Ricky Williams

At 46 years old, Ricky Williams has this physical status:

College career

Williams played for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1995 to 1998, where he appeared for the University of Texas. As part of his minor league baseball deal, the Philadelphia Phillies paid for his college education.

Williams was supposed to start as the team's starting fullback in his freshman season. Williams and Shon Mitchell started the season opener together, with Priest Holmes out for the 1995 season due to a back injury. In the first game of the season against Hawaii, Williams tied for the most rushing yards by a true freshman. He rushed for 990 yards on 166 attempts and eight touchdowns during the regular season, breaking Earl Campbell's school record for rushing yards by a freshman. In the 1995 Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, he had 62 yards. After the season, he was named Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year.

Williams, who was also known as the "Texas Tornado" in college football, was rated by the Sporting News as the best fullback in college football until his sophomore year. In seven games during the season, he led Texas in rushing with 1,272 yards and over 100 yards. In a game with nine receptions, he rushed for 48 yards and tied a bowl record for catches.

Williams returned to running in 1997 for his junior year, and Bob Griese's Football Magazine ranked him as the second-best candidate for the Heisman Trophy going into the season. In a game against Rice that set school and Big 12 Conference records, he scored five touchdowns. He set a school record for career touchdowns with 43 against Kansas. Williams had 1,893 passing yards on 279 attempts and 25 touchdowns on the season. He set single-season school records for rushing yards, carries, and rushing touchdowns in a season, as well as all-purpose yards with 2,043. With 172.0, he had the most passing yards per game in Division I-A, and with 135 points, he took third place in Heisman balloting. He received the Doak Walker Award in December 1997 and was a unanimous All-America pick.

Williams returned to Texas for his senior season, opting to forego the 1998 NFL Draft in which he was expected to be drafted between the fourth and seventh picks. In the case that he was wounded and was not selected lower in the draft as a result, Texas provided him with a $2.8 million insurance policy for recovering. In a game with six people, he tied for rushing touchdowns against New Mexico State. He beat Earl Campbell's career school rushing record by 4,530 yards in the next game against UCLA. In a game with Rice, he scored six touchdowns in addition to gaining 318 yards. He also became Texas' all-purpose yards in a game with 350 points, and established a school record for all-purpose yards in a game with 350 points. He rushed for 350 yards and five touchdowns against Iowa State, breaking the single-game school record for rushing yards. Williams tied for the most touchdowns in the game with 67. He helped defeat longtime rival Oklahoma by rushing for 166 yards and two scores. Williams tied for 259 yards against Baylor, defeating him for 259 yards, defeating him in a game against Baylor.

In a game against Texas A&M on a 60-yard touchdown run, Williams tied for the NCAA Division I-A record held by Tony Dorsett on November 27, 1998. While Williams received the game ball and was honoured by a group of dignitaries, including Dorsett, the game was briefly suspended. He finished the game with 259 yards on a career-high 44 runs and also tied for the Division I-A career all-purpose yards record with 7,206 yards. The record-breaking touchdown was later named the Compaq College Football Play of the Year, and the football used during the game was donated to the College Football Hall of Fame. With 193.0 yards per game, Williams led Division I-A in rushing for the 1998 season. Williams received his second straight Doak Walker Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Sports News College Football Player of the Year, the Best College Football Player of the Year, the Best College Football Player of the Year, the Best College Football Player ESPY Award, and the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year awards following the 1998 season. For the second straight season, he was unanimous All-America pick for the second straight season. Earl Campbell was named the 64th Heisman Trophy, making him the second Texas Longhorn to win this award. In the Heisman ballot, Williams earned 2,355 points. He set a new bowl record of 248 all-purpose yards in the 1999 Cotton Bowl Classic. He appeared in the Hula Bowl all-star game after the season.

Williams set or tied 21 NCAA Division I-A records, 24 Big 12 Conference records, and 46 Texas Longhorns school records in his career. Ron Dayne of the University of Wisconsin set a new record for career rushing yards a year later in 1999. Texas retired his No. 1 from the Texas Rangers. In May 1999, 34 jerseys were issued. Williams, along with Earl Campbell, has a statue on the grounds of Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, to celebrate their Heisman Trophy victories.

Professional career

Williams appeared at the NFL Scouting Combine 20 pounds overweight and refused to participate in workouts. In April 1999, he hosted a private workout for NFL teams at the University of California, San Diego. He weighed in at 224 pounds at the gym, less than the 244 pounds he weighed at the Combine. The Cleveland Browns made the first pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, and their assistant Chris Palmer said Williams, as well as quarterback Tim Couch and Akili Smith, was a finalist for the pick. Despite calls from the city and fans to choose Williams, the team selected Couch and the Philadelphia Eagles with the second pick in the draft, selected Donovan McNabb.

The New Orleans Saints selected Williams as the fifth pick overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. Mike Ditka sold all of the Saints' remaining 1999 draft picks (the second round pick was already traded to the Rams to get Eddie Kennison) to the Washington Redskins for Williams, as well as first- and third-round picks the following year. This was the first time a single player was the only draft pick of an NFL team.

