DeAngelo Williams

At 41 years old, DeAngelo Williams has this physical status:

DeAngelo Chondon Williams (born April 25, 1983) is a former American footballer who plays in the American National Football Association.

He played college football at Memphis and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Prior to Williams' release in the 2014 offseason, he appeared in a dual role in Carolina alongside Jonathan Stewart.

He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2015 to 2016.

Early years

Williams was voted the top running back in Arkansas in 2001 after playing for the Yellowjackets football team at Wynne, Arkansas. He missed most of his sophomore season due to a broken foot. He finished 1,044 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior and was named to the Arkansas All-State squad in 2000. While leading his team to the state 4A championship as a senior, he rushed for a single-season record 2,204 yards and 34 touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per carry. In four playoff games, he had 939 yards, six touchdowns against Greenwood, including 26 carries for 302 yards and six touchdowns against Greenwood; in the state championship game against Stuttgart, he rushed for 194 yards on 24 attempts, including two touchdowns, one receiving touchdown, and one return touchdown. He was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 2001 Offensive Player of the Year and was selected to the Associated Press Arkansas Super Team in 2001.

Williams was a letterman in track and field. He still holds the state 4A record in the 100-meter dash with a timed 10.81 seconds. In the 2001 state track championships, he was able to lead Wynne to a second-place finish.

Williams was rated as the nation's best running back prospect, the country's top overall prospect, and the first to the All-America and All-Region team by SuperPrep. He was recruited by Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Iowa before deciding on Memphis.

Personal life

Williams was born on April 25, 1983, to his mother Sandra Hill. In 2004, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died in May 2014 after ten years fighting the disease. Four of his aunts have also had breast cancer. Williams now works with Susan G. Komen and has pink highlights in his dreadlocks to promote breast cancer fights. He sponsored 500 mammograms to honor his mother in October 2019.

Williams competed in The Amazing Race's 32nd season with Gary Barnidge and finished in fourth place.

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College career

Williams played for the Memphis Tigers football team at the University of Memphis.

Williams, who was born in Memphis, was a highly coveted signee. As a true freshman, he played in ten games. He racked up 129 passing yards, on 12 rushes, and a touchdown in his first game as a true freshman in school history. In the 38–10 victory over Tulane, he gained 166 passing yards, including an 86-yard touchdown. He was named Week of the Week for his appearance in the Tulane game. While playing in Louisville, he sustained a knee sprain and was forced to miss the game against Mississippi State next week. In the 38–10 victory, he had a career-high two rushing touchdowns against Army, as well as 10 carries and 110 rushing yards. He had 684 passing yards, 103 yards, and five touchdowns.

Williams had 61 passing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 40-10 victory over Tennessee Tech in the 2003 regular season opener. He had career highs of 135 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Golden Eagles. In the 44-34 win over Mississippi, he had 131 passing yards, 36 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. In the 23–6 loss, he gained over 100 yards against Southern Mississippi the next week, ending the game with 158 rushing yards. After a 108-yard victory over Arkansas State and another 107-yard game in a 24–10 loss to UAB the following week, he tied the school record for four consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards. In a 35–27 loss, he broke the game after breaking records when he ran 119 yards against Mississippi State. In a 45–14 victory, he continued his streak against the Houston Cougars with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In the 41–9 victory over Tulane, he had a career-high, 195 passing yards, and two touchdowns. In the 41–24 victory, he won by beating East Carolina for the eighth straight games with at least 100 passing yards. With the 137 yards rushing, he tied for the most rushing yards in a single season. He continued to set new records next week, when he tied for the most attempts in a single season. In the 37–7 victory over Louisville, Williams had 154 passing yards and one rushing touchdown on 27 attempts. In a victory over Cincinnati next week, he scored 136 yards but tore his MCL during the 21–16 victory, snapping his record-breaking season. He had over 1,400 passing yards, the most in school history, and was the top-performing yards in the country last season. He was named as the 2003 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.

