Doug Williams (quarterback)
Washington Commanders | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Senior advisor | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Zachary, Louisiana, U.S. | August 9, 1955||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Chaneyville (Zachary, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||
College: | Grambling State (1974–1977) | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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As a coach: | |||||||||||||
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As an executive: | |||||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||||
Douglas Lee Williams (born August 9, 1955) is an
Following his playing career, Williams began coaching, most notably serving as the head coach of the
College career
Williams attended Grambling State University where he played under head coach Eddie Robinson. In his first two seasons, he played on the same team as future NFL receiver Sammy White. Williams guided the Tigers to a 36–7 (.837 winning percentage) record as a four-year starter, and led the Tigers to three Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships. Williams was named Black College Player of the Year twice.[3]
In 1977, Williams led the
Despite the success that he enjoyed on the field, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs was the only NFL coach who visited Williams to work him out and scout him. Gibbs spent two days with the 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), 220 lb (100 kg) quarterback, reviewing play books, film, and going through passing drills. Impressed by his poise, work ethic, and studious nature, Gibbs rated Williams as the best quarterback in the draft,[7] writing in his scouting report that Williams had “a big-time arm with perfect passing mechanics” and was “a natural leader...very academic and extremely prepared...football smart,” and recommended that the Buccaneers select Williams with their first-round draft choice.[8]
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Following the recommendation of Gibbs, Tampa Bay drafted Williams in the first round (17th overall) of the
Williams was the only starting African-American quarterback in the NFL at that time, and dealt with racism from the fans, and even his own coaching staff. In his book Rise of the Black QB, author Jason Reid cited an incident in the 1978 Tampa Bay training camp, in which quarterbacks coach Bill Nelsen began berating Williams in what was described as going beyond coaching and becoming a personal attack. "I think Coach Gibbs knew that it wasn't a matter of being coached hard," recalled Williams. "I mean, I played for Eddie Robinson at Grambling, so he knew I could handle that. But he (Gibbs) immediately sensed that something else was going on."[13] Just a position coach at the time, Gibbs, who was at the opposite end of the field, sprinted over to Nelsen and confronted him. Gibbs threw his clipboard down, pointed his finger in Nelsen's face and said, "Don't you ever talk to him like that again! Is that clear?" According to Williams, Nelsen never confronted Williams in that manner again.[14]
During his tenure with the Buccaneers, Williams was paid $120,000 a year, the lowest salary for a starting quarterback in the league and less than the salary of 12 backups. After the 1982 season, Williams asked for a $600,000 contract. Bucs owner
Oklahoma / Arizona Outlaws
After a year away from football, Williams signed with the Oklahoma Outlaws of the upstart United States Football League. The Outlaws briefly called Hall of Fame coach and quarterback guru Sid Gillman out of retirement as director of football operations, and Williams was Gillman's highest-profile signing. Williams signed a $3 million contract with a $1 million signing bonus, making him easily one of the highest-paid players in all of football. Years later, he recalled that he was won over when Outlaws owners William Tatham Sr. and Bill Tatham Jr. "treated me as a human," rather than "a piece of cattle in a stockyard."[17]
In 1984, Williams led the Outlaws of the USFL in passing, completing 261 out of 528 passes for 3,084 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, he threw 21 interceptions, ending up with a passer rating of 60.5 during a 6–12 season. In 1985, the team moved to Arizona and merged with the Arizona Wranglers to become the Arizona Outlaws.[15] Williams showed some improvement, completing 271 out of 509 passes for 3,673 yards with 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Washington Redskins
After the USFL was shut down in 1986, Williams returned to the NFL, joining the
"I get this phone call from Coach Gibbs. He was the only guy who called me Douglas. ‘Douglas, it's Coach Gibbs,” he said. ‘How you doing?” He asked me to come to Washington to be a backup. Now at this point, I don't have a job. I told him, ‘Coach, I can be any type of ‘up’ you want me to be.’ He started laughing. He said, ‘OK. [Washington general manager] Bobby Beathard is going to give you a call.’ Bobby called. We agreed [to terms]."
