Aeneas Williams

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Aeneas Williams
refer to caption
Williams with the Rams in 2004
No. 35
Position:Cornerback
Safety
Personal information
Born: (1968-01-29) January 29, 1968 (age 56)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Alcée Fortier
(New Orleans, Louisiana)
College:Southern (1988–1990)
NFL draft:1991 / Round: 3 / Pick: 59
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:793
Interceptions:55
Interception yards:807
Pass deflections:48
Forced fumbles:8
Fumble recoveries:23
Sacks:3.0
Total touchdowns:13
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Aeneas Demetrius Williams (

NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 2014.

Early life

Williams was born in

Alcee Fortier High School, where he played football on a team with three future NFL players: Maurice Hurst, Kevin Lewis, and Ashley Ambrose. In 1985, the Fortier Tarpons went undefeated through 10 games and won the District 10-4A championship and proceeded to the Class 4A semifinals.[1] Aeneas was selected to the all district team as a strong safety that season.[1]

College career

Williams was not offered a scholarship when he graduated high school. He attended Southern University, the same school his brother Achilles attended, planning to simply get his accounting degree. "Our parents always expected that we would go to college and get our degree," he explained. "(Playing football) never crossed by mind, I was preparing for the rest of my life."[3]

At Southern, he concentrated on his academics, not playing football until his junior year. Eventually, after being encouraged by his old high school teammate

Division I-AA, (now known as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision)
record for most interceptions with eleven.

Williams finished his college career with 20 interceptions and 28 pass deflections.[4]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split
20-yard shuttle
 Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10 in
(1.78 m) 		187 lb
(85 kg) 		30+1⁄2 in
(0.77 m) 		8+7⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.57 s 1.62 s 2.68 s 4.30 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)		 9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		 12 reps
All values from
NFL Combine[5]

Williams's numbers impressed the then-Phoenix Cardinals enough that they selected him in the third round of the

Washington Redskins
.

In Week 3 of the

Steve Young's career. Williams came in on a cornerback blitz from Young's blindside and scored a clean text-book tackle that launched Young backward – causing Young to slam his head against the turf. Running back Lawrence Phillips
was supposed to block Williams, but missed. This left Young unconscious on the field for several minutes. Young suffered a severe concussion that effectively ended his career; he didn't play again for the rest of the season, after which the 49ers all but forced him to retire.

In 2001, Williams was traded to the St. Louis Rams on draft day in exchange for picks in the second and fourth rounds.[7] Due to roster concerns, Williams switched to free safety. As one of the leaders of a much-improved defense, Williams got a chance to play in the postseason for only the second time in his career. In the Rams' divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers prior to the Super Bowl, he returned two interceptions from Packers quarterback Brett Favre for touchdowns and recovered a fumble. Then in the NFC title game, he intercepted a pass from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, with 2 minutes left in regulation, clinching the game and ensuring the Rams' berth in Super Bowl XXXVI. However, the Rams lost that game to the New England Patriots.

After a lackluster season, in which he ended on the

injured reserve list, Williams quietly retired during the 2005 offseason. Over his career he accumulated a staggering 12 defensive touchdowns (9 interceptions returned for a touchdown, and 3 fumbles recovered for touchdowns), and 55 career interceptions, cementing his place as one of the most dominating defensive backs of his era. He also recovered 23 fumbles and gained 1,075 total defensive return yards (807 from interceptions and 268 from fumbles). He was also a 4-time All-Pro
selection.

Although Williams only played on a playoff team four times in 14 years (three of which were with the Rams), he made the most of his postseason opportunities when they occurred, intercepting 6 passes and recovering one fumble in his first four playoff games.

Post-playing career

Williams was inducted into the Arizona Cardinals' Ring of Honor during the 2008–2009 football season during halftime of the Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers November 10, 2008.[8] On January 18, 2009, he was chosen to present the George Halas Trophy to the Arizona Cardinals after their victory in the NFC Championship game, resulting in the Cardinals first trip to the Super Bowl. He made his final appearance in a football videogame in NFL Street 2, which was released in 2004.

Williams is currently the founding pastor of Spirit Church in St. Ann, a suburb of St. Louis. He and his wife Tracy have three daughters Saenea (Aeneas spelled backwards), Tirzah, Cheyenne, and a son, Lazarus.[9]

Williams was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame classes of 2012 and 2013 but did not get voted in on the final ballots both times.[10][11] He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 1, 2014, and inducted on August 2.

On September 24, 2014, Williams was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.

References

  1. ^ a b c Williams, Darrell (August 19, 2014). "Aeneas Williams showed early promise at Fortier High School". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Harris, Terrance (July 29, 2014). "2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame: Aeneas Williams' ascension to greatness began at early age in New Orleans". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  3. ^ East, Les (August 15, 2014). "Aeneas Williams found himself at Southern". The Advocate. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "Aeneas Williams – Hall of Fame".
  5. ^ "Aeneas Williams, Combine Results, CB – Southern (LA)". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Pro Football Weekly Archived February 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Williams to Ring, McKinnon to Hall". archive.azcentral.com.
  9. ^ "What's up with Aeneas Williams". archive.azcentral.com.
  10. ^ "Ex-Cardinals defensive back Aeneas Williams a finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame". az central. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  11. ^ Corbett, Jim (February 2, 2013). "Parcells, Carter finally make Pro Football Hall of Fame". USA Today. Retrieved February 2, 2013.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aeneas Williams.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aeneas_Williams&oldid=1214888461"