| No. 79, 76 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1968-09-07)September 7, 1968 (age 57) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 311 lb (141 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | John Bartram (Philadelphia) | ||||||||
| College | Central State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1991: 3rd round, 70th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Erik George Williams (born September 7, 1968) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anoffensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys andBaltimore Ravens. He playedcollege football atCentral State University inWilberforce, Ohio, where he was an NAIA All-American offensive lineman. Williams was a third-round selection in the1991 NFL draft.
Williams attendedJohn Bartram High School. As a senior, he was a powerfuldefensive lineman, receiving All-Public League honors. He also competed in theshot put anddiscus throw. Poor grades prevented him from obtaining anNCAA Division I scholarship, so he enrolled atCentral State University inWilberforce, Ohio. He played under hall of fame football coachBilly Joe.[1]
As aredshirt freshman, he was converted to play theoffensive left tackle position. As a sophomore, he was named the starter at left tackle and became a dominant player at theNAIA level and anAll-American.
During his collegiate career from 1987 through 1990, the team won a total of 41 games with just seven losses and one tie. In 1990, Williams helped the Marauders to the NAIA national championship. It was the first of three Central State University national titles during the decade. That championship season Williams helped the offense average 492 yards and 54.8 points per game and set an NAIA record for most points in a single season with 594 points.
In 2010, Williams was inducted into the Central State University Sports Hall of Fame.[2] In 2020, he was inducted into theBlack College Football Hall of Fame.[3]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 304 lb (138 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) | 5.50 s | 1.90 s | 3.18 s | 4.90 s | 21.5 in (0.55 m) | 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) | 25 reps | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[4] | ||||||||||||
Williams was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the third round (70th overall) of the1991 NFL draft, with a choice from theSteve Walsh trade.[5] He played sparingly as a rookie, as a backup toNate Newton atright tackle. Williams' level of play during the 1992 training camp forced the Cowboys to move back Newton toleft guard, in order to have the best players available on the offensive line.
In1992, he was named the Cowboys' starting right tackle. He earned national recognition, when he held future Hall of Famedefensive endReggie White without a sack in a 20–10 Dallas win. He received theNFC's Offensive Player of the Week award, becoming the firstoffensive lineman in Cowboys history to win the award.[6]
Nicknamed "Big E", by1993, his physical play and aggressive attitude that was rarely seen on the offensive side of the ball, made Williams the top offensive lineman in the NFL. These traits were mentioned bydefensive endMichael Strahan in hisProfessional Football Hall of Fame enshrinement speech.[7]
On October 24,1994, Williams was involved in a serious one-car accident which caused him to miss the remainder of the season. Williams suffered a damaged right knee as well as a broken rib, torn ligaments in his left thumb and facial lacerations that required plastic surgery. A magnetic scan on the knee indicated two torn ligaments—the medial collateral and posterior cruciate—and a torn muscle.[8]
In1995, although he regained his starting position, he couldn't reach his previous high level of play, but still was good enough to help the team winSuper Bowl XXX. In2000, he started in 16 games and allowed 7.5 sacks.[9] On March 7,2001, he was released in a salary cap move.[10]
Williams was a three-timeAll-Pro and four-timePro Bowler, playing in the1993,1996,1997, and1999 Pro Bowls. His ability to protect quarterbackTroy Aikman and to run-block for running backEmmitt Smith helped the Cowboys winSuper Bowls in 1992, 1993 and 1995.
From1992 to1994, together withNate Newton,Mark Tuinei,Mark Stepnoski andKevin Gogan, Williams was part of some of the best offensive lines to play in NFL history, later dubbed "The Great Wall of Dallas".[11]
His dominant play and three Super Bowl rings, have led many sports writers and players to proclaim that if not for the injuries he suffered in his near-fatal 1994 auto accident, he would have been inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame.[12][13]
On August 28,2001, he signed as afree agent with theBaltimore Ravens.[14] He appeared in 5 games and was mostly used as a reserve right tackle behindSammy Williams.[15] On November 20,2001, he was placed on the reserve-retired list.[16]
Williams was accused of sexual assault in 1995 for which he was acquitted. An accusation of rape in 1997[17] was dismissed when it was discovered the woman had made a false police report for which she was both charged and sued.[18] In 2002, he was arrested and arraigned on charges of assaulting his wife, Chanda, who fled the home and alerted police.[19]
He is a member ofPhi Beta Sigma fraternity. He appeared on the cover of the video gameMadden NFL '95 withSan Francisco 49ers defensive linemanKarl Wilson. After his playing career was over, he maintained a low profile, while spending time serving a coaching internship with the Cowboys, and a coaching stint at his alma materCentral State University.