Larry Williams (American football)

Larry Williams
No. 70, 66, 75
Position:Guard
Center
Personal information
Born: (1963-07-03) July 3, 1963 (age 61)
Orange, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:292 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school:Mater Dei
(Santa Ana, California)
College:Notre Dame
NFL draft:1985 / round: 10 / pick: 259
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As an administrator:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:61
Games started:44
Fumble recoveries:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Lawrence Richard Williams II (born July 3, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Williams was born in Orange, California and attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.[1]

College career

[edit]

Williams played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.[2] He earned second-team All-American honors twice during his college career: as a junior he was selected by Football News, and as a senior by United Press International (UPI).[3][4] He graduated from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985.[5]

Professional career

[edit]

Williams was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the tenth round with the 259th pick in the 1985 NFL draft.[6] He played in 42 games, starting 33, for the Browns from 1986 to 1988.[1] He became a free agent in February 1989 when he was left unprotected by the Browns because of a shoulder surgery in January 1989.[7] Williams signed with the San Diego Chargers on March 7, 1989.[7] He was placed on the physically unable to perform list on August 29, 1989.[8] He was released by the Chargers on September 3, 1990.[9] Williams played in six games, starting two, for the New Orleans Saints during the 1991 season.[1] He played in thirteen games, starting nine, for the New England Patriots in 1992.[1] He retired in 1993 while still a member of the Patriots.[5]

Post-NFL

[edit]

Williams earned a J.D. degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1992.[5][10] He practiced law for six years for Baker & Daniels, an Indianapolis-based firm, after his football career.[10][11] He then returned to Notre Dame to work on licensing and product marketing for the athletic department from 1999 to 2003.[5][10]

Administrative career

[edit]

Williams became athletic director of the Portland Pilots of the University of Portland in June 2004 and served in that capacity till becoming Marquette's athletic director.[5][10] He was named the Marquette Golden Eagles' new athletic director on December 5, 2011 and started his tenure on January 2, 2012.[5] He left Marquette in December 2013 to pursue other interests.[12]

Personal life

[edit]

Williams' wife Laura Lee is a former collegiate All-American and national champion tennis player at Notre Dame. They have five children. Their daughter Kristin was a rower at Santa Clara University while their sons Sean, Scott and Eric played football at Yale University.[10][13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "LARRY WILLIAMS". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  2. ^ "Larry Williams Stats". NFL.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "All-America". The Sioux City Journal. November 30, 1983. p. C2. Retrieved February 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "UPI All-Americans". The Indianapolis Star. December 5, 1984. p. 62 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ^ a b c d e f Walker, Don (December 5, 2011). "Marquette names Portland's Williams new athletic director". jsonline.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "1985 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Chargers Land Free Agent Williams From". Los Angeles Times. March 8, 1989. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  8. ^ "Transactions". Star-Banner. August 30, 1989. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  9. ^ "CUTDOWN DAY TEAM-BY-TEAM TRANSACTIONS". The Washington Post. September 4, 1990. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Larry Williams". portlandpilots.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  11. ^ "Larry Williams named new Marquette AD". ESPN. December 6, 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  12. ^ Hunt, Michael (December 13, 2013). "Marquette athletics director Larry Williams steps down". jsonline.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  13. ^ "Eric Williams". yalebulldogs.com. Retrieved September 27, 2015.