"For Better or for Worse" was the opening of Williams and Ditka's photo shoot for ESPN The Magazine as a bride and a groom. No Limit Sports, the Rapper Master P's company, negotiated his seven-year, $11.1 million deal, which was largely incentive-laden; if he achieved all of his rewards, his compensation could be worth up to $68.4 million, with salary increases likely to be worth more than top-level production to achieve. Legions of people, including writers and writers, who discovered that Williams' position granted him much more in promised funds. Williams argued that he personally demanded the terms of the deal, but that everything else [he] should have [had] to earn" in the 2020 BET docuseries No Limit Chronicles. He received only one reward and got only $125,000, the league minimum, after spraining his ankle and fighting injuries during his rookie year, prompting further criticism of No Limit Sports and his agent Leland Hardy. "I think Master P underestimated how white professional sports were," Williams said. Williams later dropped No Limit Sports and made Leigh Steinberg his agent, according to her. Ditka was suspended later for the team's poor results.

Williams spent three seasons (1999-2001) with the Saints (1999-2001). In a 19-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, he made his NFL debut with ten carries for 40 yards. In 12 games, he had 884 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns as a rookie. In 2000, he rushed for 1,000 yards and scored nine total touchdowns in ten games. Due to an injury in a game against the Panthers, he missed the team's last six regular-season games and first playoff game. The Saints finished the 2000 regular season with a 10–6 record and won the franchise's first-ever playoff game against the St. Louis Rams. Williams' next season was a fruitful one. In Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, Williams earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week accolades for his 136rushing yards and a touchdown. In the month of October, his 411 passing yards, two touchdowns, 22 plays, and 157 receiving yards earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Month. Williams finished eighth in the NFL after rushing for 1,245 yards. In his last season with the Saints, he had 60 passes for 511 yards.

Williams was traded to the Miami Dolphins on March 8, 2002, for four draft picks, including two first-round picks. In 2002, he had a stellar season with ten games with at least 100 rushing yards in his first season with the Dolphins. In Week 12, against the San Diego Chargers, he had 143 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Against the Buffalo Bills, he finished with 228 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns. In the next game against the Chicago Bears, he had 216 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns, earning another AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. With 1,853 yards, a first-team All-Pro, and a Pro Bowler, he was the NFL's top rusher, with 1,853 yards, a Pro Bowler.

Williams had 1,372 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 50 plays, 351 passing yards, and one touchdown.

On a trip to Australia, Williams was known for his dreadlocks hairstyle, but he chopped them off. Williams made him seem a little oddball because of his shyness. Joe Horn, a former Saints receiver, said, "Ricky's just a different guy." "He had a lot to do with me." He didn't have nothing to do with because he wanted to have nothing to do with. No one could have predicted that. I don't believe the guys in the locker room understood that he wanted to be to himself, you know, quiet. It always kept people in suspense if you didn't know him and didn't know what he was about. Williams was known for doing post-game interviews with his helmet on (completely with tinted visor) and avoiding eye contact while avoiding eye contact in lieu of keeping to himself. Williams was later diagnosed with social anxiety disorder.

Williams tested positive for marijuana in December 2003 and was banned for six weeks and a four-game suspension for breaching the NFL's substance abuse policy, which was revealed on May 14, 2004. He had already tested positive for marijuana shortly after joining the Dolphins. Williams revealed that he would not return from professional football just a few weeks before training camp was set to begin in July 2004.

Williams said he had failed a third drug test before announcing his retirement, and he resigned on August 2, 2004. Williams, who was ineligible to play in the 2004 season, studied Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of holistic medicine, at the California College of Ayurveda in Grass Valley, California. With a 4–12 record, the Dolphins ended the 2004 season.

Williams continues to say that he does not regret the retirement choice. He believes that it was the "most good thing" he's ever done in his life, allowing him time to discover himself.

Williams officially returned to the Dolphins on July 24, 2005, paid a portion of his signing bonus and ended his four-game suspension for a missed drug sample. Williams apologised for leaving the team two days before the team's training camp began, contributing to the Dolphins' worst season in years at his return press conference. On 168 attempts and 743 yards during 2005, Williams had six touchdowns and a 4.4 yards per carry average. Although he spent time with Ronnie Brown, he did run for 172 yards against the Tennessee Titans in Week 16 and 108 against the New England Patriots in Week 17.

Williams had breached the NFL drug policy for the fourth time on February 20, 2006. According to reports, his mother did not believe it was another marijuana offence and that he may have been in India when he was supposed to be tested. Williams was suspended for the entire 2006 season until April 25, 2006. It has been speculated that the drug may have been a herb related to his interest in holistic medicine.

Williams was suspended for the entire 2006 NFL season, and the Toronto Argonauts decided to place Williams on the bargaining block for the 2006 season. If his NFL deal were to be terminated at any time, Williams would be able to negotiate with Williams, ensuring that the team would become the rightful CFL company to work with Williams. Williams was allowed to play for the Argonauts on the condition that he return to them in 2007.

