Before Roy Williams became a five-time Pro Bowler and hard-hitting safety for the Dallas Cowboys, he was the heart of one of college football’s most ferocious defenses.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman recently unveiled his list of the top 25 CFB players of the 2000s, and Williams, a former Oklahoma Sooner and Cowboys first-round pick, earned the No. 18 spot, a nod to one of the most disruptive defenders of his era.
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Standing 6-foot-1 and tipping the scale at 220 pounds, Williams was a nightmare for opposing offenses. He recorded 287 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 9 interceptions and 44 pass breakups during his college career, including a jaw-dropping 2001 campaign where he notched 107 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 22 PBUs. That year, he became the first player to win both the Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player) and the Thorpe Award (best defensive back) in the same season.
Williams’ name is forever tied to one of the most iconic moments in Red River Rivalry history. With Texas backed up deep in its own territory and Oklahoma hanging on to a 7-3 lead in 2001, Williams leapt over a blocker, blew up quarterback Chris Simms, and forced the game-sealing turnover that sealed a Sooners victory and remains etched in college football lore.
A year earlier, he helped deliver a national title, setting a BCS championship game record with 12 tackles by a defensive back as Oklahoma stunned Florida State 13-2.
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Selected eighth overall by Dallas in the 2002 NFL Draft, Williams brought that same relentless energy to the pros. He spent seven seasons in Dallas, earning All-Pro honors in 2003 and five straight Pro Bowl selections from 2003 to 2007. Across his nine-year NFL career, he totaled 593 tackles, 20 interceptions, 7.5 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, nine forced fumbles, and three defensive touchdowns.
Williams’ college dominance, paired with his decorated NFL run, makes his place on the list not just earned, but inevitable.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys, Sooners hero ranked among Top 25 CFB players of 2000s
