Chandler Williams III (August 9, 1985 – January 5, 2013) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver who last played as a member of the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The f ...

. He was drafted by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Florida International. Williams was also a member of the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

as well as the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

College career

Williams played four years at FIU and left as one of the most prolific receivers in school history. Williams was Florida International's career leader in receptions with 203 receptions until T. Y. Hilton caught 229 receptions in his four-year career. Williams places 3rd on FIU's career leaderboard with 2,519 career yards and 6th with 8 career touchdowns. Williams also returned punts in college. In his senior season, he ranked ninth nationally in receptions per game and first in the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

. Williams also led the conference in yards per game averaging 66.4 yards per game.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Williams was selected in the seventh round (233rd overall selection) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Vikings. Williams was the second player in Florida International's history to be selected in the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

. (

Antwan Barnes Antwan Edward Barnes (born October 19, 1984) is a former American football outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida International. Barnes also p ...

was picked in the fourth round by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

). Williams was the second of the Vikings' eight draft picks to sign a contract on May 30, 2007. He was cut by the Vikings after training camp in 2007.

Miami Dolphins

Williams was later signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

, where he spent the entire season. He was re-signed in the 2008 offseason, but was waived on April 25.

Atlanta Falcons

Williams was signed by the Falcons on April 29, 2008. He was released by the Falcons during final cuts on August 30. On November 11, the Falcons re-signed him to their

. After spending the entire 2008 season on the practice squad, Williams was re-signed to a future contract on January 5, 2009. He was waived on September 4.

Kansas City Chiefs

Williams was signed to the

on December 23, 2009. After his contract expired following the season, he was re-signed to a future contract on January 4, 2010. He was cut by the Chiefs on May 6, 2010. He was later re-signed and waived again on August 29, 2011.

Toronto Argonauts

On June 6, 2012, Williams signed with the

of the

. He was released by the Argonauts on October 4, 2012. During his stint with the Argonauts, Williams recorded 4 receptions for 88 yards, his longest reception for 55 yards.

Personal life

Williams was married to Vanitia Harrigan. They had a daughter together, Tori Summer-Rose Williams.

Death

Williams died on January 5, 2013 of a suspected heart related condition while participating in a flag football tournament in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. He was 27.

References

External links

FIU Panthers bioKansas City Chiefs bioTampa Bay Storm bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Chandler 1985 births 2013 deaths Miami Senior High School alumni Players of American football from Miami American football wide receivers FIU Panthers football players Minnesota Vikings players Miami Dolphins players Atlanta Falcons players Kansas City Chiefs players Tampa Bay Storm players Toronto Argonauts players Players of Canadian football from Miami Sports deaths in Florida