Roy Williams (wide receiver)
Roy warming up for a 2008 game | |||||||
No. 11 | |||||||
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Odessa, Texas | December 20, 1981||||||
Career information | |||||||
College: | Texas | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2004 / round: 1 / pick: 7 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Roy Eugene Williams, Jr. (born December 20, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Texas Longhorns. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions seventh overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. Williams also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.
Early years
Williams attended high school at Permian High School (Odessa, TX), where he starred in multiple sports.[1] He lettered in football, track, baseball, and basketball, earning all-state honors in football and track and all-district accolades in baseball and basketball. Williams also performed well in the Academic side of life making the Honor roll all 4 years while attending Permian High School .
College career
Arriving at the University of Texas, Williams and freshmen receivers BJ Johnson and Sloan Thomas were touted as the most talented group of incoming receivers in school history. By the end of his college career, Williams had become one of the most decorated receivers in Texas Longhorns history. Nicknamed "The Legend", he left school as the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He was a member of the All-Conference Team for the Big 12 on three occasions, and was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award during both his junior and senior seasons.
Track and field
Williams was also a track star at the University of Texas, where he recorded a personal best of 10.30 seconds in the 100 meters.
Williams also specialized in high jump and long jump.
Personal bests
Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|
100 meters | 10.30 | Lubbock, Texas | April 29, 2000 |
Event | Mark (meters) | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|
High jump | 2.08 | Lubbock, Texas | April 29, 2000 |
Long jump | 7.77 | Austin, Texas | May 13, 2000 |
NFL career
2004 NFL Draft
Williams was drafted 7th overall in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.[2] Many draft experts considered the pick a bold move since they had drafted Charles Rogers with the 2nd overall pick the year before.
2004 NFL Combine
Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
212 lb (96 kg) |
4.36 s | 3.97 s | 6.75 s | 39.5 in (1.00 m) |
9 reps | 17 | |||||
All values from NFL combine[3] |
Detroit Lions
In 2004 Williams recorded 54 receptions for 817 yards and 8 touchdowns, in 12 games, he suffered an ankle injury midway through the season that limited his effectiveness. The following season, the team spent their first round draft pick (10th overall) on yet another receiver, this time USC star Mike Williams. Roy Williams had a productive year for the 2006 Lions, having 1,310 yards, 7 touchdowns and a 16.0 average. The 1,310 yards were the most in the NFC; and tied with Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne for 3rd most in the NFL. Williams' 16.0 average was first in the NFL for receptions with more than 25 receptions. He also had 24 catches of plus-20 yards which ranked first in the NFL. He and teammate Mike Furrey caught more passes (178) than any other duo in the NFC. Williams was named an alternate for the 2007 Pro Bowl. When Torry Holt withdrew due to injury, Williams was named to the active squad. He was the first Detroit wide receiver to make the Pro Bowl since 1998 (Herman Moore). Williams was the 2007 recipient of the Detroit Lions/Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association/Pro Football Writers Association's Media-Friendly "Good Guy" Award. The Good Guy Award is given yearly to the Detroit Lions player who shows consideration to, and cooperation with the media at all times during the course of the season.
Dallas Cowboys
Williams was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on October 14, 2008 for first, third and sixth round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft (the Cowboys also received a seventh round pick from the Lions in the 2010 draft). He was then signed to a new contract through the 2014 season; he agreed to a 6 year, $54 million contract, along with $26 million guaranteed.[4][5] After being traded mid-season to the Cowboys, Williams started seven games, catching 19 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown. By the close of the 2010 season, Williams had totaled 99 regular season/playoffs catches for the Cowboys and 13 touchdowns, 11 of which came from in the redzone. In 2009 Williams was a major catalyst helping the Cowboys win their first playoff game since 1996 making 5 catches for 59 yards including several crucial third down catches in the first half, helping set the tone for the rest of the game. His best game with the Cowboys was against in state rival Houston Texans in which he recorded 117 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 catches while only being targeted 6 times. He was released by the Cowboys on July 28, 2011.[6]
Chicago Bears
A day after being released by the Cowboys, Williams agreed to join the Chicago Bears for a 1-year $2.46 million contract.[7] His best game with the Bears was Christmas night vs. the Green Bay Packers with 6 catches for 81 yards.
Williams announced his retirement from the NFL on his Facebook page on September 8, 2012.[8]
NFL stats
Receiving Stats
Year | Team | Games | Receptions | Targets | Yards | Yards per Reception | Longest Reception | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | DET | 14 | 54 | - | 817 | 15.1 | 46 | 8 | 34 | 1 | 1 |
2005 | DET | 13 | 45 | - | 687 | 15.3 | 51 | 8 | 31 | 0 | 0 |
2006 | DET | 16 | 82 | 152 | 1,310 | 16.0 | 60 | 7 | 66 | 2 | 2 |
2007 | DET | 12 | 64 | 103 | 838 | 13.1 | 91 | 5 | 34 | 2 | 1 |
2008 | DET | 5 | 17 | 39 | 232 | 13.6 | 25 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
2008 | DAL | 10 | 19 | 43 | 198 | 10.4 | 38 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
2009 | DAL | 15 | 38 | 88 | 596 | 15.7 | 66 | 7 | 29 | 1 | 1 |
2010 | DAL | 15 | 37 | 64 | 530 | 14.3 | 63 | 5 | 25 | 3 | 2 |
2011 | CHI | 15 | 37 | 63 | 507 | 13.7 | 25 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 115 | 393 | 552 | 5,715 | 14.5 | 91 | 44 | 274 | 9 | 7 |
Rushing Stats
Year | Team | Games | Carries | Yards | Yards per Carry | Longest Carry | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | DET | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2006 | DET | 16 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2007 | DET | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2008 | DAL | 10 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 115 | 6 | 17 | 2.8 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Personal
Williams played a small role in the 2004 sports film Friday Night Lights (his older brother, (Lloyd Hill) was on the team the movie was based on). Williams played the role of an assistant coach for Midland Lee High School, which is one of Permian's biggest rivals. His one spoken line in the film is, "He ain’t going to play."
References
- ^ "Official Site of the Dallas Cowboys | Bios | Players". DallasCowboys.com. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
- ^ "Roy E. Williams". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ NFL Draft Scout Profile
- ^ dead link
- ^ Cole, Jason. "Cowboys quickly offer Williams new deal - NFL - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
- ^ Cowboys to cut Marion Barber
- ^ "Roy Williams, Bears agree". ESPN. July 29, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ Upon retirement Roy Williams returned to his home town Odessa Tx, where he started an oil field trucking company tapping into the oilfield boom going on in West Texas. Staff reports (8 September 2012). "Ex-Cowboy Roy Williams announces retirement; worst Dallas trade ever?". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Roy Williams Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
External links
- "Detroit Lions bio". Archived from the original on 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
- Roy Williams on IMDb
- Chicago Bears bio