Michael Williams (born September 8, 1990) is a former

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 ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

who is currently the head football coach at Reform (Ala.) Pickens County High School. He was drafted by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in the seventh round (211th overall) in the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. 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 ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Early years

Williams attended Pickens County High School in Alabama. He earned All-County, All-Area and honorable mention All-State honors while playing basketball in high school. While at high school, he also earned the 2007 Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State honors as a

Tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

on the first-team and also was selected as the ASWA Class 2A lineman of the year. He was a member of The Mobile Press-Register Elite 18 while at High School. He earned first-team All-State honors in his Junior season and also was an Honorable mention as a Tight end while at high school.

College career

Williams 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 ...

. He finished college with a total of 51 receptions, 503 receiving yards along with seven touchdowns. On January 7, 2013, he had 3 receptions, 17 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown against Notre Dame in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. In January 2013, he was added to the Senior Bowl roster.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

In the

, Williams was selected in the 7th round (211th overall) by the

. On August 22, 2013, Williams broke his hand during a preseason game against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. On August 31, 2013, Williams was placed on injured reserve. After the draft of tight end Eric Ebron, it was announced that Williams would be moved to offensive tackle and would wear the number 73.

New England Patriots

On August 25, 2015, the Lions traded Williams to the

in exchange for a 2017 seventh-round draft pick. Williams was assigned No. 85, indicating a return to tight end. During the 2015 season, Williams appeared in 15 regular season games (with nine starts) and caught three passes for 26 yards. Williams also appeared in both of the Patriots playoff games and started in the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos on January 24, 2016. On June 8, 2016, Williams suffered a torn ACL during practice. On June 10, 2016, he was waived/injured by the Patriots and was reverted to injured reserve, missing the entire 2016 season. On February 5, 2017, Williams's Patriots appeared in

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confer ...

. In the game, the Patriots defeated the

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 ...

by a score of 34–28 in overtime. On March 9, 2017, Williams re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal. On May 12, 2017, Williams was released by the Patriots.

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Michael 1990 births Living people People from Reform, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama American football offensive tackles American football tight ends Alabama Crimson Tide football players Detroit Lions players New England Patriots players