John Williams Jr. (Canadian football)

Last updated
John Williams II
No. 11,23     Retired
Born: (1977-09-23) September 23, 1977 (age 45)
Millgrove, Ontario, Canada
Career information
StatusRetired
CFL status National
Position(s) RB
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
College Edinboro
High school Waterdown District
CFL Draft 2002 / Round: 4 / Pick: 31
Drafted by BC Lions
Career history
As player
2002 BC Lions
2003 Edmonton Eskimos*
20042007 Toronto Argonauts
20082009 Hamilton Tiger-Cats
*Pre-season or practice roster only
Career highlights and awards
HonoursSpecial Teams Player of the Week

John M. Williams Jr. (born September 23, 1977, in Burlington, Ontario) is a retired Canadian Football League (CFL) running back. He played for the BC Lions, the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Contents

Early years

Williams is the son of the former CFL player John "Twiggy" Williams (born: Fort Worth, Texas) who played for four teams from 1967–75. Williams Junior played for his father from the age of 9 until 18 years of age. Williams Senior was a part-time scout for the Detroit Lions which allowed Junior to spend many summers around the future Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders and other NFL greats. Williams was awarded an athletic scholarship to attend The University of Rhode Island, later transferring to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. [1]

Professional career

Williams was considered a "hybrid" player known for his physical play and being able to work from several 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. [1]

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. In the 2004 CFL season, he played 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. [1]

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. [1] During the 2009 season, Williams became a more integral part of the offence, splitting time at several positions as well as returning kicks. Williams elected to retire after the season. [2]

Related Research Articles

John Edward Avery, Jr. is a former professional Canadian football and American football player. He last played with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, but also played with the National Football League and the XFL.

The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 50th season of the Canadian Football League, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28, 2007 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and concluded on Saturday, November 3, 2007. The playoffs began on Sunday, November 11, 2007, and ended with the championship game, the 95th Grey Cup, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, on November 25, 2007, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as champions.

Nautyn McKay-Loescher is a former Canadian professional Canadian football defensive end. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2004 and drafted in the 2004 CFL Draft by the BC Lions. He played college football at Alabama.

Jonathan Bernard Brown is a former professional American, Canadian and Arena football defensive lineman, who last played for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has also played for the Toronto Argonauts. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. He is currently the head coach for his high school alma mater, Booker T. Washington High School.

Frank Murphy is a former gridiron football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Van Zeyl</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1983)

Chris Van Zeyl is a professional Canadian football offensive tackle for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion with the Toronto Argonauts and was named a CFL All-Star three times and CFL East Division All-Star six times. He played CIS Football for the McMaster Marauders as a defensive lineman. Van Zeyl has also been a member of the Montreal Alouettes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrell Sutton</span> American gridiron football player (born 1986)

Tyrell DelShawn Sutton, is an American professional gridiron football running backs coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Prior to becoming a coach he played running back and was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Northwestern. Sutton was also a member of the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions, BC Lions, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Montreal Alouettes.

The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the Canadian Football League. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes opening the season against the visiting BC Lions on Thursday, June 30, 2011. The season was among the most notable in the modern era for the competitiveness of the teams; going into the final week, five teams were tied for first place in the league, a first in modern CFL history. It was also the first time since 1982 that all teams finished with fewer than 12 wins in the regular season. As well, for the first time since 1950, the start of the modern era, all four teams competing in the division finals were different from the four teams that had competed in the division finals the previous year. Newly renovated BC Place Stadium in Vancouver hosted the 99th Grey Cup on November 27, with the hometown Lions defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34–23 in front of a sold-out crowd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassius Vaughn</span> American gridiron football player (born 1987)

Cassius M. Vaughn is a former Canadian football defensive back. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Ole Miss. Vaughn has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League (NFL). He made his CFL debut in 2016 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Marcello Muhammad Simmons is a former professional gridiron football defensive back and the former special teams coordinator for the BC Lions. He played for two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals before playing for seven seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos, and BC Lions. He is a three-time Grey Cup champion having won twice as a player in 1996 and 1997 and once as a coach in 2004. He played college football for the SMU Mustangs.

The 2012 CFL season was the 59th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 55th season for the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 13, 2012, and the regular season started on June 29, 2012. Rogers Centre in Toronto hosted the 100th Grey Cup on November 25, with the hometown Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders 35-22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boseko Lokombo</span> American football player (born 1990)

Boseko Lokombo is a Congolese-Canadian professional Canadian football linebacker for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Oregon. Lokombo has also been a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Montreal Alouettes, and Toronto Argonauts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davon Coleman</span> American gridiron football player (born 1991)

Davon Coleman is an American gridiron football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In college, he first enrolled at Fort Scott Community College before transferring to Arizona State University. He has also been a member of four National Football League (NFL) teams and three other CFL teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 CFL season</span> Sports season

The 2018 CFL season was the 65th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 61st Canadian Football League season. Edmonton hosted the 106th Grey Cup on November 25, 2018. The CFL announced that this season will move to a 21-week regular season to increase player rest time and reduce short turnaround-times for games. Given the change, the regular season began on June 14, 2018, one week earlier than usual, and concluded on November 3, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Walker (Canadian football)</span> Professional Canadian football defensive lineman

Cameron Walker is a professional Canadian football defensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was most recently a member of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football for the Guelph Gryphons. Walker has also been a member of the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Redblacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Newton (Canadian football)</span>

Curtis Newton is a professional Canadian football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was a member of the 105th Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. He played CIS football for the Guelph Gryphons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Bennett</span> Professional Canadian football running back

Jackson Bennett is a professional Canadian football running back for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played U Sports football with the Ottawa Gee-Gees from 2014 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Régis Cibasu</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1994)

Régis Cibasu is a professional Canadian football wide receiver for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Edwards (Canadian football)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1992)

Christopher Edwards is a professional Canadian football defensive back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malik Carney</span> American gridiron football player (born 1995)

Malik Carney is a professional gridiron football defensive end for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "John Williams". Roster. Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Retrieved 13 February 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Football News - NFL, CFL & Local News & Scores - GuelphMercury.com". GuelphMercury.com.