Williams was born in Palatka, Florida in 1964.[1] He attended Palatka High School,[2] where he was a standout high school football running back in the wishbone offense of the Palatka Panthers.[3] Williams rushed for 3,449 yards and fifty-nine touchdowns, including 1,738 yards as a senior.[3] The Panthers finished undefeated and won the Florida Class 3A championship. In 2007, twenty-five years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) recognized Williams as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football.[3]
Williams was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round (fifteenth pick overall) of the 1986 NFL Draft,[7] and played for the Seahawks for eight seasons from 1986 to 1993.[8] He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1990 and 1991. Williams played his final two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1994 and 1995,[8] and his last NFL game was Super Bowl XXX in which the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
During his ten-year professional career, Williams played in 149 regular season games, started in 135 of them, and had 1,245 carries for 5,005 yards and eighteen rushing touchdowns, and 546 receptions for 4,656 yards and nineteen receiving touchdowns.[1]
↑ 8.08.1National Football League, Historical Players, John L. Williams. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
Bibliography[]
Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.