David Williams (offensive lineman)
Encyclopedia
David Wayne Williams is a former American college and professional football
player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League
(NFL) for nine years during the 1980s and 1990s. Williams played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Houston Oilers
and the New York Jets
of the NFL.
in 1966. He attended Lakeland High School
in Lakeland, Florida
, where he was an offensive lineman for the Lakeland Dreadnaughts high school football
team. While he played for the Dreadnaughts, the team won a district championship in 1983, and regional championships in 1982 and 1984. He and was named a Parade
magazine and USA Today
All-American after his senior
season.
Williams was inducted into the Lakeland High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2007, twenty-two years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association
(FHSAA) recognized Williams as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football.
, Williams received an athletic scholarship
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Galen Hall
's Florida Gators football
team from 1985 to 1988. As a freshman
starter, he was a member of the Gators' 1985 team that finished with an overall win-loss record of 9–1–1 and a best-in-the-conference record of 5–1. Williams started every game during his four-year college career. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection in 1988, a second-team All-American in 1987 and 1988, and a team captain
in 1988. Williams was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1999.
by the Houston Oilers, and he was an offensive tackle for the Oilers for seven seasons from to . He played in twenty-nine of thirty-two games during his rookie
and second seasons, and became a full-time starter in the first game of his third season. Williams played his final two NFL seasons for the New York Jets in and . He retired from professional football after the season.
For all of his on-the-field accomplishments, Williams' NFL career is often remembered for an off-the-field episode during the season known as "babygate." During his fifth season with the Oilers, his wife Debi went into labor
with their first child on the Saturday before an Oilers away game against the New England Patriots
, and did not give birth until it was too late for Williams to either fly on the team's plane or get a commercial flight to catch up with the team. The Oilers fined Williams and deducted $111,111 from his pay for the missed game, and Oilers owner Bud Adams
publicly criticized him for having misplaced priorities. A public firestorm ensued, with the Oilers receiving a large share of fan and media criticism, and an informal precedent was set that future teams in similar circumstances would handle such matters differently.
During his nine-season NFL career, Williams played in 128 regular season games, and started in 106 of them.
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...
player who was an offensive tackle in 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...
(NFL) for nine years during the 1980s and 1990s. Williams 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...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Houston Oilers
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...
and the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL.
Early life
Williams was born in Mulberry, FloridaMulberry, Florida
Mulberry is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,230 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,228 . Mulberry is home to Badcock Home Furniture. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical...
in 1966. He attended Lakeland High School
Lakeland High School (Lakeland, Florida)
Lakeland Senior High School is the oldest public high school in Lakeland, Florida, United States. Lakeland Senior High School belongs to the Polk County School Board and is a member of Polk District Schools. Lakeland High School was the original high school in the city. It also shares its campus...
in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, where he was an offensive lineman for the Lakeland Dreadnaughts high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
team. While he played for the Dreadnaughts, the team won a district championship in 1983, and regional championships in 1982 and 1984. He and was named a Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
magazine and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-American after his senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
season.
Williams was inducted into the Lakeland High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2007, twenty-two years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association
Florida High School Athletic Association
The Florida High School Athletic Association is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high school It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations ....
(FHSAA) recognized Williams as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football.
College career
After graduating from high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Williams received an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1985 to 1988. As a freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
starter, he was a member of the Gators' 1985 team that finished with an overall win-loss record of 9–1–1 and a best-in-the-conference record of 5–1. Williams started every game during his four-year college career. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection in 1988, a second-team All-American in 1987 and 1988, and a team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
in 1988. Williams was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1999.
Professional career
Williams was selected in the first round (twenty-third pick overall) of the 1989 NFL Draft1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24 , 1989...
by the Houston Oilers, and he was an offensive tackle for the Oilers for seven seasons from to . He played in twenty-nine of thirty-two games during his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
and second seasons, and became a full-time starter in the first game of his third season. Williams played his final two NFL seasons for the New York Jets in and . He retired from professional football after the season.
For all of his on-the-field accomplishments, Williams' NFL career is often remembered for an off-the-field episode during the season known as "babygate." During his fifth season with the Oilers, his wife Debi went into labor
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
with their first child on the Saturday before an Oilers away game against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, and did not give birth until it was too late for Williams to either fly on the team's plane or get a commercial flight to catch up with the team. The Oilers fined Williams and deducted $111,111 from his pay for the missed game, and Oilers owner Bud Adams
Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. is the owner of the Tennessee Titans' National Football League franchise. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Titans franchise, which was...
publicly criticized him for having misplaced priorities. A public firestorm ensued, with the Oilers receiving a large share of fan and media criticism, and an informal precedent was set that future teams in similar circumstances would handle such matters differently.
During his nine-season NFL career, Williams played in 128 regular season games, and started in 106 of them.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- History of the Tennessee Titans & Houston OilersHistory of the Tennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas, team began play in 1960 as a...
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of New York Jets players