It’s early in the day on Dec. 8, 2015, and Ricky Williams, 1998 Heisman Trophy winner and University of Texas legend, is humbled. Sitting in the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on the day of his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, Williams can’t help but smile. And when Ricky smiles, everyone smiles.
“The Hall of Fame induction is one of the goals I had as a kid – to win the Heisman Trophy, to make it the College Football Hall of Fame,” he tells Big 12 correspondent Annabel Stephan, as his grin widens, now ear to ear. “It’s just great that the day is here.”
It’s fun to see Williams so enamored by the honor; especially since he seemingly made a career out of not letting his football exploits define him. Soft spoken and thoughtful – the San Diego-native has always given the impression of someone who finds more joy in a textbook than a playbook. Now, nearly, two decades after his historic Heisman run and ensuing pro career, he has returned to Austin to finish his bachelor’s degree, and after that, seek a Ph.D. in psychology.
“To me, it is college football,” he says. “Sometimes we concentrate on football and we loose track of the good opportunity we have to get an education. If it weren’t for the scholarship I got to go to the University of Texas, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m really about stressing education, because football is only going to last – if you are lucky – half your life. The education makes the rest of your life so much easier.”
The now 38-year-old Williams played 12 years in the NFL, racking up over 10,000 career rushing yards. But being a successful pro isn’t only about superior athletic ability. There are life lessons to be learned in the classroom, something he appreciates now more than ever.
“Every now and then I’ll run across a student-athlete who will talk about college and going to class and they will say, ‘this stuff isn’t applicable to my life.’ Having played in the NFL and coming back to school, I can tell you there hasn’t been a day of class when I haven’t gotten valuable information that would have been useful to me during my playing days. When I talk to young college football players, I tell them: Even if you want to go to the NFL, there’s nothing like an education to allow you to maximize all the opportunities you have when you get to the NFL.
“The bottom line of football is courage and that’s something we can use in all areas of our lives. Toughness, perseverance, dealing with adversity – these are universal skills that are going to improve the quality of people’s lives. To learn these traits, while playing a game – there’s nothing like it.