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College football: Ranking the NFL careers of Heisman Trophy winners 1975-2005

By Nick Villano

Sep 1, 2018; South Bend, IN, USA; Tim Brown the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner poses with the Heisman Trophy at the Heisman House located outside Notre Dame Stadium before the Michigan Wolverines play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; South Bend, IN, USA; Tim Brown the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner poses with the Heisman Trophy at the Heisman House located outside Notre Dame Stadium before the Michigan Wolverines play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams (Photo by Tami Tomsic/Getty Images) /

Ranking NFL careers of Heisman winners: 10. Ricky Williams, RB, Texas

It’s hard to really explain just how good Ricky Williams was at the University of Texas. Some of the running backs on this list had insane college careers, but Williams averaged basically six yards every single time he touched the ball in college. Teams would stack the box, and Ricky Williams would get his team halfway towards the sticks. Teams would try to confuse Texas with funky sets, and Williams would get to the second level every time. His ability was second to none.

After rushing for 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns in his senior season, Williams was awarded the Heisman Trophy. He added another 262 yards receiving. Mike Ditka wanted Ricky Williams on the Saints, and he made it clear at that year’s owners’ meetings that he was willing to trade all of his draft picks to take Williams. That’s what he did and then some. He traded the entire 1999 draft plus two picks in 2000 to get Williams.

Those are lofty expectations for a running back, but Williams was still great in the NFL. The Saints got a pretty good running back for three seasons. He broke 1,000 yards twice before he was traded to the Dolphins in 2002. He led the league in rushing that year and was named an All Pro. After touching the ball 442 times in 2003, Williams abruptly retired.

The rest of his career was strange, which included a full-year suspension and a career that still lasted until he was 34 years old. He ended his career with more than 10,000 yards rushing. Williams was great for a time, and he ended up having a nice run after he returned from his retirement.

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