Wendall Williams (born September 18, 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 ...

wide receiver. 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 ...

University of the Cumberlands The University of the Cumberlands is a private Christian university in Williamsburg, Kentucky. About 18,000 students are enrolled at the university. History University of the Cumberlands, first called Williamsburg Institute, was founded on Janu ...

and was signed by the Texans 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 2016. He made many media headlines after he broke the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

record, with a time of 4.19 seconds unofficially.

Early life

Williams was born to Claudinne Clark, a house cleaner and hospital sterile processor in

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He attended Bishop Ludden High School, where he played competitive football and track. In his junior season, he totaled 17 receiving

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...

, and tallied 28 more as a senior. However, Williams struggled academically, which deterred many colleges from recruiting him. Therefore, he committed to play football at

Morrisville State College State University of New York at Morrisville (formerly Morrisville State College) or SUNY Morrisville is a public college with two locations in New York, one in Morrisville and one in Norwich. It is part of the State University of New York syst ...

College career

Williams signed with

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

, where he played football for the Mustangs. After his freshman season, he totaled 30 receptions for 515 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, he left Morrisville State the following year, due to his clashes with the coach. He subsequently enrolled at

Onondaga Community College Onondaga Community College (OCC) is a public community college that serves Onondaga County, New York, at two campuses. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The college was founded in 1961 and began instruction ...

, where he attended for two semesters. He then transferred to

Hudson Valley Community College Hudson Valley Community College is a public community college in Troy, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY). Although about eighty percent of the students are from the Capital District, the remainder are from other par ...

, later dropping out after losing his financial aid package for dropping too many classes. He then worked as a truck driver, and did not continue his athletic career. When Williams was 21, he received a call from family friend Will Dowdell, encouraging Williams to continue his athletic career in college. Motivated, Williams enrolled at

Herkimer County Community College Herkimer County Community College is a public community college in Herkimer, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system. History The college was approved by the State University of New York in 1965, and the County Board o ...

, playing basketball and track for the Generals. While at Herkimer, he was a captain of the basketball team, shooting 71 percent from the field, while pursuing an associate degree in business sports management. He accepted an offer to

, where he enrolled with two remaining years of athletic eligibility. Williams started at wide receiver during his junior and senior seasons, and competed on the track team, participating in the 100 and 200 meter dash, as well as the long jump. As the

' primary receiver in his final season, Williams accounted for 48.3% of the team's receiving yards and touchdowns on 30.5 yards per reception.

Professional career

Houston Texans

Williams was signed by the Texans as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016. He was released by the Texans on September 3, 2016 during final roster cuts.

New York Jets

Williams was signed to the Jets'

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, ...

on September 12, 2016. He was released on September 28, 2016.

Houston Texans (second stint)

Williams was signed to the Texans' practice squad on November 9, 2016. He was promoted to the active roster on December 13, 2016. During his second stint, he played in 2 games recording 4 catches for 75 yards. On September 2, 2017, Williams was waived by the Texans after breaking his collarbone in a preseason game.

References

External links

New York Jets bio

Houston Texans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Wendall Living people 1990 births Players of American football from Syracuse, New York American football wide receivers Morrisville State College alumni Morrisville Mustangs football players Cumberlands Patriots football players Houston Texans players New York Jets players Onondaga Lazers football players Hudson Valley Vikings football players