams 2011 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  12. ^ "Andre Williams 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  13. ^ "2012 Boston College Eagles Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  14. ^ "Boston College Eagles Football Record By Year". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  15. ^ "Villanova at Boston College Box Score, August 31, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  16. ^ "Wake Forest at Boston College Box Score, September 6, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  17. ^ "Boston College at USC Box Score, September 14, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  18. ^ "Florida State at Boston College Box Score, September 28, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  19. ^ "Army at Boston College Box Score, October 5, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  20. ^ "Boston College at Clemson Box Score, October 12, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  21. ^ "Boston College at North Carolina Box Score, October 26, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  22. ^ "Virginia Tech at Boston College Box Score, November 2, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  23. ^ "Andre Williams rushes for school-record 295 yards to carry BC past New Mexico State - The Boston Globe".
  24. ^ "Williams rushes for BC record". 9 November 2013.
  25. ^ "Boston College at New Mexico State Box Score, November 9, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  26. ^ "North Carolina State at Boston College Box Score, November 16, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  27. ^ "2013 FBS (I-A) College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Rushing - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  28. ^ "Video: National player of the week".
  29. ^ "Boston College at Maryland Box Score, November 23, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  30. ^ "Andre Williams breaks 2,000-yard mark in Boston College win".
  31. ^ "Boston College's Andre Williams passes 2,000-yard mark, enters Heisman race".
  32. ^ "Andre Williams for Heisman".
  33. ^ "Boston College at Syracuse Box Score, November 30, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  34. ^ "Independence Bowl - Arizona vs Boston College Box Score, December 31, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  35. ^ "2013 Heisman Trophy Voting". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  36. ^ "Doak Walker Award Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  37. ^ "Consensus All-America Teams (2010-2017)". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  38. ^ "2013 All-ACC Teams Announced". TheACC.com. December 2, 2013.
  39. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Andre Williams". www.nfl.com.
  40. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  41. ^ "New York Giants at Detroit Lions - September 8th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  42. ^ "New York Giants at Washington Redskins - September 25th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  43. ^ "New York Giants at Tennessee Titans - December 7th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  44. ^ "Andre Williams 2014 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  45. ^ "Andre Williams 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  46. ^ "Notable cuts roundup: Giants cut Andre Williams". nfl.com. September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  47. ^ Henne, Ricky. "Chargers Add Three via Waivers". chargers.com.
  48. ^ Henne, Ricky. "Chargers Promote TE Asante Cleveland to Active Roster; Waive RB Andre Williams". Chargers.com.
  49. ^ Henne, Ricky (December 27, 2016). "Bolts Make Trio of Running Back Transactions". Chargers.com.
  50. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers - January 1st, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  51. ^ "Chargers Re-Signing RB Andre Williams - NFLTradeRumors.co". nfltraderumors.co. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  52. ^ Henne, Ricky (September 2, 2017). "Los Angeles Chargers Cut Down Roster to 53". Chargers.com.
  53. ^ Henne, Ricky (September 3, 2017). "Chargers Announce First Members of 2017 Practice Squad". Chargers.com.
  54. ^ Henne, Ricky (October 7, 2017). "Bolts Sign RB Andre Williams; Waive S Dexter McCoil". Chargers.com.
  55. ^ Williams, Charean (December 11, 2017). "Andre Williams out for year with broken wrist". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  56. ^ Henne, Ricky (December 12, 2017). "Chargers Announce Trio of Transactions". Chargers.com.
  57. ^ "Andre Williams 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  58. ^ "Giants running back Andre Williams ties the knot at Secaucus Town Hall". NJ.com. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  59. ^ Staff, The Root. "Andre Williams, No. 44 of NY Giants, Tackles Fatherhood and Serves Food for Thought". The Root. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
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