View source for Tyrone Williams (wide receiver)

{{Short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1970)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Tyrone Williams
| number        = 86, 83, 81
| position      = [[Wide receiver]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1970|03|26}}
| birth_place   = [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], Canada
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 5
| weight_lb     = 207
| high_school   = [[Queen Elizabeth High School (Halifax, Nova Scotia)|Halifax (NS) Queen Elizabeth]]
| cis           = [[Western Mustangs football|Western Ontario]]
| draftyear     = 1992
| draftround    = 9
| draftpick     = 239
| cfldraftyear  = 1992
| cfldraftround = 1
| cfldraftpick  = 7
| pastteams     =
* [[Phoenix Cardinals]] (1992)*
* [[Dallas Cowboys]] ({{NFL Year|1992}}–{{NFL Year|1993}})
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1994}})*
* [[Buffalo Bills]] ({{NFL Year|1995}})*
* [[Calgary Stampeders]] ({{CFL Year|1995}})
* [[Toronto Argonauts]] ({{CFL Year|1996}})
* [[Miami Dolphins]] ({{NFL Year|1997}})*
| highlights    =
* 2× [[Super Bowl]] champion ([[Super Bowl XXVII|XXVII]], [[Super Bowl XXVIII|XXVIII]])
* [[Grey Cup]] champion ([[84th Grey Cup|1996]])
* 2× [[U Sports|All-Canadian]] (1990, 1991)
* 2× [[Ontario University Athletics|All-OUA]] (1990, 1991)
| statlabel2    = [[Reception (American football)|Reception]]s
| statvalue2    = 1
| statlabel3    = Receiving yards
| statvalue3    = 25
| pfr           = WillTy22 
}}

'''Tyrone Robert Williams''' (born March 26, 1970) is a Canadian former professional [[gridiron football|football]] player who was a [[wide receiver]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for the [[Dallas Cowboys]]. He also was a member of the [[Calgary Stampeders]] and [[Toronto Argonauts]] in the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL). He is the first player to win a [[Vanier Cup]], a [[Super Bowl]] and a [[Grey Cup]]. He played [[U Sports football|university football]] at the [[University of Western Ontario]].

==Early years==
Williams attended [[Queen Elizabeth High School (Halifax, Nova Scotia)]], where he played competitive football, [[soccer]] and [[basketball]]. In football, he was an All-star selection at both [[quarterback]] and [[wide receiver]]. As a senior, he also was an All-star selection at forward on the basketball team.

==University career==
Williams was recruited by [[University of Western Ontario]] football coach Larry Haylor in 1988.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.lib.uwo.ca/archives/virtualexhibits/metrasmuseum/exhibits/show/football/profiles/tyrone-williams/ | title=JP Metras Sports Museum Profile | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> He made an immediate impact in his first season with the Mustangs, setting a team receiving record for most yards per catch with 21.9, and was named an [[Ontario Universities Athletic Association]] (OUAA) second-team all-star.

Williams was named an OUAA all-star again in 1989, a season in which the Mustangs won their fifth Vanier Cup title. Williams caught five passes for 157 yards and a touchdown to earn the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game's most outstanding player as Western beat the [[Saskatchewan Huskies]] 35–10 to win the [[U Sports|Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union]] football championship.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TycaTqYzKxY  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/TycaTqYzKxY |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live| title=Video 1989 Western Mustangs Vanier Cup Champions |website=[[YouTube]] | access-date=February 19, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Williams earned All-Canadian honours in 1990 and again 1991, and graduated Western with a degree in economics, and school records for most receptions and most yards receiving. Those records stood for nearly two decades until they were surpassed by future CFL star [[Andy Fantuz]].

