Reggie Williams (linebacker)

Reginald Williams  (born September 19, 1954) is a former professional American football player.

The recipient of an academic scholarship, Williams was a three-time All-Ivy League linebacker in football and an Ivy League heavyweight wrestling champion (1975) at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. In 1976 he was drafted in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals, for whom he played fourteen seasons, (including two Super Bowls, XVI (1982) and XXIII (1989)) and recorded 16 interceptions and 23 fumble recoveries (a franchise record). During his career Williams amassed 62.5 sacks, which is the second most in Bengals history. In his final two seasons with the Bengals, Williams was appointed to an open seat on the Cincinnati City Council in 1988 and was re-elected for a second term in 1989. He was elected on the Charter Party ticket.

Williams has received numerous honors, including selection to the NFL All-Rookie Team (1976), the Byron “Whizzer” White Award for Humanitarian Service (1985), the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (1986), and Sports Illustrated’s Co-Sportsman of the Year (1987).

Post NFL life
After retiring from the NFL, Williams joined the World League of American Football as the Vice President/General Manager of the New Jersey Knights. He later rejoined the National Football League where he conceived and opened the NFL’s first Youth Education Town (YET) in Los Angeles.

In the mid 1990s, Williams oversaw the creation of Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, a state-of-the-art 220 acre multi-sport facility that opened on March 28, 1997 and hosts more than 180 athletic events annually in some 30 sports. In 1998, he was named Vice President of Disney Sports Attractions, overseeing a newly created Sports & Recreation division that merged Walt Disney World Resort Recreation, Water Parks and Disney Sports Attractions, which included Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, the Walt Disney World Speedway, and Walt Disney World Golf. Williams retired from Disney in November 2007, stepping down to focus on rehabilitating his legs from his playing career in the NFL.

Although he started for fourteen seasons, Williams played most of his career on a bad right knee. He has needed 14 knee surgeries since his career ended, 9 of those coming after April 2008. In 2007 Williams was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Dartmouth College in 1990 and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.