Wikipedia

Mike Williams (wide receiver, born 1987)

Michael Anthony Williams (May 18, 1987 – September 12, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills.

Mike Williams
refer to caption
Williams with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012
No. 19, 15
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:(1987-05-18)May 18, 1987
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died:September 12, 2023(2023-09-12) (aged 36)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:Riverside (Buffalo, New York)
College:Syracuse (2006–2009)
NFL draft:2010 / round: 4 / pick: 101
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:223
Receiving yards:3,089
Receiving touchdowns:26
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Williams attended Riverside Institute of Technology.[1] As a senior, he had 970 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on offense and 35 tackles and two interceptions on defense.[2]

College career

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As a true freshman at Syracuse in 2006, Williams made 24 receptions for a team-leading 461 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games.[3][4] As a sophomore in 2007 Williams was an all-Big East second-team selection.[5] He finished the season tying a school record with 60 receptions for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games.[6]

In June 2008, Williams was suspended for the 2008 season for academic reasons.[7]

On November 3, 2009, Williams quit the team after he was involved in a car accident with teammates Antwon Bailey, Andrew Tiller and Torrey Ball.[8] He finished the 2009 season with 49 receptions for 746 yards and six touchdowns in seven games.[9]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in
(1.87 m) 		221 lb
(100 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.53 s 1.53 s 2.63 s 4.19 s 6.90 s 39.5 in
(1.00 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 8 reps
All values from 2010 NFL Combine[10][11]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Williams was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round (101st overall) in the 2010 NFL draft.[12] He was signed to a four-year contract on June 4, 2010.[13]

On September 12, 2010, he made his NFL debut against the Cleveland Browns, making five receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown.[14] In his first pro season, Williams became the first Buccaneer rookie to score a touchdown in back-to-back games since Carnell Williams in 2005.[15] On October 31, 2010, Williams recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game at Arizona, finishing with 105 yards on four receptions and a touchdown.[16][17]

Williams started all 16 games as a rookie and had 65 receptions for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.[18] His 11 touchdowns marked a new Buccaneers franchise record for most receiving touchdowns in a single season.[19] After his rookie season, Williams finished second in voting for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, and was a finalist for the NFL Pepsi Rookie of the Year. He was also named to The Sporting News NFL All- Rookie Team and PFW/PFWA All-Rookie Team and led all rookie receivers in the NFL in yardage (964), receptions (65) and touchdowns (11) in 2010.[19] He was ranked 83rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[20]

In 2011, Williams caught 68 passes for 771 yards.[21] Williams finished the 2012 season with a career-high in receiving yards with 996.[21]

On July 24, 2013, it was reported that Williams had agreed to a new six-year, $40.25 million contract with the Buccaneers that would have kept him in Tampa Bay through the 2018 season.[22] On October 28, the Bucs announced that they had placed Williams on injured reserve, ending his season and leaving the Buccaneers without one of their starting wideouts the rest of the way. Williams battled a hamstring injury for several weeks and finished the season with 22 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns.[23]

Buffalo Bills

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On April 4, 2014, Williams was traded to the Buffalo Bills, his hometown team, for a 6th-round draft pick, just one season after signing a contract extension with the Buccaneers.[24] During a week 4 game against the Houston Texans, Williams caught what would become his lone touchdown with the Bills, an 80-yard pass from EJ Manuel.[25]

On October 13, 2014, it was reported that Williams had asked the Bills for a trade.[26] Williams was placed on the waived/injured list on December 8, 2014. He went unclaimed during the waiver process, and was placed on the Bills injured reserve list the next day.[27] On December 22, 2014, Williams recovered from his calf injury and was released by the Bills.[28]

Williams was suspended by the NFL for the first six weeks of the 2015 season on September 8, 2015, for an undisclosed issue.[29][30]

Kansas City Chiefs

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On April 25, 2016, Williams signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.[31] On August 25, 2016, Williams was released by the Chiefs.[32]

NFL career statistics

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  • Bold denotes career high
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2010 TB 16 16 65 964 14.8 58 11 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 2
2011 TB 16 15 65 771 11.9 42 3 1 3 3.0 3 0 2 2
2012 TB 16 16 63 996 15.8 65 9 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2013 TB 6 5 22 216 9.8 28 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2014 BUF 9 0 8 142 17.8 80 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Total 63 52 223 3089 13.9 80 26 1 3 3.0 3 0 5 4

Personal life

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Williams had a daughter with Tierney Lyle,[33] in addition to a son with another woman.[34]

