Status Retired Name David Williams Positions Wide receiver CFL status International Role American football player Drafted by Chicago Bears | College Illinois Height 1.91 m Cfl all star 1988 High school Junipero Serra Weight 86 kg | |
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Date of birth (1963-06-10) June 10, 1963 (age 52) Place of birth Los Angeles, California Education University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | ||
David Lamar Williams (born June 10, 1963) is a former American football wide receiver. Williams was named consensus All-American twice at the University of Illinois, and is an inducted member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
- Career at Illinois
- Trivia
- Awards and recognitions
- Illinois records
- NCAA Division I all time rankings
- Illinois statistics
- National Football League
- Canadian Football League
- References
Williams was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Williams attended Serra High School in Gardena, California. Williams attended Los Angeles Harbor College where he was a junior college All-American.
Career at Illinois
Williams played at Illinois from 1983 to 1985. Under the prolific passing offense of coach Mike White, Williams set many Illinois receiving records, and was a consensus two-time First-team All-American.
In Williams' first season, the 1983 Fighting Illini finished the regular season with a record of 10-1, including a 9-0 mark in Big Ten games. Williams caught 59 passes for 870 yards, with six touchdowns. As Big Ten champions, the Fighting Illini played UCLA in the 1984 Rose Bowl. Williams caught 10 passes for 88 yards in a 45-9 loss.
In 1984, Williams led all NCAA Division I receivers with 101 receptions, 1278 receiving yards, and 9.2 receptions per game. His 101 receptions made Williams the second player in NCAA history to have more than 100 receptions in a season. Williams was a consensus First-team All-American
Williams was again a consensus First-team All-American in 1985. He caught 85 passes for 1047 yards and had eight touchdown receptions in the regular season. Illinois played Army in the 1985 Peach Bowl, and Williams caught seven passes for 109 yards, including touchdown catches of 15 and 54 yards, although Illinois lost by the score of 31-29.
Williams finished his collegiate career as the second leading receiver in NCAA history. In 1990, Williams was named to Illinois' 25-man All-Century Team, chosen as part of the celebration of 100 years of Illinois football.
Trivia
Awards and recognitions
Illinois records
As of 2005 Illinois Football Media Guide
NCAA Division I all-time rankings
As of 2005 NCAA Division I Football Record Book
Note: the NCAA does not recognize postseason statistics prior to 2002 in the official records.
Illinois statistics
Including bowl games
National Football League
Williams was taken in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, with the 82nd overall selection. He has the rare distinction of being a 3rd round pick who was cut before the season started. Williams would play two seasons in the National Football League, but would never be able to duplicate his collegiate success in the NFL. Williams played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986 and the Los Angeles Raiders in 1987, and would finish his NFL career with 10 catches for 195 yards.
Canadian Football League
Williams played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League. He played for the BC Lions in 1988 and 1989, the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1990, the Toronto Argonauts in 1991 and 1992 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1993 to 1995. He won the CFL's Outstanding Player Award in 1988, and played in the classic 76th Grey Cup game in 1988, scoring one touchdown. He also won a Grey Cup title for the Toronto Argonauts in 1991.