Williams to Marshal Homecoming Parade
University Relations
Issue date: 10/14/09 Section: News
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After the parade, join Williams and Western faculty and staff from each of Western's academic colleges as well as the Centennial Honors College, University Libraries, the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts (BOT/BA) program and International Studies at "The Right Place" tent from noon-3 p.m. The NFL rookie, whose return to Western is possible because Homecoming coincides with the Cowboys' bye week, will also be introduced at halftime of the 3:05 p.m. Fighting Leathernecks vs. Missouri State football game at Hanson Field. ??
On April 26, Williams became the first FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known at Division I-AA) player taken in the 2009 NFL Draft when the Dallas Cowboys picked him with their first selection. Williams was the fifth player selected in the third round and the 69th pick overall, just 30 minutes after the draft started.
He is the 34th Leatherneck selected in the NFL Draft and the 29th under the league's current format. The Leathernecks did have a first-round draft pick (Leroy Jackson) in 1962, but Williams is the school's highest pick in the modern era. Don Greco was the No. 72 pick in the third round of the 1981 draft.
The 6-foot-1, 246-pound Williams made his NFL regular-season debut Oct. 4 at Denver, getting a solo tackle. He missed the first two games due to a high ankle sprain. ??
Williams' collegiate honors are many, and include being selected as one of only a handful of FCS players for the 2009 East-West Shrine Game, an annual showcase of some of the nation's top collegiate talent. The fourth place Buck Buchanan Award recipient, Williams set the all-time FCS record, and tied the NCAA all-division defensive record, of 14 career forced
fumbles; he led the nation (tie) with a school record for in forced fumbles (.55 per game); ranked 32nd in the nation in tackles for loss (1.45 per game); and seventh in career tackles for loss (42.5) at the end of his senior season. He totaled 67 tackles, including 39 solos, with a 6.1 per game average. Williams was named to the Associated Press All-America First Team; the Sports Network All-America First Team; and the College Sporting News All-America Team. He was also the first player in school history to earn repeat American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America honors; and he was named Western Illinois' Defensive MVP.
For three years over the summers during his collegiate career, Williams returned to Chicago, teaching football fundamentals to grade school and junior high children at the Chicago Bears Youth Football Camp.
He is a graduate of Chicago's DuSable Leadership Academy, where he was in the top six percent of his class. Williams also helped lead the DuSable football team to an undefeated mark in the Chicago Public League's Intra-City Central Conference as a senior and was a two-time All-City and All-Section pick.
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