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 Williams in 1960 | |||||||||||||
| No. 33, 22, 49 | |||||||||||||
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| Positions | Running back Defensive back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1923-11-01)November 1, 1923[1] Spokane, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | December 31, 1998(1998-12-31) (aged 75) Chandler, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Spokane (WA) North Central | ||||||||||||
| College | Washington State Idaho | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1949: 7th round, 63rd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||
| Regular season | CFL: 71–55–2 (.563) NFL: 7–22–2 (.258) College: 6–23 (.207) | ||||||||||||
| Postseason | CFL: 7–8 (.467) | ||||||||||||
| Career | CFL: 78–63–2 (.552) NFL: 7–22–2 (.258) College: 6–23 (.207) | ||||||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||
Jerry Ralph Williams (November 1, 1923 – December 31, 1998) was an Americanfootball player and coach who served as the head coach of twoCanadian Football League (CFL) teams, as well as thePhiladelphia Eagles of theNational Football League (NFL).
Williams was a native ofSpokane, Washington. He attendedNorth Central High School where he was an all-city running back and All-Inland Empire Athlete of the Year (1942) as a three-sport athlete. Graduating in 1942, Williams enrolled at theUniversity of Idaho, but with the war efforts building he made the decision to join his older brother, William H. Williams (eventual Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court) in theUnited States Army Air Corps. Williams became a fighter pilot flyingP-38s in the Pacific theater. One of his most notable missions was as a fighter escort to both Japanese and American dignitaries traveling toTokyo Bay and thepeace signing on theUSS Missouri in 1945. Returning from the war efforts, Williams enrolled atWashington State University, where he played both offense and defensivehalfback for theCougars from 1946 to 1948. He set thePacific Coast Conference kickoff return record and led the Cougars in total offense in his senior season at WSU. Most notable was a punt return of 97 yards againstOregon in 1947 and kickoff returns of 88 and 87 yards againstMontana andCalifornia. In Williams' senior season (1948) he earned All-Coast honors accumulating 1,500 all-purpose yards. He participated in both theEast–West Shrine Game and College All-Star Classic before joining theLos Angeles Rams of theNational Football League (NFL).
Drafted in the seventh round of the1949 NFL draft by theLos Angeles Rams, Williams played four seasons with the team, seeing most of his action as a defensive back. During his first three seasons the Rams made three consecutive trips to the NFL title game winning the1951 NFL Championship.
In his first season Williams intercepted five passes. The most memorable image of his Rams career however came in the 1951 regular season finale against theGreen Bay Packers on December 16. Following a missed Packer field goal Williams returned the attempt 99 yards for a touchdown, a record that stood until the 1971 season when Williams coached,Al Nelson had a 102-yard missed field goal return, when rule changes allowed for missed field goal attempts into the end zone to be returned.
Williams' desire to play on the offensive side of the ball led to his request to be traded and on May 12, 1953, Williams was sent to thePhiladelphia Eagles. He proceeded to lead the Eagles in total offense during his first season and in his two years caught 75 passes, rushed for over 500 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Williams served in the capacity of player-coach in 1954 before leaving the playing field for the coaching ranks.
Officially entering the coaching ranks the following year Williams became the head coach at theUniversity of Montana where in three seasons his teams, while known for their competitiveness went 6–21 overall. Football wasn't the only endeavor that led to close calls for Williams as he escaped with his life on two separate occasions during harrowing crash landings of small aircraft. While piloting a private plane on May 24, 1956, Williams and assistant Lauri Niemi were knocked unconscious in a crash near theIdaho/Montana border when they were forced, through bad weather, to attempt a landing on a rural mountain road. And again on October 3, 1957, Williams with 14 of his players, while en route toProvo, Utah to face the Brigham Young Cougars, were forced down for yet another emergency landing.
After the 1957 season Williams returned to Philadelphia to serve as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive back coach under head coachBuck Shaw with the team capturing the1960 NFL Championship in a thrilling 17–13 victory overVince Lombardi'sGreen Bay Packers. It was also during this season that Williams came up with one of his most notable contributions to the game, devising the"nickel" defensive scheme, a scheme still employed by most football programs today. Shaw retired after the 1960 season but new coachNick Skorich kept Williams on his staff until their dismissal at the conclusion of the1963 season.
New ownership and the arrival of a new coach and general manager inJoe Kuharich led to Williams accepting an assistant coaching position with theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League (CFL). Williams earned a law degree from Temple University while he was with the Eagles, before moving to Calgary as an assistant in 1953. Shortly after the conclusion of the 1964 season Williams was elevated to head coach and compiled a 40–23–1 record over the next four years. He earnedCFL Coach of the Year honors in 1967. His teams reached the playoffs three times and competed in the 1968Grey Cup (the first time in 19 years)
On May 9, 1969, after another ownership change in Philadelphia, Williams was hired as the Eagles new head coach. While building a competitive team with minimal talent Williams endured but a 7–22–2 record during his first two seasons. After promises by owner Leonard Tose to honor William's 3-year contract Tose released Williams after just the first three games of the '71 pre-season. Tose was the recipient of Williams' parting disdain calling the owner "a man without courage or character", words that would likely cost Williams a second head coaching opportunity in the NFL. Williams was replaced byEd Khayat, and finished the 1971 season as an assistant with theCleveland Browns.
On January 19, 1972, Williams returned to the CFL when he was named head coach of theHamilton Tiger-Cats. In just his first season the Ti-Cats reached the pinnacle of Canadian professional football, winning the Grey Cup in a 13–10 thriller over the Western Conference champion Saskatchewan Roughriders. Williams resigned after four seasons with the Tiger-Cats on December 12, 1975, following a 5–10–1 season. In his four years with Hamilton, Williams compiled a 30–29–1 record and a Grey Cup title.
After briefly turning to ranching in Arizona, Williams made one last foray into football, returning as offensive coordinator with theCalgary Stampeders. He was later promoted to head coach on October 5, 1981, upon the firing ofArdell Wiegandt but once again retired from coaching football after that season, finishing out the 1981 season with a 1–3 record (the Stampeders finished 6–10 overall). He returned to Arizona to become part owner in a flight charter service and enjoy retirement inPrescott and later,Chandler.
In 1990 Jerry was diagnosed with a rare form ofleukemia and spent two months in the hospital eventually making a full recovery. By 1998 however his health began to fail and on December 31 he died in Chandler, Arizona with his wife, middle son and youngest daughter by his side.