When Williams signed a one-year Can$340,000 deal with the Argonauts on May 28, 2006, he became the highest-paid running back in the CFL. He opted for the #27 on his jersey.

Joe Theismann, a former Argonauts quarterback, was furious about the signing. Theismann appeared on May 30, 2006, when he chastised the Argonauts for signing the suspended Williams. Theismann claimed he was disgraced to be a member of a team that would knowingly sign "an addict" such as Williams. Despite Williams being under contract with the Dolphins for the 2006 season, there was no substance abuse policy in place and also did not restrict its clubs from signing players suspended from other leagues.

The Argonauts' ownership responded to Theismann's criticism by noting that Joe, Theismann's son, pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of possessing drug paraphernalia in 2002. He was sentenced to ten years in jail and fined on five years of probation and fined. "It's really a delicate topic for him to hurt someone if he has that in his own family," Argo co-owner David Cynamon said. "I was his son and he's calling [Williams] a heroin user who should resign and he's a loser, I'd be devastated." This whole thing is really frustrating."

In a home game against the Tiger-Cats at the Rogers Centre on June 17, 2006, Williams made his official CFL debut on June 17, 2006. He rushed for 97 yards on 18 attempts in the fourth quarter, his longest carry for 35 yards in the fourth quarter. Williams had two passes for 24 yards as the Argonauts defeated the Tiger-Cats by a score of 27–17.

Williams sustained a fractured bone in his left arm during a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, Saskatchewan, on July 22, 2006. On July 23, 2006, he underwent surgery to repair the broken bone. Williams sustained another injury after a door at the Argonauts' practice facility swung behind him and clipped the running back on his left achilles tendon, which needed 16 stitches to close the loop. Williams received hyperbaric oxygen therapy in St. Catharines, Ontario, to expedite his recovery from injury. Williams missed two months of game action due to the injuries, and the Calgary Stampeders returned on September 23, 2006.

Williams rushed 109 yards for 526 yards, two touchdowns, in 11 games during the 2006 CFL regular season, marking two touchdowns. He had 19 passes for 127 yards.

Williams expressed his love for Toronto and hinted at the possibility of returning to the Canadian game during his career. "I was hoping it would be fine to return here and sort of follow Pinner's footsteps," Williams said. "I love Toronto so much," the group is based here. You look like you have a life. I arrive at work, I go home, play with my child, and walk to the grocery store. It's really nice. I have a lot of lessons to teach. It's awesome here." In another interview, he reiterated his desire to remain in the CFL: "If I came back here, you can put me somewhere," he says. "I can play offense, defense, and special teams here." I can do everything. I can block, play tight end, running back, receiver, and even play the line. The NFL is so organized — 'You do this.' I'm here to do so much."

With the outrage surrounding, the Argonauts' signing Williams prompted outgoing CFL commissioner Tom Wright, in his last state of the league address, to implement a new rule that would prohibit a player under suspension in the NFL from signing with a CFL team before the 2007 CFL season begins. This rule has been officially dubbed "The Ricky Williams Rule."

However, the new rule was grandfathered in so that players who were still playing in the league, such as Argonaut tackle Bernard Williams, who was suspended by the NFL for drug use and did not seek reinstatement after the ban was lifted, could continue playing.

Williams had failed a drug test again on May 11, 2007, according to an anonymous source. According to the report, NFL medical advisors had recommended to the commissioner that Williams not be recalled until September.

In 2007, Williams completed a rigorous regimen of multiple drug testing per week as part of his NFL rehabilitation process. He did yoga, which, he said, helped him to avoid using marijuana. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, was granted his request for reinstatement in October 2007. On November 26, 2007, Williams returned for a Monday Night Football game. Lawrence Timmons, a Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, stepped on his right shoulder, tearing his pectoral muscle, and hurled his pectoral muscle. Williams was injured on Monday and was forecast that he would miss the remainder of the season, and on November 28, he was put on injured reserve.

Williams returned to action in all 16 games for the Dolphins in 2008, rushing for 659 yards on 160 attempts and scoring four touchdowns. Ronnie Brown and Ronnie Brown coached the Wildcats together, resulting in an 11-5 season for the Dolphins.

Starting running back Ronnie Brown suffered a season-ending injury in 2009, and Williams, who turned 32, became the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. He had 22 attempts for 119 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with 1,121 yards passing and 4.7 yards per carry, while still setting a franchise record (six years) between 1,000 yards seasons (2003-2009). During the season, Williams was the seventh player in NFL history to start a season age 32 or older and pass 1,000 yards.

Williams played for 673 yards and two touchdowns for the Dolphins in 2010 while splitting duties, averaging 4.2 yards per carry at the age of 33.

On August 8, 2011, Williams agreed to a two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. On October 16, Williams scored his first touchdown of the season against the Houston Texans. He had 444 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 2011 season. Williams reached the 10,000 career rushing yards record on January 1, 2012, becoming the 26th player in the NFL's history to do so. Williams notified the Ravens of his release from football on February 7, 2012.

NFL career statistics

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