Randal Williams
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| Position: | Wide Receiver / Tight end | ||||||||
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| Born: | May 21, 1978 Bronx, New York | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | New Hampshire | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2001 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Randal Ellison Williams (born May 21, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at the University of New Hampshire.
Early years
Williams attended Deerfield Academy, where he played wide receiver and defensive end in football. He also earned a silver medal in the 100-meters at the New England Prep School Championships in track.
He accepted a scholarship to play for the University of New Hampshire. As a junior he saw playing time as a running back and defensive end. As a senior he played in seven games, finishing with 10 receptions for 258 yards (25.8 avg.) and 4 touchdowns. He also rushed the ball 47 times for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns and returned 8 punts for 146 yards (18.3).
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
Williams was not selected in the 2001 NFL Draft and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were intrigued by his size to speed ratio.[1] He made the team until being waived on October 28.[2]
Dallas Cowboys
He was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys. His career with the team was spent mainly on special teams and did not catch a single pass during his first three seasons in the league. In 2002, he finished sixth on the team with 11 special teams tackles.
In a 2003 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he returned an onside kick for a touchdown which officially took just three seconds,[3] making it the fastest touchdown since the league started using the scoreboard clock in 1970.[4] However, for Williams to have run 37 yards in three seconds would have required the equivalent of a 9.8 second 100-metre dash, which is somewhat unlikely given that he was wearing football pads and slowed before reaching the goal-line. Replays show that the game clock didn't actually start until after Williams took a few steps (at least two seconds).[5]
In 2004, he missed most of the year with a fractured scapula in his right shoulder. During his time with the Cowboys he was given the chance to play several games at wide receiver, but only caught one pass and was eventually cut on April 24, 2005.[6]
Oakland Raiders
On August 2, 2005, he was signed as a free agent by the Oakland Raiders with the intention of converting him into a tight end. In 2006, he started 10 games until being replaced by Courtney Anderson. The next year he left training camp for three days to deal with "personal issues",[7] which led to his release on August 4, 2007.
References
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/sports/transactions-004898.html
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/29/sports/transactions-912034.html
- ^ http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2014/04/10/memorable-moments-cowboys-score-3-seconds
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/13/sports/pro-football-two-key-plays-bookend-cowboys-victory-over-eagles.html
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1637465
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05E3D91131F93AA15757C0A9639C8B63
- ^ http://www.contracostatimes.com/raiders/ci_6534472