Jarvis Williams (American football)
Encyclopedia
Jarvis Eric Williams, Sr. (May 16, 1965 – May 25, 2010) was a former American college and professional football
player who was a defensive back
in the National Football League
(NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Williams played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Miami Dolphins
and the New York Giants
of the NFL.
in 1965. He attended Palatka High School, and was a key player for the Palatka Panthers high school football
team that won the Florida Class 3A state championship in 1981.
to attend the University of Florida
in nearby Gainesville, Florida
, where he played cornerback
for head coach
Galen Hall
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1984 to 1987. As a freshmen and sophomore, he was part of two of the best teams in Gators history; the team posted identical 9–1–1 overall win-loss records in 1984 and 1985, and the best-in-the-SEC records of 5–0–1 and 5–1 during those same seasons. Williams is often remembered for the hard-hitting tackle that he delivered to Miami Hurricanes
wide receiver
Melvin Bratton
in 1986—a hit that left Bratton temporarily unconscious. He was named a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection in 1986 and a first-team All-American in 1987. Williams started forty-five consecutive games over four seasons (the second highest total in Gators history), had ten career interception
s, and led the team in tackle
s (77) and punt returns (20 for 222 yards) during his senior
season.
He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2001.
in the second round (forty-second pick overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft
, and played safety for the Dolphins from to . In Miami, Williams was reunited with his former Gators teammate Louis Oliver
when the Dolphins drafted Oliver in ; together they were the Dolphins' starting safeties for five seasons. In his first five NFL seasons with the Dolphins, Williams recorded fourteen interceptions, including one he returned forty-two yards for a touchdown
in .
in . During the season, he recorded sixty tackles and two interceptions in thirteen games.
During his seven-season NFL career, Williams played in 104 regular season games and started in ninety-five of them; he recorded 575 tackles and sixteen interceptions, with one touchdown return.
in Interlachen, Florida
, and had previously worked as an assistant coach at Trinity Catholic High School
in Ocala, Florida
.
Williams' son, Jarvis Williams, Jr., is the starting fullback
for the Jacksonville University
Dolphins football team, and was named the 2007 Pioneer Football League
Newcomer of the Year by Street & Smith's College Football annual. Williams' former Gators teammate, quarterback
Kerwin Bell
, is the head coach of the JU Dolphins.
Williams died suddenly and without prior warning from an acute asthma
attack just before midnight on May 25, 2010; he was 45 years old.
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 a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
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 seven seasons 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 Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL.
Early years
Williams was born in Palatka, FloridaPalatka, Florida
Palatka is a city in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,033 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,796. It is the county seat of Putnam County and includes East Palatka. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka...
in 1965. He attended Palatka High School, and was a key player for the Palatka Panthers 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 that won the Florida Class 3A state championship in 1981.
College career
Williams received an athletic scholarshipAthletic 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
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...
in nearby 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 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 head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
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...
teams from 1984 to 1987. As a freshmen and sophomore, he was part of two of the best teams in Gators history; the team posted identical 9–1–1 overall win-loss records in 1984 and 1985, and the best-in-the-SEC records of 5–0–1 and 5–1 during those same seasons. Williams is often remembered for the hard-hitting tackle that he delivered to Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Melvin Bratton
Melvin Bratton
Melvin Bratton attended the University of Miami, where he played running back for the Miami Hurricanes and starred in the national championship game at the 1988 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, where he blew out his knee...
in 1986—a hit that left Bratton temporarily unconscious. He was named 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 1986 and a first-team All-American in 1987. Williams started forty-five consecutive games over four seasons (the second highest total in Gators history), had ten career interception
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
s, and led the team in tackle
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
s (77) and punt returns (20 for 222 yards) during 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.
He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2001.
Miami Dolphins
Williams was chosen by the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the second round (forty-second pick overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft
1988 NFL Draft
The 1988 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 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
, and played safety for the Dolphins from to . In Miami, Williams was reunited with his former Gators teammate Louis Oliver
Louis Oliver
Louis Oliver, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League for eight seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
when the Dolphins drafted Oliver in ; together they were the Dolphins' starting safeties for five seasons. In his first five NFL seasons with the Dolphins, Williams recorded fourteen interceptions, including one he returned forty-two yards for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
in .
New York Giants
He played his final NFL season for the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in . During the season, he recorded sixty tackles and two interceptions in thirteen games.
During his seven-season NFL career, Williams played in 104 regular season games and started in ninety-five of them; he recorded 575 tackles and sixteen interceptions, with one touchdown return.
Life after the NFL
Williams recently began work as a volunteer assistant football coach at Interlachen High SchoolInterlachen High School
Interlachen High School is a public high school located in Interlachen, Florida, operated by the Putnam County School Board. The current principal as of 2011 school year is Thomas Bolling, and the assistant principals are Andrew Burnett, and Charles Jenkins....
in Interlachen, Florida
Interlachen, Florida
Interlachen is a town in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,475 at the 2000 census. The town is part of the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Interlachen is located at ....
, and had previously worked as an assistant coach at Trinity Catholic High School
Trinity Catholic High School (Florida)
Trinity Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic college preparatory day school in Ocala, Florida, operated by the Christian Brothers. Located in the Diocese of Orlando, Trinity Catholic is the first and only Catholic high school in metropolitan Ocala....
in Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
.
Williams' son, Jarvis Williams, Jr., is the starting fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
for the Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...
Dolphins football team, and was named the 2007 Pioneer Football League
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
Newcomer of the Year by Street & Smith's College Football annual. Williams' former Gators teammate, 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...
Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Douglas Bell is an American college and professional football coach and former player who was a quarterback in the National Football League , World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League for fourteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...
, is the head coach of the JU Dolphins.
Williams died suddenly and without prior warning from an acute asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
attack just before midnight on May 25, 2010; he was 45 years old.
See also
- 1987 College Football All-America Team1987 College Football All-America TeamThe 1987 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
- 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
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Miami Dolphins players
- List of New York Giants players