Williams returned to action against Mississippi in the 2004 season opener after missing the last two regular season games and the New Orleans Bowl. With 118 yards in the 20-13 win, he made it 11 straight games with over 100 yards, ending the streak that began the previous season and ending with a career-high 37 attempts. Williams won the 52–21 victory over Chattanooga, with 136 passing yards, three running touchdowns, 87 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception. His four touchdowns were his highest single game in his career. In the 35-28 loss, his streak came to an end a few weeks later, at 13 years old when UAB held him to 92 rushing yards. In the 41–14 victory over Houston, he had 33 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Williams' 262 rushing yards was the most by a Tiger in a home game in school history. In the 49–24 victory over Tulane, he had 19 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Williams had 57 yards in a 49–10 loss against Cincinnati before embarking on a largely successful run for the Tigers. In the 56–49 loss, he had 26 carries for 200 yards and one rushing touchdown against Louisville on November 4, a record breaking feat. In the 30-26 victory over Southern Miss, he had 27 carries for 199 yards and two rushing touchdowns. In the 38-35 victory, he continued his streak against East Carolina with 32 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. In the 31-15 victory over South Florida on the road, he had 28 yards for a school record 263 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Williams' junior season came to an end when he broke his leg while playing Bowling Green in the GMAC Bowl on December 22. He finished his junior year with 22 rushing touchdowns and second, as well as 18 touchdowns for 210 yards and one receiving touchdown. He was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row, breaking the previous record of 138 points set by Stephen Gostkowski in 2003 and 23 total touchdowns, beating Dave Casinelli in 1963. Williams will hold these records until Darrell Henderson broke them in 2018. Williams scored 24 points in three separate games, a school record to this day, despite being tied with four other players. Williams was selected to the 2004 Pro Football Weekly All-America Team. He was named in the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Year Award.

Williams was considered a Heisman Trophy nominee before the 2005 season. In 2005, Touchdown Club of Columbus named him as a "Player to Watch" on the Touchdown Club of Columbus. In a 10–6 loss to Ole Miss, Williams was held to 85 yards on 24 carries, but he followed that up with ten straight games with over 100 yards passing. In the 59–14 victory over Chattanooga, he rushed for 205 yards on 20 carries. In a 37-31 loss to Tulsa, he passed for 223 yards on 30 attempts. In a 27–20 victory over UTEP, he finished with 236 passing yards on 35 runs this week. In a road loss to Central Florida this week, he had 14 carries for 136 yards. In a road victory over Houston, he finished with 33 carries for 198 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. In a 27–24 victory over East Carolina, he continued his productive season with 226 rushing yards on 39 passes and two touchdowns. His 39 carries were the second-most for a single game in school history. In a home loss to UAB, he had 21 carries for 167 yards on November 1, a home loss to UAB. In a road victory over Southern Miss, he had 36 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. In a 26-3 win over Marshall, he finished the regular season with 127 rushing yards. Williams helped Memphis beat the Akron Zips 38-31 by running for a Bowl record 238 yards and scoring three touchdowns in his last college game. In 2005, his success made him the best ground-gainer in college football. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Walter Camp Foundation also selected Williams as an All-America nominee. At the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, he received the Amateur Athlete of the Year Award.

Williams was a finalist for the 2005 Doak Walker Award, which was given to Reggie Bush. In Heisman Trophy voting, he came in seventh overall. Williams was named the inaugural winner of the ARA Sportsmanship Award in 2005, given by the Awards and Recognition Association to the Division I footballer who best exemplifies sportsmanship both on and off the track. He was named as the best offensive player of the year in the third year in a row.

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Williams completed his collegiate career with 6,026 passing yards, more than double behind second place Dave Casinelli, who had 2,636 yards. With 3,545 yards from 2016–18, Darrell Henderson was the nearest competitor to Williams' rushing yards record. In addition,, he has scored 55 rushing touchdowns, 19 more than Casinelli and Henderson. Williams was the first player in school to play ten 100-yard games in a single season, a feat he accomplished in three separate seasons. As a result, his 34 100-yard rush games are more than double the next highest total of 16 by Henderson. He holds the division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record for 100-yard rush games (34) and All-purpose yards (7,573). With 6,026 yards, he currently ranks sixth on the all-time NCAA rushing list. Memphis announced the "Most Valuable Player" award as the "DeAngelo Williams MVP Award, which is given out annually at their football banquets, beginning in 2012.

