Jan. 24, 2011
RUSTON, La. - Former Louisiana Tech walk-on defensive back Tramon Williams will play on the world's biggest stage in less than two weeks when he and the Green Bay Packers face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Named to the Pro Bowl last week, Williams is in his first year as a full-time starter at corner back for the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay advanced after defeating divisional rival Chicago 21-14 at Soldier Field. With the win over the Bears, the Packers became the first No. 6 seed from the NFC to advance to the Super Bowl.
This year with Green Bay, Williams led the team with a career-high 23 passes defended and a career-high six interceptions during the 2010 regular season. He is the only non-drafted free agent in the NFL to post four or more interceptions in each of the past three seasons.
He really turned heads in the playoffs, becoming just the fourth player in Green Bay's franchise history to post two interceptions in a playoff game. That included a pick on the last play of the first half that he took 70 yards for a touchdown, the second-longest interception return in Packers playoff history. Williams' interception of a Michael Vick pass in the end zone in the final minutes clinched Green Bay's 21-16 Wild Card win over Philadelphia.
"I don't think I could have sat up there and told you I was capable of this," said Williams about watching Louisiana Tech from the stands his freshman year before walking-on. "But my mentality is coming up, if you ask anyone who I've grown up with, I've always been a smaller kid going up against the bigger guys. My athleticism, I was always that athletic. So they always say `little Tramon Williams, but he's outdoing everyone.' That's the way I approached things. Anything that was given to me I saw it as a challenge and went after it."
Williams was a standout defensive back for Louisiana Tech and a three-time letterman after walking on to the team. Williams earned three letters from 2003-05 and finished his Tech career with 91 total tackles, 32 pass deflections and seven interceptions returned for 52 yards. Williams also returned 10 punts for 67 yards in his senior season. He went on to graduate from LA Tech with degrees in sociology and computer information services.
Despite playing in 33 games in his career, Williams did not start until his senior year at Tech. He walked on to the team after watching a game from the stands his freshman year and believing he could play on that level.
"Once I got to college ... [I] went to a couple of football games and saw that I can go out there and play and thought I can be great," said Williams. "And that's what I went out there and did. It took a couple of years for me to get out on the field. But once I got out there I made my impact, went from there."
He was an all-state standout at Assumption High School in Napoleonville but was unable to get a scholarship offer from any Division I program, but not for a lack of trying. Several Division I coaches had their opportunity with many teams recruiting his teammate Brandon Jacobs, who now plays for the New York Giants.
"I don't know," Williams said of not attracting any collegiate coach's attention in high school. "That's a question that I think that's always going to be up in the air. That's something that I don't know. Of course, there may be the answer somewhere down the road. But not right now."
He faced the same situation after college, going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2006. He signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent but the team cut him following training camp. After several other unsuccessful tryouts, Williams was put on the Green Bay practice squad.
A reserve that was able to start 19 games during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, he took over at right cornerback late last year when a left knee injury sidelined Al Harris for the remainder of the season. Williams plays opposite former Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson in Green Bay's secondary.
Williams is only the third NFL player whose career began since the 1970 merger to post a 90-yard punt return and interception and kickoff returns of 65 yards in a career, joining Adam Jones and Lemar Parrish.
His three interceptions in this year's playoffs rank No. 1 in the league and he is the first player to register three picks in the postseason since New York Giants cornerback R.W. McQuarters also posted threein 2007. He ranks first in the NFL with a combined nine interceptions (regular season and playoffs) this season.
In week five at Washington, Williams posted a 52-yard punt return and a 60-yard interception return in the same game becoming the first player in franchise history to post a 50-yard punt return and 60-yard interception return in the same game. To show just how rare that is, no player in Green Bay's team annals has ever posted both of those returns in the same season.
Super Bowl XLV is on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. (CT) at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will be televised on Fox.
