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Williams worked his way to the top

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 3, 2000

TAMPA -- That returner Karl Williams faces an uphill battle every day to prove he belongs in the NFL comes as no surprise to the fifth-year player. It's always been that way. Proving, proving and proving some more.

It was that way when Williams, a standout football and track star at Garland High in Garland, Texas, had to prove himself as a walk-on at Tyler (Texas) Junior College.

It was that way in 1994, when Williams transferred from Tyler to Texas A&M-Kingsville hoping to become a star receiver and punt returner. It was the year the Cowboys knocked off the Bills 30-13 in the Super Bowl.

"When I was young like that, I would look at the Super Bowl as a dream," said Williams, who said he remembered watching the game with his father, William Wilson. "You know how you can have one of those dreams that seem so real, like you dream about something and wake up and have that taste in your mouth? We would laugh and joke and play around about one day playing in the Super Bowl."

Williams said 1994 was an important year for him because it helped him establish that he belonged in college football and made him hope that one day he could play in the NFL and the Super Bowl.

"I see it's more than just a dream, it's a once in a lifetime thing," Williams said. "There's so many people who played this game for so many years and never got that chance."

Q: Karl, who was the person you admired most?

A: My dad. I used to sit down and talk to him all the time. He played football in high school, and we sat down and talked even during that same Super Bowl, and he always told me about how much he wished he could have played college football. He always told me he wished he had had the opportunity to see what the NFL was really like. We shared a lot times, a lot of good times. I kind of feel that I'm not only living out my dream but living out his dream as well. That's a special feeling.

Q: What was the biggest challenge during that time?

A: I guess the biggest challenge for me was having to start by building my own foundation. I started with flat ground and built from there. I sat out a year and half to work and save money to go to a junior college. I had to walk on. At times I didn't think I was going to make it. At times I didn't think that they were going to let me walk on or give me the opportunity. There were times people told me I wasn't the type of athlete to make it at the college level. People criticized my speed. They said I'm not a flat-out speed guy. I had to overcome everyone telling me I couldn't do it.

Q: If you cold go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?

A: As far as on the field, I would work on the things that I have trouble with more. Off the field, I probably would tell myself to be more involved in my schoolwork. Playing football and being an athlete, you have a tendency to just do what you have to do in the classroom, rather than doing the best you can. I should have given the same effort I put out on the field to my schoolwork. I did it on the field, so I should have done it in the classroom.

SUPER BOWL XXVIII

Jan. 30, 1994

Atlanta

Cowboys 30, Bills 13

MVP: Emmitt Smith, Cowboys running back (30 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns).

IN THE NEWS: April 29: South Africa holds its first interracial national election; black activist Nelson Mandela is elected president. June 28: O.J. Simpson is arrested in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Aug. 31: The Irish Republican Army declares a cease-fire in Northern Ireland. Oct. 3: Ulster Protestants declare a cease-fire in Northern Ireland.

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