Professional career

Williams attended the 2006 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, an annual event in which college seniors and professional prospects are evaluated by NFL staff in preparation for the NFL Draft. His height was recorded at 5'9, prompting some scouts to question his potential as an undersized back in the NFL. However, scouting reports soon placed him among the top players in the game, leading up to the bowl, and Williams ended the week with a strong, if brief, appearance in the game itself, rushing for 31 yards on three carries and receiving two passes for 28 yards. Williams spent time in Nashville, Tennessee, at D1 Sports Training.

Williams ostensibly improved his draft file even more on the University of Memphis campus on March 24, after an extraordinary workout. He did a 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds with the wind and 4.48 seconds against the wind. In the short shuttle, the three-cone drill, and the long shuttle, he also impressed. In addition, he ran a 3412-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-9 broad jump, and he caught the ball well in receiving drills.

Despite being a top-ten pick at one point, with others estimating him as high as fourth overall to the New York Jets, Williams saw his draft stock plummet in weeks weeks ahead of the draft, as many clubs filled their needs at the running back position via free agency. He was the first pick of the Carolina Panthers in the first round on April 29, 2006, he was ranked by the Carolina Panthers in the first round with the 27th overall pick in the NFL Draft. In a promising draft class at running back, he included Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Laurence Maroney, and Joseph Addai. He was the highest draft player out of the Memphis Tigers program since Bob Rush finished 24th overall in 1977. In addition, he was the highest drafted running back for the Memphis Tigers. Williams got the jersey #34, which he wore in high school, and that was the same as his hero, Ricky Williams.

Williams appeared in the first five games of the 2006 season and was an excellent substitute to DeShaun Foster in the Carolina backfield, averaged at 5.3 yards per carry. In Week 2, against the Minnesota Vikings, he had 13 passes for 74 yards and his first professional touchdown, including a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Due to a strained ankle, he skipped Weeks 6 to 8. Williams started for Foster, who had strained his elbow, in Week 11 against the St. Louis Rams, who had a total of 20 carries for 114 yards in the 15-0 victory. Williams started for an injured Foster in a 27-24 loss on Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles, totaling 74 passing yards on 17 carries and seven touchdowns on seven catches with a receiving touchdown. Wide receiver Jake Delhomme's first touchdown as a professional was the 35-yard reception. He appeared in 13 games, of which he started two. He had 121 attempts for 501 passing yards and one rushing touchdown, as well as 33 touchdowns for 313 yards and one receiving touchdown.

Williams continued to back up DeShaun Foster in the 2007 season. In Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, he had his first 100-yard game of the season, with 10 carries for 121 yards. He won by 75 yards in the fourth quarter, the most in team history, but only in the fourth quarter, he was tagged short of the goal line. On the next play, he ran the ball to the right corner of endzone for his first touchdown of the season. Due to a lack of playing time, he had 97 total passing yards in the next five weeks. Williams rushed for 121 yards on 20 carries in the 31-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the last week of the regular season. He finished the season with 144 passes for 717 yards and led the team with four rushing touchdowns. He was ranked ninth in the NFL in yards per carry (5.0).

Before the 2008 season, Williams established himself as the Panthers' starting running back. Williams carried on with rookie first-round pick Jonathan Stewart throughout the 2008 season, but Williams did the bulk of the work. In Week 4, he had 20 passes for 123 yards to go along with a 25-yard receiving touchdown. Williams started running for at least 100 yards and a rushing touchdown in four straight games, with the Panthers going 3-1 in Week 8. In a Week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers, Williams tied for rushing touchdowns in one game by scoring four times. After a dominating effort in which he rushed for 186 yards on 19 attempts and two touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Williams was named FedEx Ground Player-of-the-Week in Week 14. For his efforts against the Buccaneers, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Williams rushed 24 times for 108 yards and four rushing touchdowns in an overtime 34–28 loss on December 21, in a game against the New York Giants for the number one playoff seed. In a 33–31 victory over the New Orleans Saints, he ended the regular season with 25 passes for 178 yards. Williams did not fail throughout the 2008 season.

