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By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2000
TAMPA -- When the football coaching staff switched LaFann Williams from running back to cornerback last season, the move was designed to help both parties.
Williams would have gotten limited carries in the backfield, and the Bulls needed help in the secondary.
The move paid off for all concerned. The Bulls got improved play at cornerback, and Williams got noticed.
After one season at cornerback, Williams signed a free-agent contract Sunday with the Washington Redskins.
"When my agent (Christopher Williams, no relation) told me that the Redskins wanted to sign me and were faxing the papers, I thought it was a joke," Williams said. "But it wasn't."
The happy ending, however, came after Williams initially resisted moving to defense. "I felt like my dream was being snatched away from me," he said. "I felt like I was a pretty good running back and had other coaches tell me to stick with being a running back. I had never played on the defensive side of the ball, so switching wasn't something I wanted to do -- not at that point."
But USF secondary coach Andre Waters, who knows a thing or two about playing cornerback from his days with the Eagles, said the fit was perfect for Williams.
"You very seldom see a running back at 5 foot 11 and 185 pounds in the NFL," Waters said. "Their body can't take that kind of pounding. But LaFann had a lot of speed, a lot of speed. He's a great athlete with great hips and superb footwork. At first (playing cornerback) was like Chinese math to him, but he worked hard and developed rapidly."
Williams, who will report to the Redskins minicamp April 27, said he believes he has a good chance to make the team.
"I've completely got offense out of my mind," said Williams, who also worked out for the Bucs, Dolphins, Jaguars, Colts and 49ers. "It took some time, but I'm a defensive player now. And I know I just have to get a chance to show what I can do and I will make it in the NFL."
FOOT IN THE DOOR: Long before signing a free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night, Tony Umholtz had a taste of what's expected of an NFL punter.
The past two summers, Umholtz worked out with Bucs punter Mark Royals at Gaither High. "The first time we worked out was the last year he was with the Saints," Umholtz said. "I feel like I owe so much to him. He helped me learn a lot about kicking and about the mental approach to being a consistent kicker."
Umholtz, a third-team All-American in 1999, said the Titans plan to let him "get a lot of reps" and may even give him the chance to kick off.
BASEBALL MILESTONE: John Vigue (7-4) went six innings without giving up an earned run and Bo Bentley had four RBI to help lead the Bulls to a 13-6 home win over Saint Louis on Saturday.
The performance earned coach Eddie Cardieri his 600th win.
"There are a lot of great players in 600 wins," Cardieri said. "If the Lord keeps you healthy, these milestones just seem to happen. And this one wasn't real pretty, but it was a win. And at this point we'll take them any way we can get them."
GREAT WEEK: Senior shortstop Lea Mishlan was named Conference USA co-hitter of the week after hitting .316 (.421 on base percentage) and helping USF to a season-high 14 consecutive wins. Over the past week, the Pearland, Texas, native reached two milestones: She tied the school's career doubles mark of 52 and set a record for plate appearances in one game with seven.
- Roger Mills can be reached at (727) 893-8820 or by e-mail at mills@sptimes.com.