– Doug Williams [20]
According to legend, Williams was asked this question on Media Day: “How long have you been a black quarterback?” He supposedly replied, “I’ve been a quarterback since high school, and I’ve been black all my life.” On February 1, 2013, Williams was interviewed on the
On the day before
Williams suffered from injuries the following season and was outplayed by Mark Rypien, who eventually won the starting job. Despite competing for the same starting job, Williams and Rypien were so supportive of each other that T-shirts were sold with the caption “United We Stand", depicting the two quarterbacks as cartoon characters with Williams saying “I'm for Mark” and Rypien saying “I'm for Doug”.[33] Williams would play one final season in 1989, as Rypien's backup, during the latter's first Pro Bowl season.[6][34]
Finances played a large part in Williams' departure from the Redskins, with Williams slated to make $1 million in 1990 as the team's backup quarterback.[9] The Redskins were able to sign former New York Giants quarterback Jeff Rutledge for the backup role for substantially less money, making Williams expendable.[9] Williams received scant attention from other teams following his waiver by the Redskins – a situation which he flatly attributed to racism.[9] Williams retired with a 5–9 record as Redskins starter (8–9, counting playoffs) and a 38–42–1 record as a regular season starter (42–45–1, including 7 playoff starts). He had 100 passing touchdowns, and 15 rushing touchdowns, in 88 NFL games.[12]
Coaching and executive career
Following his departure from the NFL, Williams worked on television in 1990 as a college football analyst for
In 1992, Williams was able to move on to coach at his former high school in Zachary, now renamed Northeast High.[9] Playing its home games on a field bearing his name, Williams was able to lead the team to an undefeated regular season, finally falling in the state semi-finals.[9] During the 1993 Louisiana HS playoffs, his team notably knocked out Isidore Newman High School, then led by senior quarterback Peyton Manning.[35]
Williams moved to the collegiate coaching ranks in 1994, when he was hired as the running backs coach for the football team of the
Williams began his collegiate head coaching career at
At the conclusion of Super Bowl XLII, on the 20th anniversary of being named Super Bowl XXII MVP, Williams carried the Vince Lombardi trophy on to the field for presentation to the winning New York Giants. Williams was named the director of professional scouting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February 2009.[37] He was relieved of this position on May 11, 2010.[38]
Williams was subsequently hired as
In February 2014, Williams rejoined the Redskins as a personnel executive. The hiring marked Williams’ return to the Redskins.[40] Williams was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Player Personnel in June 2017.[41][42] In 2020, following a front office restructure after the hiring of Ron Rivera as head coach, Williams was named the team's senior vice president of player development.[43] The following year he became a senior advisor to team president Jason Wright.[44]
Career statistics and records
USFL career
Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
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GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
1984 | Oklahoma Outlaws
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15 | 15 | 261 | 528 | 49.4 | 3,084 | 5.8 | 15 | 21 | 60.5 | 30 | 75 | 2.5 | 3 |
1985 | Arizona Outlaws | 17 | 17 | 271 | 509 | 53.2 | 3,673 | 7.2 | 21 | 17 | 76.4 | 27 | 82 | 3.0 | 1 |
Career | 32 | 32 | 532 | 1,037 | 51.3 | 6,757 | 6.5 | 36 | 38 | 68.3 | 57 | 157 | 2.8 | 4 |
NFL career
Legend | |
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Super Bowl MVP
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Won the Super Bowl | |
Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
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GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
