Harvey Williams (American football)

NFL player
Name=Harvey Williams

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DateOfBirth=birth date and age|1967|04|22
Birthplace= Hempstead, Texas
DateofDeath=
Position=Running Back
number=44, 22
College=LSU
DraftedYear=1991
DraftedRound=1
DraftedPick=21
Stats=Y
DatabaseFootball=WILLIHAR01
PFR=WillHa00
years=1991-1993
1994-1998
teams=Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

Harvey Lavance Williams (born April 22, 1967 in Hempstead, Texas), is a former professional American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders from 1991 to 1998.

College years

Williams grew up in Hempstead, Texas, where he was touted as one of the country's top high school running back prospects in 1986. Williams was considered a lock to commit to nearby Texas A&M, but shocked everyone when he committed to LSU at the last minute on signing day.

The highly-contested recruiting battle created a lot of bitterness between the two schools (LSU and Texas A&M had recently revived their yearly football rivalry). Because of it, Williams went to LSU in 1986 with outrageous, perhaps unrealistic, expectations. LSU fans were expecting a Heisman Trophy-caliber running back, but he never became one, partly because of knee injuries. He still had a decent college career, however. Williams ran for over 2,800 yards in his 4 years at LSU, and is fifth in LSU history in career all-purpose yards. In his final season at LSU, he was named to the All-SEC team. Based on this season's performance and his still largely-untapped potential, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Williams in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Williams was a bust with the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first two seasons, Barry Word and Christian Okoye consistently beat Williams out for playing time. In both seasons, he finished behind Word and Okoye in rushing yards. By 1993, Marcus Allen joined the team and would become the starter, meaning that Williams' days in Kansas City were numbered.

In 1994, Williams moved on to Marcus Allen's former team, the Los Angeles Raiders. He would finally get a chance to be a starter, and would respond with two good seasons. He would rush for 983 yards in 1994. He followed up this season with his only 1,000 yard rushing season, rushing for 1,114 yards and 9 touchdowns in 1995.

After 1995, Williams would lose his starting job to another first round pick, Napoleon Kaufman, and would eventually be moved to tight end. In 1997, he had perhaps his most memorable game as a pro, scoring 4 touchdowns in a 38-13 win over the San Diego Chargers. He would stay with the Raiders until his release after the 1998 NFL season.