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Karl Williams
Karl Williams
Karl Williams
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Karl Williams (born April 10, 1971) is an American former professional football wide receiver and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at Texas A&M–Kingsville and was signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent after the 1996 NFL draft. Williams retired as the all-time Buccaneers leader in punt return yardage (2,565) and punt return touchdowns (5) across 8 seasons with the club; records that still stand today.

Key Information

Professional career

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Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy brought him on as an undrafted free agent in 1996. Williams said about these early years in the NFL, "I remember those last phone calls when they were making the final cuts my rookie year. It was me and Jeff Gooch, and we were sitting around waiting for that phone call. We called it the Grim Reaper. Everyone was packing up and getting ready to go home and we were still waiting. Then they came around and said 'Did you get the call? No? Then you're good.' I remember Jeff and I just falling back and saying, 'Yeah!' "[2]

As a rookie he established himself as Tampa Bay's primary return specialist by the end of the season. He earned the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Month award for December that first year in 1996.[3]

Williams parlayed his success as a returner into more reps as a wide receiver. His 1997 campaign was his best ever at wideout; he achieved 486 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in that role. Williams also continued to be a successful punt returner, and was picked as a candidate to end the Bucs' kickoff-return drought. The team had never returned a kick for a touchdown in its 30-year history. However, the majority of Williams' success concerned return punts and not on kickoffs; and the team would not return a kick until Micheal Spurlock did so in 2007.

Although he was not successful at kickoffs, Williams scored with some regularity as a punt returner, recording one touchdown each in the 1996 and 1997 seasons as well as one each year from 2000 to 2002.

At the end of the 2002 season he achieved the game's highest honor by becoming a Super Bowl champion. A member of the first championship Tampa Bay squad; Williams' Bucs were led by Hall of Famers linebacker Derrick Brooks and defensive tackle Warren Sapp on defense, and game-manager quarterback Brad Johnson on offense. Behind head coach Jon Gruden, the Buccaneers went 12–4 during the regular season, defeated their chief rivals the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game, and dominated the Super Bowl against the Oakland Raiders, winning 48–21 to bring the Lombardi Trophy to the Tampa Bay area. Williams did not have a catch in the Super Bowl, but he had a 25 yard punt return that set up Tampa Bay at the Raiders' 27 yard line.

Williams left Tampa Bay after the following season and signed with the Arizona Cardinals, playing one year in the desert before leaving the NFL for good at the end of the 2004 season.

After football

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Williams also remains a fan favorite in the Tampa Bay area. Part of the source of his popularity can be found in his nickname, "The Truth". He got his nickname largely because it was the nickname of journeyman boxer of the 1980s and 1990s Carl Williams. He was most famous for going toe-to-toe with some of boxing's best, including Larry Holmes (who Williams lost a controversial decision to) and to Mike Tyson.

Like the boxer, he achieved despite his humble beginnings, his modest college, and his undrafted status to achieve greatness at football's highest level. Williams has earned a Super Bowl ring on his career as a punt returner. He has said "That's being a ballplayer. Everyone talks about me as a punt returner, and they made me a punt returner in my rookie year because that was the only way I could get on the field."[4]

Personal life

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His rags to riches story has led to Williams' ownership of a small gym in Texas, where he encourages the youth of his alma mater that everyone can be successful.[2] He is now teaching the determination and willingness to do whatever it takes that he embraced so well as a player. When asked the truth about him, old coach Jon Gruden said about Williams, "He's a humble guy, a guy who's worked for everything he has and that's one of the winning edges he brings to our football team and something I really appreciate about him."[4]

