Joe Williams (running back, born 1947)

Last updated

Joe Williams
No. 36, 24
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (1947-03-30) March 30, 1947 (age 76)
Center, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school: Dunbar (TX)
College: Wyoming
NFL Draft: 1970  / Round:  12  / Pick: 309
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:26
Games started:3
Rushing yards:139
Rushing attempts:52
Touchdowns:1
Receiving yards:175
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Joseph Harold Williams (born March 30, 1947) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He played college football at the University of Wyoming.

Contents

Early years

Born in Center, Texas, Williams attended Dunbar High School, where he helped the football team achieve a 26–3 record. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Wyoming under head coach Lloyd Eaton.

In his sophomore season in 1967, he backed up senior halfback Jim Kiick and rushed for 389 yards. Wyoming won all ten games in the regular season and was invited to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year's Day. They led favored LSU at halftime, but lost by seven points. [1] [2]

As a junior in 1968, Williams rushed for 596 yards and three touchdowns in ten games as the Cowboys won their third consecutive conference title.

As a senior tri-captain in 1969, he was one of the fourteen African American players that were dismissed from the team after requesting to wear black armbands during a game against BYU, to protest the racial policies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [3] [4] [5] He played in only the first four games, rushing for 258 yards and one touchdown, and finished his college career with 1,190 rushing yards, 147 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.

At the time of the incident (known as the "Black 14"), the Cowboys were undefeated (4–0) and ranked 16th in the AP poll. [6] The potential unconstitutional decision was withdrawn the next week, but the players were not reinstated. Though Wyoming beat BYU 40–7 and San Jose State the next game without the players to go to 6–0, they lost all four road games in November and went 1–9 the next year, which prompted the school to reassign head coach Lloyd Eaton to assistant athletic director. [7] The incident also affected the University to successfully recruit African American players for several years, with the football team posting only one winning season during the 1970s. None of the players was able to transfer to another major college football program, which has been speculated in the media that it was because of the incident. Three of the players (John Griffin, Don Meadows and Ted Williams) came back to play for Eaton in the 1970 season. At least 3 other players (Tony McGee, Ron Hill and Jerry Berry ) transferred to predominantly African-American colleges.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Williams was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the twelfth round (309th overall) of the 1970 NFL Draft, after dropping because of the perception left from the "Black 14" incident. [8] As a rookie, he was used sparingly and spent most of his time on the taxi squad; the Cowboys won the NFC title but lost Super Bowl V.

He earned a Super Bowl ring in his second season as a member of the Super Bowl VI-winning team under coach Tom Landry. [9] A few weeks later on January 31, 1972, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a fourth round draft choice (#83-Tim Kearney). [10]

New Orleans Saints

In 1972, he played in 14 games (3 starts), posting 72 rushing yards and 116 passing yards. He was waived on June 19, 1973. [11]

Los Angeles Rams

On June 19, 1973, he was claimed him off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams. [12] He was released before the start of the season on August 29. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmitt Smith</span> American football player (born 1969)

Emmitt James Smith III is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. Among other accolades, he is the league's all-time leading rusher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Young</span> American football player (born 1961)

Jon Steven Young is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted by and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to his NFL career, he was a member of the Los Angeles Express in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons. Young played college football for the BYU Cougars, setting school and NCAA records en route to being runner-up for the 1983 Heisman Trophy.

Patrick Jamel Crayton is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers. He played college football at Northwestern Oklahoma State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Jones (American football)</span> American football player (born 1981)

Julius Andre Maurice Jones is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Jones was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Christensen</span> American football player (1956–2013)

Todd Jay Christensen was an American professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 until 1988, primarily with the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders. He played college football for the BYU Cougars and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft. Following his retirement Christensen became a commentator for both professional and collegiate games, working for NBC Sports, ESPN, and CBS Sports Network among others.

Willie Bernard Jackson Jr. is a former American professional football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Florida. As a football coach, he was the wide receivers coach for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football (AAF).

Sherman Cedric Williams is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys; he was a member of their Super Bowl XXX team that defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at the University of Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming Cowboys football</span> Football team for the University of Wyoming

The Wyoming Cowboys football program represents the University of Wyoming in college football. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I and have won 14 conference titles. The head coach is Jay Sawvel who is entering his first season as head coach in 2024 after previously serving as the Wyoming Defense Coordinator for the previous four seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Ingram II</span> American football player (born 1989)

Mark Valentino Ingram II is an American former football running back and current anchor for Fox Sports. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, becoming the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy after rushing for 1,658 yards in 2009 en route to winning the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

The 1969 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Lloyd Eaton, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

Judd Garrett is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Las Vegas Posse in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the London Monarchs in the World League of American Football (WLAF). He played college football at Princeton University. He is the former Director of Pro Scouting for the Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Fournette</span> American football player (born 1995)

Leonard Joseph Fournette III is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarvis Landry</span> American football player (born 1992)

Jarvis Charles Landry is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at LSU and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. With the Dolphins, Landry made three Pro Bowls and with the Browns, earned two more Pro Bowls. He led the league in receptions in 2017 with 112. His 564 career receptions are the most by a player through their first six seasons in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandin Cooks</span> American football player (born 1993)

Brandin Tawan Cooks is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. After three seasons with New Orleans, Cooks played one season for the New England Patriots and two seasons for the Los Angeles Rams before joining the Houston Texans in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dak Prescott</span> American football player (born 1993)

Rayne Dakota Prescott is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State, where he twice received first-team All-SEC honors, and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian McCaffrey</span> American football player (born 1996)

Christian Jackson McCaffrey, also known by the initials CMC, is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Carolina Panthers eighth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. As a sophomore in 2015, McCaffrey was named AP College Football Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a season, with 3,864. McCaffrey holds numerous NFL and Panthers franchise records and is one of three players ever to record 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season, doing so in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaal Williams</span> American football player (born 1995)

Jamaal Malik Williams is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Gage</span> American football player (born 1996)

Russell Gage Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CeeDee Lamb</span> American football player (born 1999)

Cedarian DeLeon "CeeDee" Lamb is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma where he was a consensus All-American in 2019, and was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deuce Vaughn</span> American football player (born 2001)

Christopher "Deuce" Vaughn II is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats.

References

  1. "Tigers upset Wyoming". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1968. p. 2B. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  2. "LSU rallies in 2nd half to defeat Wyoming, 20-13". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. January 2, 1968. p. 18. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  3. Putnam, Pat (November 3, 1969). "No Defeats, Loads of Trouble". Sports Illustrated: 26. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  4. "Wyoming loses 14 players in dispute" . Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  5. Block, Joel. "The Wyoming 14 and athlete's rights". Michigan Daily. (Ann Arbor). (editorial). p. 9. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  6. "3 schools gain; Ohio State firm". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. October 14, 1969. p. 15. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  7. "No regrets says Eaton, 13 years after 'crash'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. May 14, 1982. p. 17. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  8. Epstein, Eddie (2002). Dominance: The Best Seasons of Pro Football's Greatest Teams. Dulles, VA: Brassey's Inc. p. 110. ISBN   1-57488-466-2.
  9. Perkins, Steve (1972). The Dallas Cowboys: Winning the Big One. Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN   0-448-02080-7.
  10. "Cards Trade Cid Edwards, Williams" . Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  11. "Saints Waiver Joe Williams" . Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  12. "No. 2 Pick Inks Pact With Rams" . Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  13. "Pro Transactions" . Retrieved May 14, 2023.