Jimmy Williams (cornerback, born 1979)
No. 22, 23 | |||||||||
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Position: | Episcopal (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) | ||||||||
College: | Vanderbilt (1997-2000) | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 2001 / Round: 6 / Pick: 196 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Jimmy Ray Williams (March 10, 1979 – July 7, 2022) was an American professional
Williams also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Houston Texans.
Vanderbilt career
Williams came to Vanderbilt as one of the highest recruited players in school history. He began his career as a running back, where he led the team in rushing yards, return yards, receptions, and touchdowns, landing him on the Freshman All-SEC team. In 1998, following encouragement from head coach Woody Widenhofer, he switched sides of the ball to earn All-SEC honors that same year as a starting cornerback. During the 1999 season against Northern Illinois, Williams returned a punt for a touchdown in the game's final minutes for a 34–31 victory. He is one of only three players in Vanderbilt history to return both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown.
For his career, Williams was among the team's interception and kickoff returns for three straight years. After his senior season, Williams attended the NFL Draft combine in Indianapolis.
In 2013, Williams was selected to the Southeastern Conference Football Legends Class.
Professional athletic career
Williams was drafted in
NFL statistics
Year | Team | GP | COMB | TOTAL | AST | SACK | FF | FR | FR YDS | INT | IR YDS | AVG IR | LNG | TD | PD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | SF | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2002 | SF | 13 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2003 | SF | 15 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
2004 | SF | 12 | 47 | 38 | 9 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
2005 | SEA | 14 | 33 | 25 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 5 |
2006 | SEA | 16 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Career | 80 | 134 | 110 | 24 | 1.0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
Key
- GP: games played
- COMB: combined tackles
- TOTAL: total tackles
- AST: assisted tackles
- SACK: sacks
- FF: forced fumbles
- FR: fumble recoveries
- FR YDS: fumble return yards
- INT: interceptions
- IR YDS: interception return yards
- AVG IR: average interception return
- LNG: longest interception return
- TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
- PD: passes defensed
Career after NFL
Williams returned to Baton Rouge to give back to his school, Episcopal High School, where he coached the middle school team until 2010. Williams served as the assistant athletic director, in addition to defensive coordinator at Episcopal High School.
Personal life and death
Williams died on July 7, 2022, aged 43.[5]
References
- ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "49ers sign defensive back Jimmy Williams". ninersnation.com. January 22, 2009.
- ^ "NFL Transactions Report". NFL.com. December 30, 2011.
- ^ "Jimmy Williams Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Former Niners, Seahawks CB Williams dead at 43". tsn.ca. Bell Media. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.