Williams' accomplishments in Canada caught the attention of American scouts, and after his final season at Western ended, he received an invitation to play in the [[Senior Bowl]] in Birmingham, Alabama.  Not only was Williams the first Canadian university player to earn an invitation to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]'s annual showcase for graduating US college football players, he also caught a 36-yard touchdown pass in a 13-10 AFC victory, the game's only offensive touchdown, earning him the AT&T Long Distance Play of the Game for the longest play of the game.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-19-sp-1057-story.html | title=COLLEGE FOOTBALL SENIOR BOWL : Weather Is Miserable, and So Is the Game | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref>

==National Football League==
===Phoenix Cardinals===
Williams was selected by the [[Calgary Stampeders]] seventh overall in the first round of the [[CFL draft]] in February 1992, but decided to wait for the [[NFL draft]] in April before deciding on his professional future. He was selected by the [[Phoenix Cardinals]] in the ninth round (239th overall) of the [[1992 NFL draft]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=1992 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1992/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> becoming the first [[U Sports|Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union]] player selected in the NFL draft since the [[Los Angeles Rams]] selected [[offensive line]]man [[Mike Schad]] of the [[Queen's University at Kingston|Queen's University]] [[Golden Gaels]] in the first round (23rd overall) in [[1986 NFL draft|1986]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-10-sp-9997-story.html | title=Big, Strong and Fast, Mike Schad Quickly Had Rams' Attention | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> Not since [[University of Toronto Varsity Blues]] quarterback Dan Feraday, who was selected in the 12th round by the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] in [[1982 NFL draft|1982]], had a skill-position player from a Canadian university been taken by an NFL team.

Williams was not the first Western graduate to go to the NFL. Future [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]] inductee [[Joe Krol]] played two games with the [[Detroit Lions]] in 1945, and offensive guard [[Dave Sparenberg]] played one game for the [[Cleveland Browns]] as a [[replacement player]] during the [[National Football League Players Association]] strike in 1987. Nor was Williams the first Mustang to be drafted by the NFL. Linebacker John Priestner was an 11th round pick (280th overall) of the [[Baltimore Colts]] in 1979. Priestner did not play in any regular season games with the Colts and returned to Canada to play for the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]].

Williams' NFL career did not start off smoothly. In 1992, he missed the first two weeks of the Cardinals training camp because his work visa did not arrive, and after falling behind the competition, he was waived on September 1.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19920902&id=Z0FWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XeoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6568,279902&hl=es | title=Transactions | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref>

===Dallas Cowboys===
On September 2, [[1992 NFL season|1992]], Williams was signed by the [[Dallas Cowboys]] to the team's [[practice squad]]. During the season he never dressed for a regular or playoff game. Although he was deactivated, he earned his first [[Super Bowl]] ring watching from the sidelines as the Cowboys crushed the [[Buffalo Bills]] 52–17 in [[Super Bowl XXVII]].

In [[1993 NFL season|1993]], the on-field high point of Williams' time with Dallas came on August 8, when he hooked up with quarterback [[Jason Garrett]] for 5 catches and 157 yards, including a game-tying 53-yard touchdown pass in the Cowboys' 13–13 tie with the Detroit Lions in a preseason game at [[Wembley Stadium]] in London, England.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.wembleystadium.com/Press/Press-Releases/2013/9/A-History-Of-American-Football-At-Wembley.aspx| title=A History Of American Football At Wembley | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> He dressed for 9 games during the Cowboys' 1993 regular season, and played in 5 games catching one pass for 25 yards. The Cowboys earned a berth in [[Super Bowl XXVIII]], but Williams was relegated to the inactive list when the team decided to dress an extra running back. He did not play in the game, but earned a second Super Bowl ring as the Cowboys defeated the Bills 30–13 to win their second consecutive NFL championship.

On July 11, [[1994 NFL season|1994]], Williams parted with the Cowboys,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19940712&id=RagyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LecFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3669,3645005&hl=es | title=Transactions | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> and was claimed by the [[Chicago Bears]] on July 12,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19940713&id=5pdiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6XcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4596,3506295&hl=es | title=Transactions | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> but he was released during the team's final cuts.
 
After sitting out the 1994 season, Williams was invited to the [[Buffalo Bills]] training camp on January 26, [[1995 NFL season|1995]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=896&dat=19950127&id=zKRSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wH0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5079,3726335&hl=es | title=Transactions | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> He was released on August 26,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19950827&id=IKdUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ezsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2010,6374459&hl=es | title=Transactions | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> and decided to look for new opportunities back in Canada.

