John L. Williams
Encyclopedia
John L. Williams is a former American college and professional football
player who was a running back
in the National Football League
(NFL) for ten seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Williams played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Seattle Seahawks
and the Pittsburgh Steelers
of the NFL.
in 1964. He attended Palatka High School
, where he was a standout high school football
running back in the wishbone offense of the Palatka Panthers. Williams rushed for 3,449 yards and fifty-nine touchdown
s, including 1,738 yards as a senior
. The Panthers finished undefeated and won the Florida Class 3A championship. In 2007, twenty-five 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.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he was a fullback
for coach Charley Pell
and coach Galen Hall
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1982 to 1985. Williams usually shared the backfield with tailback
Neal Anderson
, behind the blocking of the Gators' outstanding offensive line known as "The Great Wall of Florida." The Gators finished with identical 9–1–1 records in 1984 and 1985, and best-in-the-conference records of 5–0–1 and 5–1. Williams was recognized as a second-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection in 1984 and 1985, and an honorable mention All-American in 1985. He finished his four-year college career with 2,409 yards rushing and 863 yards receiving. Williams was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.
, and played for the Seahawks for eight seasons from to . He was selected to the Pro Bowl
in 1990
and 1991
. Williams played his final two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers in and , and his last NFL game was Super Bowl XXX
in which the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys
.
During his ten-year professional career, Williams played in 149 regular season games, started in 135 of them, and had 1,245 carries for 5,005 yards and eighteen rushing touchdown
s, and 546 reception
s for 4,656 yards and nineteen receiving touchdowns.
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 running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
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 ten 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 Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and 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...
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 1964. He attended Palatka High School
Palatka High School
Palatka High School is a public high school located in Palatka, Florida, operated by the Putnam County School Board. The school was established 1977 after merging two existing schools - Palatka Central and Palatka South. The campus has recently completed several renovation projects with science...
, where he was a standout 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....
running back in the wishbone offense of the Palatka Panthers. Williams rushed for 3,449 yards and fifty-nine 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:...
s, including 1,738 yards as a senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
. The Panthers finished undefeated and won the Florida Class 3A championship. In 2007, twenty-five 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
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 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 was a 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 coach Charley Pell
Charley Pell
Charles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...
and 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...
teams from 1982 to 1985. Williams usually shared the backfield with tailback
Tailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
Neal Anderson
Neal Anderson
Charles Neal Anderson is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s and 1990s...
, behind the blocking of the Gators' outstanding offensive line known as "The Great Wall of Florida." The Gators finished with identical 9–1–1 records in 1984 and 1985, and best-in-the-conference records of 5–0–1 and 5–1. Williams was recognized as a second-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 1984 and 1985, and an honorable mention All-American in 1985. He finished his four-year college career with 2,409 yards rushing and 863 yards receiving. Williams was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.
Professional career
Williams was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round (fifteenth pick overall) of the 1986 NFL Draft1986 NFL Draft
The 1986 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 29–30, 1986...
, and played for the Seahawks for eight seasons from to . He was selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1990
1990 Pro Bowl
The 1990 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 4, 1990 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was NFC 27, AFC 21. There were 50,445 people in attendance. Jerry Gray of the Los Angeles Rams was the game's MVP. The referee was Johnny Grier....
and 1991
1991 Pro Bowl
The 1991 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 3, 1991 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 23, NFC 21. There were 50,345 people in attendance. Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills was the game's MVP. The referee was Gordon McCarter....
. Williams played his final two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers in and , and his last NFL game was Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
in which the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.
During his ten-year professional career, Williams played in 149 regular season games, started in 135 of them, and had 1,245 carries for 5,005 yards and eighteen rushing 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:...
s, and 546 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...
s for 4,656 yards and nineteen receiving touchdowns.
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
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Pittsburgh Steelers players
- List of Seattle Seahawks first-round draft picks
- List of Seattle Seahawks players