Rodney Williams (punter)

Last updated
Rodney C. Williams
No. 2, 12
Position: Punter
Personal information
Born: (1977-04-25) April 25, 1977 (age 46)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school: Southwest DeKalb
(Decatur, Georgia)
College: Georgia Tech
NFL Draft: 1999  / Round: 7 / Pick: 252
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • Longest punt in New York Giants history (90)
  • Longest punt in NFL History by a rookie (90)
Career NFL statistics
Punts:91
Punt yards:3,905
Punting average:42.9
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Rodney Colin Williams (born April 25, 1977) is an American former gridiron football punter.

Contents

College career

Williams, who played from 1995 to 1998, left Georgia Tech as the school's career leader in punting average at 41.1 yards a kick. His single-season average of 45.64 yards per punt in 1997 set a school record that stood until Pressley Harvin III broke it in 2020 with an average of 48.0 yards per punt. That same season, he had a school record 553 punting yards against Florida State. In November 2011, Williams was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Williams was drafted out of Georgia Tech by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. [1] Williams played 2 seasons in NFL Europe where he was a Special Teams Captain for the 2000 World Bowl Champions, Rhine Fire. In 2001 landing a job with the New York Giants. At the time, Williams was the only African-American punter in the NFL, and was just the fourth in the league's history. Williams set a team record with a 90-yard punt on Monday Night Football on September 10, 2001 in Denver against the Broncos, a record that stands to date. [2] Williams officially retired from the NFL in 2007.

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References

  1. "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  2. Olney, Buster (August 29, 2002). "PRO FOOTBALL; Williams Out, Allen In, as Giant Punter". The New York Times. p. 5. Retrieved December 27, 2012.