Michael Williams (born July 16, 1961) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who played three seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

and

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round of the

1983 NFL draft The 1983 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 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sh ...

. He first enrolled at

Northeast Mississippi Community College Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) is a public community college in Booneville, Mississippi. History The college was founded in 1948 as Northeast Mississippi Junior College'','' and became known primarily as an agricultural school a ...

before transferring to

Mississippi College Mississippi College (MC) is a private university affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention and located in Clinton, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1826, MC is the second oldest Baptists, Baptist-affiliated college or university in ...

Early life and college

Michael Williams was born on July 16, 1961, in

Atmore, Alabama Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. The population was 8,391 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated on May 9, 1907. The Atmore Commercial Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Th ...

. He attended Escambia County High School in

. Williams was a member of the

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

team at

from 1979 to 1980. He then transferred to

and was a member of the

Mississippi College Choctaws The Mississippi College Choctaws are the athletic teams that represent Mississippi College, located in Clinton, Mississippi, in intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division II, Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCA ...

from 1981 to 1982.

Professional career

Williams was selected by the

in the fourth round, with the 89th overall pick, of the

. He officially signed with the team on May 26, 1983. He played in 15 games, starting nine, for the Eagles during his rookie year in 1983, rushing 103 times for 385 yards while also catching 17 passes for 142 yards. Williams appeared in all 16 games, starting one, during the 1984 season, recording 33 carries for 83 yards and seven receptions for 47 yards. He was released by the Eagles on August 20, 1985. Williams signed with the

on April 3, 1986, before being released later that year. On September 23, 1987, he was re-signed by the Falcons during the

1987 NFL players strike The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is the labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and president ...

. He played in three games, starting one, for the Falcons that season, rushing 14 times for 49 yards and catching nine passes for 70 yards. He was released on October 19, 1987, after the strike ended.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Michael Living people 1961 births Players of American football from Alabama American football running backs Northeast Mississippi Tigers football players Mississippi College Choctaws football players Philadelphia Eagles players Atlanta Falcons players People from Atmore, Alabama 20th-century African-American sportsmen NFL replacement players