Ben Williams (American football, born 1954) explained

Ben Williams
Number:77
Position:Defensive end
Birth Date:1 September 1954
Birth Place:Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S.
Death Place:Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lb:251
High School:Yazoo City
College:Ole Miss (1972–1975)
Draftyear:1976
Draftround:3
Draftpick:78
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statlabel1:Sacks
Statvalue1:52
Statlabel2:Safeties
Statvalue2:1
Statlabel3:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue3:7
Statlabel4:Interceptions
Statvalue4:2
Pfr:W/WillBe00

Robert Jerry Williams (September 1, 1954 – May 18, 2020), nicknamed "Gentle Ben", was an American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 1985. Williams was the first Black person to play college football for the Ole Miss Rebels of the University of Mississippi.[1]

Nicknamed "Gentle Ben" during his college days, Williams was a three-time All-SEC selection. He holds the school record for sacks in a single season (18) and in a career (37).[2]

He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 1976 NFL draft. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1982.[3] During his ten years with the Bills, he made 45.5 sacks, a franchise record.

Williams is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[4] [5]

Two years after his death at 65, Ole Miss retired his number, 74, making Williams just the fourth person so honored. The ceremony took place on November 24, 2022, as Ole Miss played Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ole Miss Alumni Association . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111107091838/http://www.olemissalumni.com/parentsandstudents/default.aspx?page_id=87 . November 7, 2011 . August 2, 2013.
  2. Web site: Jackson . Wilton . 22 Sep 2022 . Ole Miss to Retire Number of School’s First Black Football Player . 28 Sep 2022 . Sports Illustrated . Ole Miss announced Thursday that it will retire Ben Williams’s No. 74 jersey number when the Rebels face Mississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl on Nov. 24..
  3. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillBe00.htm Ben Williams
  4. News: The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) . Concussion Legacy Foundation . July 2, 2023 . July 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts . dead .
  5. News: Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller . Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. . . June 20, 2023 . July 2, 2023 .