Despite having a good statistical year, he was unable to participate in the Pro Bowl over Clinton Portis despite having more total yards, touchdowns, and yards per carry. This is mainly due to Portis' outperformance in the first half of the season, as well as the large Redskins fanbase. However, Williams did make the All-Pro team. He played in all 16 games and ended the season with 273 passes for 1,515 running yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, along with 22 catches for 121 touchdowns and two touchdowns. Williams credited a large portion of his 2008 triumph to a discussion with Vinny Testaverde and improved pre-game preparations. Williams was named Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America's Most Improved Player of the Year by the year's Most Improved Player of the Year by the year's end.

The Panthers finished with a 12-4 record, won the NFC South, and gained a first-round bye with the #2 seed. In the Divisional Round, Williams made his playoff debut against the Arizona Cardinals. In the 33-33 loss, he had 12 carries for 63 yards.

In the first four games, Williams averaged 55 yards per game. In that stretch, he discovered the endzone twice. In a 28–21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 30 passes for 152 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Williams led the Arizona Cardinals to 77 yards against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, breaking his own record set in 2007. Williams will hold this record until Christian McCaffrey ran an 84-yard pass in 2019. Williams led to a 34–21 victory with 23 carries for 158 yards. In a 30-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints, he continued his streak with 21 passes for 149 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Despite missing all three games and the majority of two others due to injury, Williams was able to rush for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns on 216 attempts, as well as receiving 252 yards on 29 catches, earning him a spot in the Pro Bowl. He and Jonathan Stewart were the first running back team since the 1970 merger to rush for 1,110 yards apiece (with Stewart rushing for 1,133 yards), as well as becoming the first running back in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

Williams scored a touchdown on a seven-yard run during the 2010 Pro Bowl, the first by a Panthers player in team history. He finished the game with two carries for six yards and a touchdown, as well as a 15-yard reception.

During the Panthers' home win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7, Williams sustained his right foot. He did not play again until being put on injured reserve on November 17, 2010, which was described as a mid-foot sprain. Williams had 361 rush yards and one running touchdown on 87 rushes, as well as 11 receptions for 61 touchdowns. Williams decided to remain with the Panthers for five years on July 27, 2011.

Cam Newton was drafted by the Panthers in 2011 as their starting quarterback. Williams, Stewart, and Newton were able to strike a three-way split in carry carries. With 2,408. Williams helped the trio finish third in the league in total rushing yards. With 26 points, the Panthers finished first in average yards per carry and first in total touchdowns. Williams had 155 passes for 836 passing yards and seven touchdowns, as well as 16 receptions for 135 yards on the season.

In 2012, the Panthers signed former San Diego Chargers fullback Mike Tolbert. Williams' carries would be split further with Stewart, Newton, and Tolbert as a result of the agreement. In the 44–38 victory over the New Orleans Saints, he rushed 21 times for a career-high 210 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Despite playing every game of the season, he only attended ten of the games. On 173 attempts, he gained 737 yards. He had five touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns.

Williams had 23 carries for 120 rushing yards in Week 3 against the New York Giants, a 38-0 triumph. In Week 15 against the New York Jets, he had 168 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown. Williams had 201 attempts in the 2013 season, his highest attempts since his Pro Bowl debut in 2009. However, he did not make much money out of these carries, only running for 843 yards. He had three rushing touchdowns, his fewest since his injury-plagued season in 2010, as well as a touchdown. The Panthers ended with a 12–4 record, gained the NFC South, and earned a first-round bye with the #2 seed. In the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers, he had five carries for 13 yards, defeating him 23–10.

In the season-opening 20–14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Williams ran for 72 yards on 12 attempts. He missed the second and third games of the season against the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively due to a hamstring injury sustained during a practice in between the first two games of the season. Williams sustained a high ankle sprain and was forced to leave the game early in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens. On October 6, 2014, his cast was canceled. Williams will be back against the New Orleans Saints for Week 9 against Ron Rivera, according to coach Ron Rivera. Williams fractured his right middle finger during a Week 13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He had been listed as day to day. He missed Week 14 over the New Orleans Saints due to a hand injury. For Week 15 against Tampa Bay, he was listed as uncertain. Williams returned from the Wild Card Round against the Arizona Cardinals after missing the final two games of the season against the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons respectively. In a 27-16 victory, he saw only little action, with the ball only carried the ball four times for 16 yards. Williams carried the ball two times for 14 yards against the Seattle Seahawks in a 31–17 loss. Williams appeared in six games in the 2014 regular season due to numerous injuries. He had 62 carries for 219 rushing yards. For the first time in his professional career, he was held without a touchdown. On March 10, 2015.

