DeAngelo Williams

DeAngelo Williams (born April 25, 1983 in Wynne, Arkansas) is an American football running back in the NFL who is currently a free agent. He played for the University of Memphis Tigers in college and was drafted 27th overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2006 NFL Draft, and is the franchise's all-time leading rusher.

College career
Williams holds the Division I NCAA records for most career all-purpose yards (7,573) and 100-yard rushing games (34). He also ranks fourth on the all-time NCAA rushing list with 6,026 yards, trailing only Ron Dayne, Ricky Williams, and Tony Dorsett. Williams was on the 2004 Pro Football Weekly All-America Team.

In his final collegiate 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 3 touchdowns. His performance made him the top ground-gainer in college football in 2005. He was also an All-America selection by the AFCA-Coaches's and the Walter Camp Foundation.

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, he 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.

2006 NFL Draft
In January, Williams attended the 2006 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, an annual event in which college seniors and professional prospects are evaluated by NFL personnel in preparation for the NFL Draft. His height was officially measured at 5'9, which led some scouts to question his potential as an undersized back in the NFL. However, scouting reports soon placed him among the most impressive performers during the practice week leading up to the Bowl, and Williams punctuated the week with a strong, if brief, showing in the game itself, rushing for 31 yards on 3 carries and catching 2 passes for 28 yards. For the Combine, Williams trained at D1 Sports Training in Nashville, TN.

On March 24, at Pro Day on the University of Memphis campus, Williams ostensibly improved his draft stock even further with an exceptional workout. He ran his 40 yard dash in 4.40 seconds with the wind and 4.48 seconds against the wind. He also impressed in the short shuttle, the three-cone drill, and the long shuttle. In addition, he recorded a 34½-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-9 broad jump and caught the ball well in receiving drills.

Carolina Panthers
Though at one point he was considered a top ten pick, with some projecting him as high as #4 overall to the New York Jets, Williams saw his draft stock fall a bit in weeks preceding the draft, as many teams filled their needs at the running back position via free agency. On April 29, 2006, Williams was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 27th overall pick in the NFL Draft. He joined Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Laurence Maroney and Joseph Addai, among others, in a promising draft class at running back. Williams adopted the jersey number 34, which he wore in high school the same as his hero at the time Ricky Williams.

2006 season
He played in the first five games of the 2006 season and looked promising as an alternative to DeShaun Foster in the Carolina backfield, compiling an impressive average of 5.3 yards per carry. He missed weeks 6 through 8 with a sprained ankle. In week 11 against St. Louis, Williams filled in for Foster, who had injured his elbow, and totaled 20 carries for 114 yards. In a Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams started for an injured DeShaun Foster and managed 74 rushing yards on 17 carries and an impressive 101 receiving yards on 7 catches with a touchdown. He had 501 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on the year.

2007 season
In the 2007 season, Williams continued to backup DeShaun Foster. He had his first 100 yard game of the season in a win week six against the Arizona Cardinals. In the fourth quarter he clinched the win with a 75 yard run, the longest in team history, only to be tackled short of the goal line. On the very next play he ran the ball to the right corner of endzone for his first touchdown of the season. The next five weeks, he had low numbers due to limited playing time. In the final week of the season, Williams rushed for 121 yards on 20 carries while scoring 2 touchdowns. He finished the season with 144 carries for 717 yards and was ninth in the NFL in yards per carry (5.0).

2008 season
Williams established himself as the starting running back for the Panthers prior to the 2008 season. During the 2008 season, Williams shared carries with 2008 draft pick Jonathan Stewart, though Williams received a majority of the work. On November 30, 2008, Williams set a franchise record for rushing touchdowns in one game by scoring four touchdowns in a week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers. In week 15 of the 2008 season, Williams was selected FedEx Ground Player-of-the-Week after a dominating performance in which he rushed for 186 yards on 19 carries and 2 touchdowns vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. On December 21, 2008, in a game against the New York Giants for the number one playoff seed, Williams rushed for 108 yards and four touchdowns in an overtime loss. Williams did not fumble the entire 2008 season. Despite having a stellar season, he was unable to make the Pro Bowl over Clinton Portis, despite having more total yards, touchdowns, and yards per carry. This is mainly attributed to Portis outperforming Williams the first half of the season, as well as the large Redskins fanbase. Williams did, however, make the All-Pro team. He finished the 08 season with 273 carries for 1,515 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, to go along with 22 catches for 121 yards and 2 more touchdowns. Williams credited much his 2008 success to a discussion with Vinny Testaverde and improved pre-game preparation. After the season, Williams was voted Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America's Most Improved Player of the Year.

2009 Season
In week 7 of the 2009 NFL season, DeAngelo Williams broke a 77 yard run against the Cardinals, breaking his previous record of 75 yards, which was also set against Arizona. The Panthers got their revenge from the previous year's playoff loss as they beat the Cardinals 34-21. In a game against Tampa Bay, Williams had 152 Rushing yards as he scored the game winning touchdown in Carolina's 28-21 win. Despite missing all of 3 games and most of 2 more due to injury, Williams managed to rush for 1,117 yards and 7 touchdowns on 216 carries, as well as receiving for 252 yards on 29 catches, earning himself a spot in the Pro Bowl. He and Jonathan Stewart became the first running back duo in NFL History to rush for 1,110 yards apiece (with Stewart rushing for 1,133 yards), as well as becoming the first Panther running back to rush for 1,000 in consecutive seasons.

During the 2010 Pro Bowl, DeAngelo Williams scored a touchdown on a 7 yard run, the first by a Panthers player in team history. He finished the game with 2 carries for 6 yards and a touchdown, as well as a 15 yard reception.

2010 Season
Williams injured his right foot during the Panthers' 24 October 2010 home win against the San Francisco 49ers. He did not play again before being placed on injured reserve on 17 November 2010, with what was announced to be a mid-foot sprain. Williams finished the year with 361 yards and one touchdown on 87 rushes, along with 61 yards and no touchdowns on 11 catches.

Williams became a free agent at the end of the season. It is reported that the Broncos are interested in signing him.

Nickname Controversy
DeAngelo Williams tends to rely on his speed and agility more than his power, while his teammate Jonathan Stewart will use his power. This led to DeAngelo Williams nicknaming their rushing tandem 'Smash and Dash', which gained national attention after their 301 yard performance against Tampa Bay. Controversy ensued as Tennessee Titans' running backs LenDale White and Chris Johnson claimed they stole their nickname, and that they had invented it first. LenDale White called Williams and Stewart 'Identity' and 'Theft', and noted they had made T-Shirts with 'Smash and Dash' on it. To determine a new nickname, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart created a website, and allowed fans to suggest names. They eventually decided on 'Double Trouble', and have retained that nickname, despite Chris Johnson later renouncing the nickname.

Career statistics
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