John Williams (Canadian football)

John M. Williams, Jr. (born September 23, 1977, in Burlington, Ontario) with ties to Denver Colorado and Fort Worth Texas is a Canadian Football League running back who is retired. He has previously played for the BC Lions, the Toronto Argonauts, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Early years
Williams is the son of former CFL player John "Twiggy" Williams (born: Fort Worth Texas) (who played for four teams from 1967–75). Together the two Williams are the only father and son to have both won a Grey Cup Championship in Canadian Football League history. Junior played for his father from the age of 9 up until 18 years of age. Williams Senior was a part time scout for the Detroit Lions which afforded Junior to spend many summers around future Hall of Fame runningback Barry Sanders and other NFL greats. Williams was awarded an athletic scholarship to attend The University of Rhode Island later transferring to Edinboro University in Erie P.A.

Professional career
Williams was considered a "Hybrid" player known for his physical play and being able to work from multiple positions in his eight year career including running back, fullback, tight-end, and slot-back.

Williams was selected 31st overall in the 2002 CFL Draft by the BC Lions and he played 15 games of the 2002 CFL season, carrying the ball once for a three-yard gain, recorded four defensive tackles and eight special teams tackles. The Lions released him in the 2003 pre-season and the Edmonton Eskimos signed him to the practice roster on September 3, where he remained for the season.

From 2004 through the 2007 CFL season, Williams played for the Toronto Argonauts where he was consistently one of the team leaders in special team tackles. The 2004 CFL season saw him play in all 18 regular season games, carried the ball three times for 37 yards, and scored one touchdown. He also made one defensive tackle and three special teams tackles and played in all three Argos playoff games including the 92nd Grey Cup victory over the BC Lions.

On February 7, 2008, Williams was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for future considerations. He played in 17 games and carried the ball for 29 yards on five runs and received two passes for 16 yards. During the 2009 season Williams became a more integral part of the offence splitting time at multiple positions as well as returning kicks. Williams elected to retire after the season.