Shaud Rashae Williams (born October 2, 1980) is 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 wi ...
coach and former
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
who is currently assistant strength and conditioning coordinator at
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. Originally from
Andrews, Texas
Andrews is the county seat of Andrews County in the Permian Basin of West Texas. Andrews sits to the far southwest within the Texas Panhandle's plains, about 30 miles east of New Mexico.
Andrews was incorporated on February 2, 1937. Both th ...
, Williams played
college football and baseball at
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
and
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. He was signed by the
Buffalo Bills as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2004 and played three seasons with the Bills. From 2009 to 2011, Williams played in the
UFL, first for the
Florida Tuskers
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...
in 2009 and
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...
in 2010 and 2011.
After his playing career, Williams became a strength and conditioning coach, first at his high school in Andrews, then at the college level at
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
in 2017 before joining
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
in 2018.
Early life
Born in
Andrews, Texas
Andrews is the county seat of Andrews County in the Permian Basin of West Texas. Andrews sits to the far southwest within the Texas Panhandle's plains, about 30 miles east of New Mexico.
Andrews was incorporated on February 2, 1937. Both th ...
,
Williams graduated from
Andrews High School in 1999.
During his career at Andrews, he rushed for 7,712 yards, and is 11th all time in career carries with 1006 in Texas High School Football. In his senior season, he rushed for 2,121 yards and 27 touchdowns, leading all rushers in class 4A.
In 2009, Williams was inducted in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
College football career
Williams first attended
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...
. He played at running back for
Texas Tech Red Raiders football
The Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University (variously "Texas Tech" or "TTU"). The team competes as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivis ...
in 1999 and 2000 under head coaches
Spike Dykes
William Taylor "Spike" Dykes (March 14, 1938 – April 10, 2017) was an American football coach. A high school and college football coach throughout his career, he last served as head coach at Texas Tech University from 1986 to 1999.
Coaching ca ...
and
Mike Leach. Williams rushed for 658 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman, for which he earned the
Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year
Coaches of the Big 12 Conference bestow the following individual awards at the end of each football season.
Offensive Player of the Year
* 1996: Troy Davis, RB, Iowa State
* 1997: Ricky Williams, RB, Texas
* 1998: Ricky Williams, RB, Texas
* 1999: ...
award in 1999.
In 2000, Williams played in 12 games after missing most of spring camp due to a hamstring injury. He had 226 rushing and 299 receiving yards.
In 2001, Williams transferred to the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...
. Redshirting the 2001 season due to
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
transfer rules, Williams played at running back for
Alabama Crimson Tide football
The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Ass ...
from 2002 to 2003 under
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione (born March 28, 1951), also known as Coach Fran, is a retired American football coach. He is the former head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school w ...
.
Due to an early season-ending injury to
Ahmaad Galloway, Williams immediately became starting running back at Alabama. In his debut with Alabama, Williams had an 80-yard touchdown run on the opening play from
scrimmage against
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
.
Sharing the
halfback spot with
Santonio Beard, Williams led Alabama in rushing with 921 yards and five touchdowns on 130 carries, for an average of 7.1 yards per carry on a team that finished
10–3 and no. 11.
In his first full year as a starter in 2003, Williams was the best rusher in the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...
(SEC) with 1,367 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was named to the All-SEC second-team.
Williams graduated from Alabama in December 2003 with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in marketing.
while playing running back at University of Alabama, Shaud was interviewed by
Brüno Gehard
Brüno Gehard (; sometimes spelled ''Bruno'' or ''Brueno'') is a satirical fictional character portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. A flamboyantly gay fashion reporter from Austria, Brüno first appeared during short sketches on Paramo ...
, a character portrayed by
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...
.
College baseball career
After graduating from high school, Williams was selected in the 13th round of the
1999 Major League Baseball draft by the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
, but Williams chose college instead; he would never play professionally. In the spring of 2001, he played nine games and batted .200 with three hits and two RBI for
Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball
The Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team represents Texas Tech University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference and plays at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. Their head coach is Tim Tadlock and is enter ...
. At
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, Williams played 10 games and batted .286. Williams played at
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
for both schools.
Professional football career
Buffalo Bills
Following the
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...
, Williams signed with the
Buffalo Bills as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. In three seasons with the Bills from 2004 to 2006, Williams played in 25 games, with 330 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries.
Williams was fourth on the
depth chart behind
Marshawn Lynch
Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lync ...
,
Fred Jackson, and
Dwayne Wright
Dwayne Wright (born June 2, 1983) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State.
Wright was a member of the New York Gia ...
. He re-signed with the Bills on December 6, 2007 after being released in training camp.
Later career
Williams was signed by the
Florida Tuskers
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...
of the
United Football League on September 9, 2009. Williams rushed for 152 yards, received for seven yards, and returned two kickoffs for 33 yards in six games with the Tuskers in 2009.
He was selected by the
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...
in the 2010 UFL expansion draft. Williams played in eight games with one start with the Nighthawks in 2010, with 106 rushing, 20 receiving, 137 punt return, and 295 kick return yards. In 2011, Williams played in four games for the Nighthawks, with 32 carries for 172 yards and two touchdowns and three catches for 19 yards.
In 2014, Williams returned to playing football, with the West Texas Drillers of the semi-pro Southwest American Football League.
Coaching career
Williams returned to Andrews, Texas after his football career to start a strength and conditioning program for child and teenage athletes.
Starting in 2014, Williams was the strength and conditioning coach for the Andrews High School athletics program. He left that job in 2017 to become an assistant strength coach at the University of Wisconsin.
After one year at Wisconsin, Williams took the same position at
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
under
Mario Cristobal
Mario Manuel Cristobal (born September 24, 1970) is head football coach of the Miami Hurricanes football team at the University of Miami.
Cristobal previously was the head football coach at Florida International University (FIU) from 2007 to 20 ...
.
References
External links
*
NFL.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Shaud
1980 births
Living people
People from Andrews, Texas
Players of American football from Texas
American football running backs
Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball players
Texas Tech Red Raiders football players
Alabama Crimson Tide football players
Buffalo Bills players
Florida Tuskers players
Omaha Nighthawks players
Wisconsin Badgers football coaches
Oregon Ducks football coaches
High school football coaches in Texas
Alabama Crimson Tide baseball players
Baseball shortstops
Baseball players from Texas