1978 | TB | 10 | 10 | 4–6 | 73 | 194 | 37.6 | 1,170 | 6.0 | 7 | 8 | 53.4 | 27 | 23 | 0.9 | 1 |
1979 | TB | 16 | 16 | 10–6 | 166 | 397 | 41.8 | 2,448 | 6.2 | 18 | 24 | 52.5 | 35 | 119 | 3.4 | 2 |
1980 | TB | 16 | 16 | 5–10–1 | 254 | 521 | 48.8 | 3,396 | 6.5 | 20 | 16 | 69.9 | 58 | 370 | 6.4 | 4 |
1981 | TB | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 238 | 471 | 50.5 | 3,563 | 7.6 | 19 | 14 | 76.8 | 48 | 209 | 4.4 | 4 |
1982 | TB | 9 | 9 | 5–4 | 164 | 307 | 53.4 | 2,071 | 6.7 | 9 | 11 | 69.6 | 35 | 158 | 4.5 | 2 |
1986 | WAS | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1987 | WAS | 5 | 2 | 0–2 | 81 | 143 | 56.6 | 1,156 | 8.1 | 11 | 5 | 94.0 | 7 | 9 | 1.3 | 1 |
1988 | WAS | 11 | 10 | 4–6 | 213 | 380 | 56.1 | 2,609 | 6.9 | 15 | 12 | 77.4 | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 |
1989 | WAS | 4 | 2 | 1–1 | 51 | 93 | 54.8 | 585 | 6.3 | 1 | 3 | 64.1 | 1 | -4 | -4.0 | 0 |
Career | 88 | 81 | 38–42–1 | 1,240 | 2,507 | 49.5 | 16,998 | 6.8 | 100 | 93 | 69.4 | 220 | 884 | 4.0 | 15 |
Personal life
Williams was born in
In 2009, Williams and fellow Grambling State alumnus James Harris co-founded the Black College Football Hall of Fame. Each year, several notable football players from historically black colleges and universities are entered in its hall of fame at an induction ceremony in Atlanta.[48] In July 2019, Grambling State honored Williams by naming a street in his honor on the college's campus.[49]
Head coaching record
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | TSN# | |||
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Morehouse Maroon Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ) (1997)
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1997 | Morehouse | 3–8 | |||||||
Morehouse: | 3–8 | ||||||||
Grambling State Tigers (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1998–2003) | |||||||||
1998 | Grambling State | 5–6 | 4–4 | T–4th | |||||
1999 | Grambling State | 7–4 | 2–2 | 3rd (West) | |||||
2000 | Grambling State | 10–2 | 6–1 | 1st (West) | 13 | ||||
2001 | Grambling State | 10–1 | 6–1 | 1st (West) | 8 | ||||
2002 | Grambling State | 11–2 | 6–1 | 1st (West) | 8 | ||||
2003 | Grambling State | 9–3 | 6–1 | T–1st (West) | 17 | ||||
Grambling State Tigers (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (2011–2013) | |||||||||
2011 | Grambling State | 8–4 | 6–3 | 1st (West) | |||||
2012 | Grambling State | 1–10 | 0–9 | 5th (West) | |||||
2013 | Grambling State | 0–2* | 0–1* | ||||||
Grambling State: | 61–34 | 36–23 | |||||||
Total: | 64–42 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth |
* Williams was fired on September 11, 2013.
See also
- List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders
- Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks
References
- ^ "Doug Williams Records 5–5 Mark As H.S. Coach". Jet (vol. 81, no. 13, p. 46). January 20, 1992.
- ^ a b McEvoy, Colin (February 9, 2023). "The Ultimate Sibling Rivalry: 8 Sets of Brothers Who Faced Off in Sports Championships". Biography. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ Philipse, Sander (February 20, 2011). "Doug Williams inducted into Black College Football Hall of Fame". BucsNation.com. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ "Doug Williams". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ "1977 Heisman Trophy Voting". sports-reference.com. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c Clarke, Liz (July 6, 2017). "Will Doug Williams have the power to shape the Redskins? 'I've never been a yes guy.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ Howard, Brian (July 10, 2019). "Grambling State to honor Doug Williams". Grambling State Tigers. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Garber, Greg (January 29, 2013). "Doug Williams embraces history". ESPN. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rick Snider, "Doug Williams – From Stardom to Obscurity and Back Again," Street & Smith's Pro Football 1994, pp. 76-77.