Death

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Williams worked in construction in the Tampa Bay area following his NFL career. On August 21, 2023, he was injured in a worksite accident in which a steel beam fell on his head.[35] Though he initially returned home, he was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa the following day, with acute respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, and sepsis diagnosed at the time of his admission.[36] He was later reported to be paralyzed in his right arm and from the waist down.[37][33][38]

While Williams initially appeared to be faring better after surgery, his condition declined rapidly and he was placed in a medically induced coma.[39] After the release of conflicting reports as to whether he had died or not, on September 6, Lyle reported that he was alive and on life support.[33] By September 7, Lyle stated that Williams had been taken off life support, but was surviving and responsive.[34] However, he died five days later on September 12, at the age of 36.[40] The medical examiner's report concluded that Williams died from bacterial sepsis caused by tooth decay; his death was ruled to be from natural causes.[35]

References

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  1. ^ "Graham, Williams feel at home with Bills". USA TODAY. Associated Press. September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Another Big Catch: Bucs Pick WR Williams". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. April 24, 2010. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "Mike Williams 2006 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "2006 Syracuse Orange Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Mike Williams – Football". Syracuse University Athletics. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "Mike Williams 2007 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "Syracuse's top WR suspended on academic issue". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 3, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "Bailey, Ball, Tiller suspended". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 3, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  9. ^ "Mike Williams 2009 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Mike Williams Draft and Combine Prospect Profile", NFL.com, retrieved February 27, 2010
  11. ^ "Mike Williams Draft Profile", DraftScout.com
  12. ^ "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  13. ^ Bucs sign fourth-round draft pick WR Mike Williams Archived June 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Bucs pull off win against Browns in season opener
  15. ^ Bradley, Dre (September 12, 2023). "Former Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams dies at 36". ABC Action News. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  16. ^ "Talib's defensive heroics lift Bucs past Cardinals". ESPN. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Daube, Ken (December 8, 2010). "Buccaneers' Mike Williams, Browns' Peyton Hillis looking good for both now and next year". ESPN. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  18. ^ NFL.com Rookie leaders
  19. ^ a b Benjamin, Cody (September 12, 2023). "Ex-NFL player Mike Williams dies at 36: Former Bucs, Bills WR passes away after construction site accident". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  20. ^ "2011 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Mike Williams – Unsigned Free Agent – news and analysis, statistics, game logs, depth charts, contracts, injuries".
  22. ^ Wilson, Ryan (July 24, 2013). "Mike Williams, Bucs agree to six-year, $40.25 million extension". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  23. ^ Alper, Josh (October 28, 2013). "Bucs place Mike Williams on injured reserve". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Alper, Josh (April 4, 2014). "Bills acquire Mike Williams for a sixth-round pick". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Fairburn, Matthew (September 29, 2014). "Mike Williams says Texans defense caught Bills off guard and other notes about Buffalo's offense". syracuse. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  26. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (October 13, 2014). "Mike Williams given blessing from Bills to seek trade". NFL.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  27. ^ Alper, Josh (December 8, 2014). "Bills waive/injured Mike Williams". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "Bills release WR Mike Williams". Sports Illustrated. December 22, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  29. ^ Yates, Field (September 8, 2015). "Brandon Spikes among five free agents suspended by NFL". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  30. ^ "Brandon Spikes among five free agents suspended by NFL". ABC News. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  31. ^ Alper, Josh (April 25, 2016). "Chiefs bring Mike Williams back to NFL". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  32. ^ Alper, Josh (August 25, 2016). "Chiefs release Mike Williams, Stevie Brown". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  33. ^ a b c Stroud, Rick (September 5, 2023). "Former Buc Mike Williams on life support following construction accident". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  34. ^ a b Veronica, Nick; Bronstein, Jonah (September 8, 2023). "'We need prayer warriors': Former NFL receiver Mike Williams continues to fight for his life in Florida hospital". News 4 Buffalo. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  35. ^ a b Afshar, Paradise (December 23, 2023). "Former NFL player Mike Williams died of dental-related sepsis, medical examiner says". CNN. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  36. ^ "Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Department Initial Case Summary Report". Hillsborough County Medical Examiner. December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  37. ^ Neumann, Sean (September 7, 2023). "Former NFL Wide Receiver Mike Williams on Life Support After Accident at Construction Site: Update". People. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  38. ^ Boren, Cindy (September 6, 2023). "Ex-NFL player Mike Williams involved in construction-site accident". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Bronstein, Jonah; Veronica, Nick; Minkewicz, Sarah (September 6, 2023). "Former NFL receiver, Buffalo native Mike Williams on life support". WIVB-TV. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  40. ^ "Ex-Bucs, Bills WR Mike Williams dies at age 36". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023 – via Reuters.
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