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Ricky Williams is reportedly retiring, ending a football career that included five 1,00-yard seasons and a Heisman Trophy but will likely be better remembered for his off-the-field antics.
The Texas Longhorns are putting up a statue in honor of Heisman winner Ricky Williams, and we can all hope they go for something better than those terracotta army guys they had out behind the Co-Op:
Ricky Williams, fifth overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft, is calling it a career. Williams told the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday that he was planning to retire from the NFL after 11 seasons. Williams played for the Saints, Dolphins and Ravens in his career.
Williams was quoted by the Ravens official site in his retirement announcement:
"The NFL has been an amazing page in this chapter of my life," Williams said. "I pray that all successive adventures offer me the same potential for growth, success and most importantly, fun. I want to thank all my fans, teammates, coaches and supporters for the strength they've given me to overcome so much."
As we noted, Williams was a complicated player. He was great on the field rushing for over 10,000 yards in his career but there were so many distractions off the field that kept him from playing. He missed multiple seasons due to failed drug tests (marijuana) and has already retired once.
"As for what's next, I am excited about all the opportunities ahead - continuing my education, running The Ricky Williams Foundation and whatever other opportunities present themselves," Williams said.
Former Texas Longhorns running back Ricky Williams is retiring from his NFL career, NFL.com's Jason La Canfora reported Tuesday. Before he bounced between the Dolphins and Canada and before Saints coach Mike Ditka spent an entire draft on him, Williams made his mark in Austin as one of the greatest college football players ever.
He became the NCAA's I-A all-time rushing yardage leader in 1998, when he virtually swept college football's major awards, including the Heisman Trophy. Though that record's since been broken, he still owns at least a part of 20 NCAA records. He ran for 6,592 yards and scored 90 touchdowns from scrimmage. Texas fans remember him as a legend, but a complicated one:
If Williams is indeed ready to hang up his cleats, he leaves a legacy as complex as his own personality. It's not particularly easy to make sense of it, but as a player in a league that often demands conformity, Williams clearly walked his own path. It seems commendable that he worked so hard to keep his identity from being completely tied to football, something that should serve him well as he transitions to life after the game.
He made the Sports Illustrated cover in '98, with the cover story listing future Jets coach Rex Ryan among the many stunned by Williams' talents. It's also worth pointing out he gave up a year's worth of NFL salary and risked his entire career by returning for his senior year at Texas. From SI:
Williams should already be gone. He would have been a top five pick in the NFL draft last spring, but he chose to return to Texas. He risks losing vast wealth nearly every time the Longhorns snap the ball. Last winter, fired Texas coach John Mackovic told Williams, "A running back can only take so many hits in his career." Williams doesn't disbelieve this, he simply disregards it. "It might be true," he said late last week. "But even if I am costing myself years at the end of my career, I don't care. I'm having too much fun."
Williams never really stopped making choices all his own, something to which NFL fans who've been puzzled by his career over the years can attest.
For more on the Horns, visit Texas blog Burnt Orange Nation.
Ricky Williams has apparently told the Baltimore Ravens that he is retiring. The 34-year-old running back was coming off a season in which he was primarily a backup, but still managed to accumulate more than 500 total yards and score a pair of touchdowns. He hit a high-water mark in Week 13, when he rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown during a victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Ricky Williams informed BAL officials he's retiring. Ends a distinguished if unconventional career. Team would have welcomed him back
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 7, 2012
This news would mark the end of a career that was among the more intriguing in NFL history. His career was punctuated by odd photo opportunities, some quality on-field performances, a well-known affinity for marijuana, an early retirement and an impressive comeback. Williams compiled more than 10,000 rushing yards and scored more than 100 touchdowns in a career that spanned 12 seasons.
Williams' NFL career was immediately made interesting when then-New Orleans Saints coach Mike Ditka traded his entire 1999 NFL Draft class in order to move up and pick the Heisman Trophy winner No. 5 overall. That prompted ESPN Magazine to stage a photo that depicted Williams in a wedding dress getting married to Ditka.
His on-the-field career did not start as well, and he had a somewhat disappointing rookie season in which he rushed for 884 yards. But he followed that up with four straight 1,000-yard seasons that included a 1,853-yard, 23-touchdown season with the Miami Dolphins.
Williams tested positive for marijuana after the 2005 season and opted to retire, rather than serve his suspension. But he came back in 2007 and posted his fifth career 1,000-yard season in 2009, scoring 15 touchdowns to boot.
For more on Williams' retirement, be sure to check out Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown.
PHOTO: Ricky Williams Statue Unveiled At Texas Spring Football Game
by Jason Kirk
When Ricky Williams retired from the NFL, pro football fans remarked on his all-over-the-place legacy, which mostly meant talking about Mike Ditka in a dress and Canada and marijuana. All of which sounds like a real great party.
But college fans also get to remember Williams as one of the best players of all time, and Texas Longhorns fans especially so. At Texas' 2012 spring game, the Horns revealed Williams' statue at Darrell K. Royal Stadium:
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Apr 01 2:54p