Cary Williams
Encyclopedia
Cary Eric Williams is an American football
cornerback
for the Baltimore Ravens
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans
in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Washburn
.
in Hollywood, Florida
.
, but after a year of limited playing time, transferred to Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas
.
, he had a 100-yard kickoff return that tied the school record for longest run back. Williams was the only NCAA Division II player to be ranked in the top 10 in the nation in interceptions and kickoff return average in 2007.
Williams holds the distinction of being the only player in Washburn history to score on an interception, kickoff return and a reception
in the same season. He graduated with a Sports Management major.
in the seventh round (229th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He became only the fifth Ichabod to be drafted in school history. On August 30, 2008, Williams was waived by the Titans. and re-signed to the team's practice squad. The Titans promoted Williams to their active roster on December 9. He was injured after a game and finished the 2008 NFL season on Injured Reserve.
Williams played in the NFL hall of fame game in 2009. He had 2 tackles and knocked down a potential touchdown pass. He was declared inactive for the first 2 games of the 2009 season, and was cut when the team signed punter Reggie Hodges
. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 29. The Titans signed Williams to the active roster on October 3 when quarterback
Patrick Ramsey
was released. He was waived on November 3, to make room for Chris Davis. He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 5.
on November 24, 2009. He was a special teams contributer that season and saw little time on defense. He recorded eight tackles that year, mostly on Special Teams for Baltimore
.
In 2010, Williams was suspended for the first two games of the season for conduct against the NFL's personnel conduct policy. However, he played well in preseason and earned a roster spot. He had six tackles in 2010 as he saw more time in the secondary later that year.
In 2011, after the departures of corners Josh Wilson
and Fabian Washington
plus Williams again playing well in Training Camp and preseason, Williams earned his first NFL start alongside Lardarius Webb in a Week 1 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
. He had five tackles and contained Pittsburgh receiver Mike Wallace
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
for the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Washburn
Washburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
.
Early years
Williams is the son of Calvin and Trina Golson. He attended Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory SchoolChaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School
Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School is a private Marianist school located within Hollywood, Florida on Chaminade Drive, in front of Nativity Catholic School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami...
in Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
.
Fordham
Williams originally attended Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, but after a year of limited playing time, transferred to Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
.
Washburn
Williams had seven interceptions as a senior, which rank second on Washburn's single-season list. In his last Season, He had two kickoff returns for touchdowns, which tied the Washburn season and career records. In 2007, Against Missouri SouthernMissouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University is a public, state university located in Joplin, Missouri. Missouri Southern State University was formerly Missouri Southern State College and is also known as Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo for short. Established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College, Missouri...
, he had a 100-yard kickoff return that tied the school record for longest run back. Williams was the only NCAA Division II player to be ranked in the top 10 in the nation in interceptions and kickoff return average in 2007.
Williams holds the distinction of being the only player in Washburn history to score on an interception, kickoff return and a reception
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
in the same season. He graduated with a Sports Management major.
Pre-draft
During Pro Day, Williams had a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, a 1.47 in the 10-yard dash, a 2.56 in the 20-yard dash, and a 4.34 in the 20-yard shuttle. He also had a 32.5-inch vertical jump, 9'11" broad jump, 330-pound squat, 245-pound bench press, a 242-pound power clean, and a 14/18 Wonderlic score.Tennessee Titans
Williams was drafted by the Tennessee TitansTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the seventh round (229th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He became only the fifth Ichabod to be drafted in school history. On August 30, 2008, Williams was waived by the Titans. and re-signed to the team's practice squad. The Titans promoted Williams to their active roster on December 9. He was injured after a game and finished the 2008 NFL season on Injured Reserve.
Williams played in the NFL hall of fame game in 2009. He had 2 tackles and knocked down a potential touchdown pass. He was declared inactive for the first 2 games of the 2009 season, and was cut when the team signed punter Reggie Hodges
Reggie Hodges
Reginald Aaron "Reggie" Hodges is an American football punter for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 29. The Titans signed Williams to the active roster on October 3 when quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Patrick Ramsey
Patrick Ramsey
Patrick Allen Ramsey is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins 32nd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
was released. He was waived on November 3, to make room for Chris Davis. He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 5.
Baltimore Ravens
Cary Williams was signed off the Titans practice squad by the Baltimore RavensBaltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
on November 24, 2009. He was a special teams contributer that season and saw little time on defense. He recorded eight tackles that year, mostly on Special Teams for Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
In 2010, Williams was suspended for the first two games of the season for conduct against the NFL's personnel conduct policy. However, he played well in preseason and earned a roster spot. He had six tackles in 2010 as he saw more time in the secondary later that year.
In 2011, after the departures of corners Josh Wilson
Josh Wilson
Joshua Aaron Wilson is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Wilson was nicknamed "The Paperboy" by Ken Griffey Jr. While he was with the Devil Rays, Diamondbacks, and Padres, he pitched in at least one game with each team. Wilson is a Mt....
and Fabian Washington
Fabian Washington
-Oakland Raiders:During his rookie year he played all 16 games with 11 starts and recorded 40 tackles. In his second season with the Raiders, Washington started in all 14 games he played in and had 43 tackles and four interceptions . During his third season with the Raiders in 2007 he played in 15...
plus Williams again playing well in Training Camp and preseason, Williams earned his first NFL start alongside Lardarius Webb in a Week 1 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. He had five tackles and contained Pittsburgh receiver Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace
Michael Wallace may refer to:*Mike Wallace , television correspondent**The Mike Wallace Interview, his TV series*Mike Wallace , American historian...
.