DeAngelo Williams
DeAngelo Chondon Williams is an American professional wrestler and former football running back who played in the National Football League. He played college football for the Memphis Tigers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2005. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. He starred in a dual role in Carolina alongside Jonathan Stewart, until Williams' release in the 2014 offseason. He then played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2015 to 2016.
Early life
Williams was considered the top running back in the state of Arkansas in 2001, having played for the Yellowjackets football team at Wynne High School in Wynne, Arkansas. He missed most of his sophomore season with a broken bone in his foot. As a junior, he gained 1,044 yards rushing and scored 14 touchdowns, leading him to be named to the Arkansas All-State team in 2000. As a senior, he rushed for a single-season record 2,204 yards and 34 touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per carry while leading his squad to the state 4A championship. He had 939 yards rushing in four playoff games, 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, scoring two rushing 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 & field. He still holds the state 4A record in the 100-meter dash with an
electronically timed 10.81 seconds. He helped lead Wynne to a second-place finish in the 2001 state track championships.
Williams was rated as the 25th best running back prospect in the nation, the number two overall prospect in the state of Arkansas and was named to the All-America and All-Region Team by SuperPrep. He was recruited by Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Iowa before deciding on Memphis.
College career
Williams attended the University of Memphis, where he played for the Memphis Tigers football team.2002 season
Entering Memphis, Williams was a highly touted signee. He played in 10 games as a true freshman. In his first career game, a 52–6 victory over Murray State, he racked up 129 rushing yards, on 12 rushes, and a touchdown, marking the second most rushing yards in school history by a true freshman. Against Tulane, he gained 166 rushing yards, including an 86-yard touchdown, in the 38–10 victory. For his performance in the Tulane game, he received the Conference USA Player of the Week. While playing Louisville, he suffered a knee sprain and was forced to sit out the next week's contest against Mississippi State. He had a career-high two rushing touchdowns against Army, as well as 10 carries and 110 rushing yards, in the 38–10 victory. He led the team with 684 rushing yards, 103 carries and five rushing touchdowns.2003 season
In the 2003 regular season opener against Tennessee Tech, Williams had 61 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 40–10 victory. He had career highs of 135 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns playing against the Golden Eagles. The following week against Mississippi, he recorded 131 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards, and two rushing touchdowns in the 44–34 victory. He gained over 100 yards the following week against Southern Mississippi, finishing the game with 158 rushing yards, in the 23–6 loss. After a 108-yard game in a 38–16 victory over Arkansas State and another 107-yard game in a 24–10 loss to UAB the following week, he tied the school record with four consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards. The game after, he broke the record, when he posted 119 rushing yards against Mississippi State in a 35–27 loss. He continued the streak against the Houston Cougars with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 45–14 victory. The next week he had a career-high, 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns, in the 41–9 victory against Tulane. Playing East Carolina, he made the record eight consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards in the 41–24 victory. With the 137 yards rushing, he broke the school record for single season rushing yards. He continued to break records the next week, when he broke the school record for attempts in a single season. Williams had 154 rushing yard and one rushing touchdown on 27 attempts in the 37–7 victory over Louisville. The next week, in a win against Cincinnati, he posted 136 rushing yards but tore his MCL during the 21–16 victory, ending his record-breaking season. He ended the season with over 1,400 rushing yards, the most in school history, and leading the nation in all-purpose yards. He was named as the 2003 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.2004 season
After missing the last two regular season games and the New Orleans Bowl, Williams returned in the 2004 season opener against Mississippi. With 118 rushing yards in the 20–13 victory, he made it 11 consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards, continuing the streak he began the previous season, and having a career-high 37 attempts. While playing against Chattanooga, Williams gained 136 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 87 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception in the 52–21 victory. His four touchdowns marked a career-high for a single game. His streak ended a few weeks later, at 13 when UAB held him to 92 rushing yards in the 35–28 loss. In the following game, against Houston, he had 33 carries for 262 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the 41–14 victory. Williams's 262 rushing yards was the most by a Tiger for a home game in school history. Two weeks later, against Tulane, he had 19 carries for 132 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 49–24 victory. After the Tulane game, Williams had 57 yards in a 49–10 loss against Cincinnati before going on a massively productive run for the Tigers. On November 4, against Louisville, he had 26 carries for 200 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 56–49 loss. In the Tigers' next game, he recorded 27 carries for 199 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 30–26 victory over Southern Miss. He followed that up with 32 carries for 225 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns against East Carolina in the 38–35 victory. In the Tigers' regular season finale against South Florida on the road, he had 28 carries for a school-record 263 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 31–15 victory. Williams's junior season ended when he broke his leg while playing Bowling Green in the GMAC Bowl on December 22. He finished his junior year leading the nation with 22 rushing touchdowns and second with 1,948 rushing yards to go along with 18 receptions for 210 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. For the second straight year, he was named as the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. Williams scored a total of 138 points, which broke the previous record set by Stephen Gostkowski in 2003, and 23 total touchdowns, breaking the previous mark of 14 by Dave Casinelli in 1963. Williams would hold these records until 2018, when Darrell Henderson broke them. In three separate games, Williams scored 24 total points, which remains a school record to this day albeit tied with four other players. Williams was named to the 2004 Pro Football Weekly All-America Team. He earned the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Year Award.2005 season
Before the 2005 season, Williams was considered to be a Heisman Trophy candidate. He was named by the Touchdown Club of Columbus as a "Player to Watch" in 2005. Williams started his senior season being held to 85 rushing yards on 24 carries in a 10–6 loss to Ole Miss but followed that up with ten consecutive games with over 100 yards rushing. While playing against Chattanooga, he rushed for 205 yards on 20 carries in the 59–14 victory. He recorded 223 yards on 30 carries in a 37–31 loss to Tulsa. The next week, he posted 236 rushing yards on 35 carries in a 27–20 victory over UTEP. The next week, he had 14 carries for 136 rushing yards in a road loss to Central Florida. He followed that up with 33 carries for 198 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a road win over Houston. He continued his productive season the next week when he accumulated 226 rushing yards on 39 carries and two touchdowns in a 27–24 victory over East Carolina. His 39 carries were the second-most for a single game in school history. On November 1, he had 21 carries for 167 rushing yards in a home loss to UAB. 18 days later, he had 36 carries for 123 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in a road win over Southern Miss. He finished the regular season with 127 rushing yards in a 26–3 victory over Marshall. In his final college game, the 2005 Motor City Bowl, Williams helped Memphis defeat the Akron Zips 38–31, by running for a Bowl record 238 yards and scoring three touchdowns. His performance made him the top ground-gainer in college football in 2005 with 1,964 yards. Williams was also an All-America selection by the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation. He earned the Amateur Athlete of the Year Award at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.Williams was a finalist for the 2005 Doak Walker Award, which was awarded to Reggie Bush. He came in seventh overall in the Heisman Trophy voting. In 2005, Williams was named the inaugural winner of the ARA Sportsmanship Award, presented by the Awards and Recognition Association to the Division I football player who best exhibits sportsmanship both on and off the field. For the third straight year, he was named as the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.