As of 2017 NFL off-season:

Williams signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 13, 2015. The deal was for two years and $4.0 million, with $1.13 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.13 million.

In the NFL season opener against the New England Patriots on September 10, Williams made his first appearance as a Steeler on September 10. He ran for 127 yards on 21 attempts on his first attempt in a game since 2012. Williams had three touchdowns on 20 carries for 77 yards in Week 2, defeating the San Francisco 49ers. Despite his success in the first two weeks of the season, Williams was used as a back-up until All-Pro starter Le'Veon Bell returned from his two-game suspension. Williams had just one carry for two yards in Bell's first game back in Week 3 12–6 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Williams had only two rushing attempts for five yards against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, defeating the 23-20 loss. Williams was fined $5,787 for wearing eye black that read "Find the Cure" in honor of breast cancer awareness on October 28, 2010. Williams rushed for 71 yards on nine carries in Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he came after Le'Veon Bell, who was out for a while due to a shoulder injury. Bell had suffered a torn MCL and would miss the remainder of the season, effectively ending Williams from starting running back.

Williams made his first appearance in Week 2 for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while still scoring on two touchdowns in a Week 9 victory over the Oakland Raiders. In a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on December 13, 2015, he had 23 rushes for 76 yards and two running touchdowns.

In Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, Williams suffered an ankle injury and did not return. This injury kept him out of the Steelers' 18–16 Wild Card Round victory over Cincinnati and the following week against the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. Williams led the team in the 2015 regular season with 202 rushing yards and tied for 907 yards, Jeremy Hill, and Adrian Peterson for the league's top-runner with 11 rushing touchdowns. At the age of 32, he became the first NFL player to own a share of the NFL rushing touchdown single-season record since Marcus Allen in 1993.

After another Le'Veon Bell suspension, Williams was recalled to play as the Steelers lead running back, this time for the first three games of the season. After rushing for 146 yards against the Washington Redskins in the season opener and 94 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in the next game, he was the league leader in rush yards. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 1 appearance. His production dropped later this season, with him totaling 343 yards and four running touchdowns. The Steelers made the playoffs and advanced to the AFC Championship. In the 36-17 loss to the New England Patriots, he had 14 rushing yards and a running touchdown, as well as seven receptions for 51 yards. In addition,, he had a fruitful two-point conversion in what was his last professional game. He announced on Facebook on June 25, 2018 that he had resigned from football.

NFL career statistics

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Professional wrestling career

Williams appeared on Impact Wrestling's episode on April 2, 2017, along with former NFL tight end Gary Barnidge, to save Moose from an attack. Williams declared he would make his debut as a professional wrestler at a forthcoming pay-per-view event a week later. Williams said, "I'm a huge, huge fan of professional wrestling, and everything I'm going to do in the ring will be for the wrestlers I have watched in the past, as well as those who never watch today." I love the sport, the wrestlers, and everything that comes with it." In a press release, he was hyped for his appearance.

Williams made his debut at Slammiversary XV on July 2, 2017, with Moose (himself a former NFL player) as the team's captain. Williams' performance in the match was lauded by critics, including journalist Dave Meltzer, who claimed that he has "the potential to be one of the best wrestlers I've ever seen," and compared him to other athletes turned wrestlers such as Matt Riddle, Akiyama, and Kurt Angle. Williams was "pretty damn impressive in his first-ever match," Bryan Alvarez said. Williams had the highest in-ring appearance by a celebrity in wrestling history, according to Meltzer later.

On July 5, 2017, Williams announced that he would not return to wrestling.

Williams announced on July 2, 2018 that he would return to wrestling and compete for Impact. Williams started a storyline with Austin Aries, but after one episode, he did not return.

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