Rodney Williams (punter)

Rodney Colin Williams (born April 25, 1977) is an American former gridiron football punter.

Rodney C. Williams
No. 2, 12
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1977-04-25) April 25, 1977 (age 47)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Southwest DeKalb
(Decatur, Georgia)
College:Georgia Tech
NFL draft:1999 / round: 7 / pick: 252
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • Longest punt in New York Giants history (90)
  • Longest punt in NFL History by a rookie (90)
  • 2× First-team All-ACC (1997, 1998)
Career NFL statistics
Punts:91
Punt yards:3,905
Punting average:42.9
Stats at Pro Football Reference

College career

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Williams, who played from 1995 to 1998, left Georgia Tech as the school's career leader in punting average at 41.1 yards a kick. His single-season average of 45.64 yards per punt in 1997 set a school record that stood until Pressley Harvin III broke it in 2020 with an average of 48.0 yards per punt. That same season, he had a school record 553 punting yards against Florida State. In November 2011, Williams was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

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Williams was drafted out of Georgia Tech by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft.[1] Williams played 2 seasons in NFL Europe where he was a Special Teams Captain for the 2000 World Bowl Champions, Rhine Fire. In 2001 landing a job with the New York Giants. At the time, Williams was the only African-American punter in the NFL, and was just the fourth in the league's history. Williams set a team record with a 90-yard punt on Monday Night Football on September 10, 2001, in Denver against the Broncos, a record that stands to date.[2] Williams officially retired from the NFL in 2007.

References

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  1. ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Olney, Buster (August 29, 2002). "PRO FOOTBALL; Williams Out, Allen In, as Giant Punter". The New York Times. p. 5. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
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