Tyrone Robert Williams (born March 26, 1970) is a Canadian former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys. He also was a member of theCalgary Stampeders andToronto Argonauts in theCanadian Football League (CFL). He is the first player to win aVanier Cup, aSuper Bowl and aGrey Cup. He playeduniversity football at theUniversity of Western Ontario.

Williams attendedQueen Elizabeth High School (Halifax, Nova Scotia), where he played competitive football,soccer andbasketball. In football, he was an All-star selection at bothquarterback andwide receiver. As a senior, he also was an All-star selection at forward on the basketball team.

Williams was recruited byUniversity of Western Ontario football coach Larry Haylor in 1988.^[1] He made an immediate impact in his first season with the Mustangs, setting a team receiving record for most yards per catch with 21.9, and was named anOntario Universities Athletic Association (OUAA) second-team all-star.

Williams was named an OUAA all-star again in 1989, a season in which the Mustangs won their fifth Vanier Cup title. Williams caught five passes for 157 yards and a touchdown to earn the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game's most outstanding player as Western beat theSaskatchewan Huskies 35–10 to win theCanadian Interuniversity Athletic Union football championship.^[2] Williams earned All-Canadian honours in 1990 and again 1991, and graduated Western with a degree in economics, and school records for most receptions and most yards receiving. Those records stood for nearly two decades until they were surpassed by future CFL starAndy Fantuz.

Williams' accomplishments in Canada caught the attention of American scouts, and after his final season at Western ended, he received an invitation to play in theSenior Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama. Williams was the first Canadian university player to earn an invitation to the annual showcase for graduating US college football players. He caught a 36-yard touchdown pass in a 13-10 AFC victory, the game's only offensive touchdown, earning him the AT&T Long Distance Play of the Game for the longest play of the game.^[3]

Williams was selected by theCalgary Stampeders seventh overall in the first round of theCFL draft in February 1992, but decided to wait for theNFL draft in April before deciding on his professional future. He was selected by thePhoenix Cardinals in the ninth round (239th overall) of the1992 NFL draft,^[4] becoming the firstCanadian Interuniversity Athletic Union player selected in the NFL draft since theLos Angeles Rams selectedoffensive linemanMike Schad of theQueen's UniversityGolden Gaels in the first round (23rd overall) in1986.^[5] Not sinceUniversity of Toronto Varsity Blues quarterback Dan Feraday, who was selected in the 12th round by theCincinnati Bengals in1982, had a skill-position player from a Canadian university been taken by an NFL team.

Williams was not the first Western graduate to go to the NFL. FutureCanadian Football Hall of Fame inducteeJoe Krol played two games with theDetroit Lions in 1945, and offensive guardDave Sparenberg played one game for theCleveland Browns as areplacement player during theNational Football League Players Association strike in 1987. Nor was Williams the first Mustang to be drafted by the NFL. Linebacker John Priestner was an 11th round pick (280th overall) of theBaltimore Colts in 1979. Priestner did not play in any regular season games with the Colts and returned to Canada to play for theHamilton Tiger-Cats.

Williams' NFL career did not start off smoothly. In 1992, he missed the first two weeks of the Cardinals training camp because his work visa did not arrive, and after falling behind the competition, he was waived on September 1.^[6]

On September 2,1992, Williams was signed by theDallas Cowboys to the team'spractice squad. During the season he never dressed for a regular or playoff game. Although he was deactivated, he earned his firstSuper Bowl ring watching from the sidelines as the Cowboys crushed theBuffalo Bills 52–17 inSuper Bowl XXVII.

In1993, the on-field high point of Williams' time with Dallas came on August 8, when he hooked up with quarterbackJason Garrett for 5 catches and 157 yards, including a game-tying 53-yard touchdown pass in the Cowboys' 13–13 tie with the Detroit Lions in a preseason game atWembley Stadium in London, England.^[7] He dressed for 9 games during the Cowboys' 1993 regular season, and played in 5 games catching one pass for 25 yards. The Cowboys earned a berth inSuper Bowl XXVIII, but Williams was relegated to the inactive list when the team decided to dress an extra running back. He did not play in the game, but earned a second Super Bowl ring as the Cowboys defeated the Bills 30–13 to win their second consecutive NFL championship.

On July 11,1994, Williams parted with the Cowboys,^[8] and was claimed by theChicago Bears on July 12,^[9] but he was released during the team's final cuts.

After sitting out the 1994 season, Williams was invited to theBuffalo Bills training camp on January 26,1995.^[10] He was released on August 26,^[11] and decided to look for new opportunities back in Canada.

On September 12,1995, after leaving Buffalo's training camp which finished midway through the CFL season, he signed with theCalgary Stampeders, which still retained his negotiation rights from the1992 CFL draft. He joined former Mustangs teammateDave Sapunjis in the Stampeders receiving corps, registering six passes for 81 yards and one touchdown in seven games. The team nearly won the CFL's championship in his first year in the league, catching one pass for 13 yards in Calgary's 37–20 loss to theBaltimore Stallions in the83rd Grey Cup.

On May 23,1996, Williams was acquired by theToronto Argonauts in exchange for the negotiation rights to quarterbackDave Dickenson. Williams enjoyed his finest professional season, playing a full schedule and catching passes for almost 900 yards. Led by quarterbackDoug Flutie, the Argonauts cruised to a 15–3 record and won the84th Grey Cup over theEdmonton Eskimos 43–37. With the victory, Williams became the first player to win the Vanier Cup, the Super Bowl and the Grey Cup.

On March 11,1997, theMiami Dolphins of theNational Football League signed Williams to a two-year contract as a free agent.^[12] He chose to retire in May of that year and was released on May 12.^[13] Retiring from pro football at the age of 27, he never gave an official explanation for his decision.

In recognition of his accomplishments as an amateur and professional athlete, Williams was inducted into theNova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. His uncle isTommy Kane who playedwide receiver in theNFL for theSeattle Seahawks. Williams works as a substitute teacher in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

• Tyrone Williams stats
• CFL bio Tyrone Williams

• 1970 births
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• American football wide receivers
• Black Canadian players of American football
• Black Canadian sportsmen
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• Western Mustangs football players

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