Edwin Williams
Encyclopedia
Edwin Williams is an American football
offensive guard for the Chicago Bears
. He played college football
for the Maryland Terrapins
of the University of Maryland
.
to Edwin and Cheron Williams. Both of his parents were freebase cocaine users, and he and his sister, Danielle, were born addicted, although they suffered no long-term effects. Williams was raised by his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Orlean Pierce, in Deanwood
, a dangerous neighborhood in Northeast D.C.
He attended DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland
, where he initially played basketball. In his junior year, he switched to football and saw action at offensive guard, offensive tackle, and defensive end
. During his senior year in 2003, he recorded 78 tackles and six sack
s. He was named a Washington Post first-team All-Met, Pigskin Club first-team All-Met, first-team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference
(WCAC), first-team all-county, first-team All-Gazette, SuperPrep Mid-Atlantic all-region, and PrepStar all-region player.
He was recruited by Maryland, Pittsburgh
, and Virginia Tech
.
, Williams sat out the season as a redshirt
and was named the offensive scout team
player of the year. In 2006
, he saw action in ten games, in which he participated in 145 plays while allowing only one sack. In 2006, Williams started in all 13 games. Played as part of the Maryland offensive line, which allowed 19 sacks, the second-lowest in the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC). In 2007
, he again started in all 13 games. Williams received the 2008 Wilma Rudolph
Award, a national honor for intercollegiate athletes who have overcome adversity.
He entered the 2008 season
as a consensus preseason first-team All-ACC pick, first-team preseason selection by The Sporting News
. He was also named to watch list for the 2008 Rimington Trophy for most outstanding center in the nation. He started in all 13 games for the third consecutive season and recorded one solo tackle. He was named a first-team All-ACC player. He was invited to participate in the 2009 East-West Shrine Game
and the 2009 NFL Combine.
Williams graduated in May 2008 with a communications degree, and began his graduate studies during his final season of eligibility.
and projected him as a sixth-round selection. Williams was not selected in the draft, but was signed immediately afterwards alongside Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel
. Williams played in four games for Washington, including two starts as a right guard, during the 2009 season
.
. He was elevated to the active roster on September 27, 2010.
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...
offensive guard for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. 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...
for the Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
of the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
.
Early years
Williams was born on December 10, 1986 in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to Edwin and Cheron Williams. Both of his parents were freebase cocaine users, and he and his sister, Danielle, were born addicted, although they suffered no long-term effects. Williams was raised by his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Orlean Pierce, in Deanwood
Deanwood
Deanwood is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C., bounded by Eastern Avenue to the northeast, Kenilworth Avenue to the northwest, and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue to the south....
, a dangerous neighborhood in Northeast D.C.
He attended DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...
, where he initially played basketball. In his junior year, he switched to football and saw action at offensive guard, offensive tackle, and defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
. During his senior year in 2003, he recorded 78 tackles and six sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s. He was named a Washington Post first-team All-Met, Pigskin Club first-team All-Met, first-team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference
Washington Catholic Athletic Conference
The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference or WCAC is a major high school athletic league for boys, girls, and co-ed Catholic high schools located around and in Washington, DC, USA...
(WCAC), first-team all-county, first-team All-Gazette, SuperPrep Mid-Atlantic all-region, and PrepStar all-region player.
He was recruited by Maryland, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
, and Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
.
College career
In 20052005 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 2005 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season. It was the Terrapins' 53rd season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and its first within the...
, Williams sat out the season as a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
and was named the offensive scout team
Scout team
In sports, the scout team, also referred to as a practice team, taxi squad, practice squad or practice roster, is a group of players on a team whose task is to emulate future opponents for the featured players. Frequently used in American or Canadian Football, these teams consist of less...
player of the year. In 2006
2006 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 2006 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season. It was the Terrapins' 54th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and its second within the...
, he saw action in ten games, in which he participated in 145 plays while allowing only one sack. In 2006, Williams started in all 13 games. Played as part of the Maryland offensive line, which allowed 19 sacks, the second-lowest in the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC). In 2007
2007 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 2007 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season. It was the Terrapins' 55th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and its third within the...
, he again started in all 13 games. Williams received the 2008 Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Glodean Rudolph was an American athlete. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960....
Award, a national honor for intercollegiate athletes who have overcome adversity.
He entered the 2008 season
2008 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 2008 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season...
as a consensus preseason first-team All-ACC pick, first-team preseason selection by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
. He was also named to watch list for the 2008 Rimington Trophy for most outstanding center in the nation. He started in all 13 games for the third consecutive season and recorded one solo tackle. He was named a first-team All-ACC player. He was invited to participate in the 2009 East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
and the 2009 NFL Combine.
Williams graduated in May 2008 with a communications degree, and began his graduate studies during his final season of eligibility.
Washington Redskins
NFL Draft Scout rated him as the seventh-ranked out of 91 center prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
and projected him as a sixth-round selection. Williams was not selected in the draft, but was signed immediately afterwards alongside Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel
Chase Daniel
William Chase Daniel is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
. Williams played in four games for Washington, including two starts as a right guard, during the 2009 season
2009 Washington Redskins season
The 2009 Washington Redskins season is the 77th season for the team in the National Football League. They failed to improve upon their 8–8 record from 2008, which resulted in Jim Zorn being fired after two seasons.-Movement:...
.
Chicago Bears
Williams was cut by the Redskins during the 2010 preseason, and subsequently signed by the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was elevated to the active roster on September 27, 2010.
External links
- Washington Redskins bio
- Edwin Williams Q&A, The DiamondbackThe DiamondbackThe Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin...
, April 27, 2009. - DeMatha grad nervous no longer on Terps' O line, The GazetteThe Gazette (Maryland)The Gazette publishes weekly community newspapers serving Montgomery, Frederick, Prince George's and Carroll counties in Maryland, including a subscription-based weekend edition covering business and politics throughout the state. The group of papers consistently wins awards from the Suburban...
, August 17, 2006. - Upbeat Williams carried team through tough times, The Washington Times, November 19, 2008.
- Terps' Williams uses hoop skills on football field, The Sporting NewsThe Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, October 15, 2008. - Linemen to Watch, The Washington Post, September 4, 2003.
- Terps Prepare for a Tough Crowd, The Washington Post, September 25, 2008.