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Jimmy Williams (cornerback, born 1979)

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(Redirected from Jimmy Williams (Vanderbilt))
Not to be confused with Jimmy Williams (cornerback, born 1984).

Jimmy Williams
No. 22, 23
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born:(1979-03-10)March 10, 1979
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Died:July 7, 2022(2022-07-07) (aged 43)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school: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
Games played:80
Total tackles:151
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:6
Interceptions:3
Return yards:1,847
Total touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jimmy Ray Williams (March 10, 1979 – July 7, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt. Williams prepped at Episcopal High School (Baton Rouge) in Baton Rouge.

Williams also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Houston Texans.

Vanderbilt career

[edit]

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

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in
(1.78 m) 		188 lb
(85 kg) 		30+1⁄2 in
(0.77 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.59 s 1.64 s 2.66 s 7.12 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
All values from NFL Combine[1]

Williams was drafted in 2001 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills with the 33rd pick of the 6th round.[2] He signed, however, with the San Francisco 49ers, where he served as a punt returner and cornerback through the 2004 season.[3] Beginning in 2004, he played for the Seattle Seahawks, which included his first Super Bowl appearance in 2005 as his Seahawks lost to the Steelers. On May 19, 2008, he signed with the Houston Texans. He was not re-signed following the 2008 season and became a free agent.[4]

NFL statistics

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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

[5]

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

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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

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Williams died on July 7, 2022, aged 43.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Scout Jimmy Williams College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "49ers sign defensive back Jimmy Williams". ninersnation.com. January 22, 2009.
  4. ^ "NFL Transactions Report". NFL.com. December 30, 2011.
  5. ^ "Jimmy Williams Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  6. ^ "Former Niners, Seahawks CB Williams dead at 43". tsn.ca. Bell Media. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
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