References

[edit]
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Karl Williams

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Karl Williams is an American songwriter known for his popular songs, children's music, and especially his compositions supporting the self-advocacy movement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. His work blends folk influences with advocacy themes. Williams' songs have been performed at events across the United States, Canada, and Europe, translated into multiple languages, and featured in books, videos, and plays. Williams began songwriting in 1980 after spending the 1970s working with children and adults with cognitive disabilities. His early live album in 1985 drew positive attention for its first-rate compositions and vocal style influenced by artists such as Hank Snow and John Sebastian. In the late 1980s, he shifted focus to creating music for the self-advocacy movement, producing anthems that promote civil rights and respect for individuals with disabilities. He produced and recorded the album Respect: Songs of the Self-Advocacy Movement with the US national self-advocacy group, which was submitted as a candidate for consideration in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category for the 1998 Grammy Awards and has been described as a powerful collection of anthems. Williams has received three ASCAP Awards for his contributions in this area. Beyond advocacy music, Williams has released acclaimed children's albums, including Big Fish Little Fish, which was adopted into a Jane Goodall Institute program and praised by School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, as well as Uncle Robot: Songs for Young Families (2003). His popular songs have attracted publishers, with the 1999 multilingual single “To the New Century” gaining international radio play. He has also co-authored two autobiographies with self-advocacy leaders, adapted one into a play, and has worked on additional books and an autobiographical novel.

Early life and education

Little public information is available about Karl Williams' early life and education. According to his biography, he spent most of the 1970s working with children and adults with cognitive disabilities before he began songwriting in 1980.

Professional football career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Karl Williams signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1996 after going unselected in the NFL Draft. He quickly became the team's primary punt returner during his rookie season and developed into one of the league's most reliable specialists in that role over the next several years. Nicknamed "The Truth," Williams earned recognition for his explosive returns and contributions on special teams while also serving as a wide receiver. Williams spent eight seasons with the Buccaneers from 1996 to 2003, appearing in 115 games with 23 starts. He recorded 137 receptions for 1,700 yards and 7 touchdowns as a receiver during his time in Tampa Bay. As a punt returner, he amassed 2,565 yards and 5 touchdowns on punt returns, establishing franchise records in both categories that still stand. His punt return touchdowns came in the 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2002 seasons. Williams was a member of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl XXXVII championship team following the 2002 season. His consistent performance on special teams helped the team during their successful run in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He later played briefly for the Arizona Cardinals in 2004.

Arizona Cardinals

Williams joined the Arizona Cardinals for the 2004 NFL season following his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his only year with the team, he played in 15 games with 2 starts, serving primarily as a wide receiver and punt returner in a limited role compared to his previous tenure. As a receiver, Williams caught 18 passes for 197 yards and no touchdowns, averaging 10.9 yards per reception with a long of 33 yards. He added two rushing attempts for 6 yards and one kickoff return for 18 yards. On special teams, he handled punt returns extensively, fielding 42 punts for 286 yards and an average of 6.8 yards per return, with a longest return of 38 yards and no touchdowns. His all-purpose yards totaled 507 for the season. This stint concluded his NFL career.

Arena Football League

After his NFL career ended, Karl Williams played one season in the Arena Football League with the Tampa Bay Storm in 2007. Listed as a wide receiver on the team roster, he appeared in games for the franchise during their 21st AFL season. In his sole Arena Football League campaign, Williams recorded 10 receptions for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns. These statistics represented his entire career output in the league, which consisted exclusively of this single season with Tampa Bay.

Achievements and records

Karl Williams has received recognition for his songwriting and contributions to the self-advocacy movement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. His album Respect: Songs of the Self-Advocacy Movement, produced and recorded with the US national self-advocacy group, was a candidate for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards. He has received three ASCAP Awards for his work supporting the self-advocacy movement. His children's albums include Big Fish Little Fish, which was praised by School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly and adopted into a Jane Goodall Institute program, as well as Uncle Robot: Songs for Young Families (2003). His 1999 multilingual single “To the New Century” gained international radio play. Williams has co-authored two autobiographies with self-advocacy leaders, adapted one into a play that has premiered, and is completing further books and an autobiographical novel. No television appearances are documented for Karl Williams.

Personal life and legacy

Little is publicly known about Karl Williams' personal life, as details such as family, birth date, or early background are not documented in available sources. He operates Greene Street Records, with a mailing address in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. His legacy centers on his contributions to music for the self-advocacy movement of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including anthems that promote civil rights and respect, as well as his work in children's music and popular songs, earning ASCAP awards and a Grammy nomination consideration for Respect: Songs of the Self-Advocacy Movement.
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