==Canadian Football League==
===Calgary Stampeders===
On September 12, [[1995 CFL season|1995]], after leaving Buffalo's training camp which finished midway through the CFL season, he signed with the [[Calgary Stampeders]], which still retained his negotiation rights from the [[1992 CFL draft]]. He joined former Mustangs teammate [[Dave Sapunjis]] in the Stampeders receiving corps, registering six passes for 81 yards and one touchdown in seven games. The team nearly won the CFL's championship in his first year in the league, catching one pass for 13 yards in Calgary's 37–20 loss to the [[Baltimore Stallions]] in the [[83rd Grey Cup]].

===Toronto Argonauts===
On May 23, [[1996 CFL season|1996]], Williams was acquired by the [[Toronto Argonauts]] in exchange for the negotiation rights to quarterback [[Dave Dickenson]]. Williams enjoyed his finest professional season, playing a full schedule and catching passes for almost 900 yards. Led by quarterback [[Doug Flutie]], the Argonauts cruised to a 15–3 record and won the [[84th Grey Cup]] over the [[Edmonton Eskimos]] 43–37.  With the victory, Williams became the first player to win the Vanier Cup, the Super Bowl and the Grey Cup.

==Retirement==
On March 11, [[1997 NFL season|1997]], the [[Miami Dolphins]] of the [[National Football League]] signed Williams to a two-year contract as a free agent.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/12/sports/transactions-052213.html | title=Transactions | website=[[The New York Times]] | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> He chose to retire in May of that year and was released on May 12.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://apnews.com/e4d778b086fad51ecc34d4b1769d01c8 | title=Dolphins Release CB A.J. Johnson, WR Tyrone Williams | website=[[Associated Press News]] | access-date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> Retiring  from pro football at the age of 27, he never gave an official explanation for his decision.

==Career statistics==
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%" style="text-align:center"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season
! Team
! League
! GP
! REC
! YDS
! AVG
! TD
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1988
|Western Ontario
|OUAA
|X
|27
|592
|21.9
|2
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1989
|Western Ontario
|OUAA
|X
|27
|550
|20.4
|2
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1990
|Western Ontario
|OUAA
|X
|27
|504
|18.7
|4
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1991
|Western Ontario
|OUAA
|X
|21
|432
|20.6
|1
|-
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1992
|Phoenix Cardinals
|NFL
|
|
|
|
|
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1992
|Dallas Cowboys
|NFL
|
|
|
|
|
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1993
|Dallas Cowboys
|NFL
|5
|1
|25
|25.0
|0
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1994
|Chicago Bears
|NFL
|
|
|
|
|
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1995
|Buffalo Bills
|NFL
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
| 1995
|Calgary Stampeders
|CFL
|7
|6
|81
|13.5
|1
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1996
|Toronto Argonauts
|CFL
|18
|60
|895
|14.9
|8
|-style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
|1997
|Miami Dolphins
|NFL
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-style="background-color:#e0e0e0;"
!
!OUAA totals
!
!X
!102
!2078
!20.4
!9
|-style="background-color:#e0e0e0;"
!
!NFL totals
!
!5
!1
!25
!25.0
!0
|-style="background-color:#e0e0e0;"
!
!CFL totals
!
!25
!66
!976
!14.8
!9
|}

==Personal life==
In recognition of his accomplishments as an amateur and professional athlete, Williams was inducted into the [[Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame]] in 2004. His uncle is [[Tommy Kane]] who played [[wide receiver]] in the [[NFL]] for the [[Seattle Seahawks]]. Williams works as a substitute teacher in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220519/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WILLITYR01 Tyrone Williams stats]}}
* [http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/w/williams_tyrone_a.htm CFL bio Tyrone Williams]

{{Phoenix Cardinals 1992 draft navbox}}
{{84th Grey Cup}}
{{Super Bowl XXVII}}
{{Super Bowl XXVIII}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Tyrone}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football wide receivers]]
[[Category:Black Canadian players of American football]]
[[Category:Black Canadian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Black Nova Scotians]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate American football people in the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian football wide receivers]]
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys players]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Canadian football people from Halifax, Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Toronto Argonauts players]]
[[Category:Western Mustangs football players]]