- ^ Tierney, Mike. "30 Seasons: 1976–2005. From Sinking Ship to World-Class Cruise. St. Petersburg Times. September 11, 2005
- ^ "Does race remain a factor in the evaluation of NFL quarterbacks?". National Football League. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "Doug Williams Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ Rise Of The Black QB Kevin Sheehan Show. August 4, 2022
- ^ Mike Piellucci. (August 17, 2022).‘The Rise of the Black Quarterback’ and the Men Who Forced a Signal Change in the NFL D Magazine
- ^ a b c Lieber, Jill (February 1, 1988). "Well-Armed Pioneer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ Scheiber, Dave. “So Who's Laughing Now?” St. Petersburg Times. January 26, 2003
- ISBN 978-0544454385.
- ^ Tomasson, Chris (January 26, 2018). "Doug Williams sees 'progress' 30 years after becoming first black QB to win the Super Bowl". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
Williams remains significant in NFL history for being both the first black quarterback to play in and to win a Super Bowl.
- ^ "Doug Williams leads Redskins to Super Bowl victory". History. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ "Doug Williams: The Real MVP". Andscape. January 31, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ Bianchi, Mike (January 30, 2007). "Dumbest question was never asked". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- Snopes.com. Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ Woods, Mark. "The Question misquoted, but still lives". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2018 – via jacksonville.com.
- ISBN 9780935701975.
- ^ a b Kupper, Mike (February 1, 1988). "Redskins Lasso Broncos, 42-10, in Super Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ISBN 9781641252898. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Kay, Stanley; Hersh, Daniel (January 24, 2016). "Cam Newton joins select group of black QBs to reach Super Bowl". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (January 23, 1989). "He Was Typical Joe Cool". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Wilbon, Michael (January 29, 1990). "The Biggest Easy as 49ers Roll, 55-10". The Washington Post. p. C1. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Gados, Ryan (January 21, 2020). "Super Bowl LV's star quarterbacks have a chance at the single-game passing touchdown mark". Fox News. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Kaufman, Ira (January 31, 1988). "It took Doug Williams less than 15 minutes to..." United Press International. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Justice, Richard (January 27, 1997). "Packers 35, Patriots 31". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Richman, Michael. The Redskins Encyclopedia. Temple University Press, 2007.
- ^ Dunham, Will (October 16, 2021). "Redskins release Williams". United Press International. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Troutman, Beau (August 5, 2020). "Doug Williams paved way for others in awe-inspiring career". Holland Sentinel. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ Deriso, Nick (August 28, 2002). "Williams makes easy work in following legend". The News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ Bucs Promote Williams, Hire Several Assistants Yahoo Sports, February 3, 2009
- ^ Ex-Bucs QB Williams leaving front-office job after meeting with GM National Football League, May 11, 2010
- ^ "Doug Williams fired as Grambling State's head football coach". Washington, D.C.: WJLA. September 11, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Redskins hire Doug Williams The Washington Post, February 10, 2014
- ^ "Redskins Promote Doug Williams To Senior Vice President Of Player Personnel". Redskins.com. June 13, 2017. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- ^ Keim, John (June 13, 2017). "Doug Williams to serve as senior VP of player personnel for Redskins". ESPN. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- ^ Redskins Public Relations. "Redskins Name Doug Williams Senior Vice President Of Player Development". Redskins.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Jhabvala, Nicki. "Doug Williams takes on new role with Washington Football Team". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ "Adrian Williams". Brown University Athletics. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
- ^ https://usctrojans.com/news/2023/11/8/womens-basketball-three-standouts-sign-on-for-usc-womens-basketball.aspx
- ^ "J.J. Huggins". all-xfl.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ "About Us". Black College Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- ^ "Grambling State Honors Doug Williams With Street Name". washingtonfootball.com. Retrieved September 7, 2021.