University of Memphis Athletics
DeAngelo Williams Named to College Football Hall of Fame
Jan 09, 2023 | Football
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – DeAngelo Williams, the all-time leading rusher in Memphis history, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Monday. Williams is the first Tiger player to be inducted and joins former Memphis head coaches Billy J. Murphy, inducted in 2022, and Allyn McKeen, inducted in 1991.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5, 2023, at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.
"I have no doubt that every member of Tiger Nation is extremely proud of this much-deserved recognition for DeAngelo and the incredible career and impact he made for Memphis Football," said Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Laird Veatch. "We are so grateful to the College Football Hall of Fame and thankful for how DeAngelo continues to support and represent our program and city."
The 18 First Team All-America players and four standout coaches in the 2023 Class were selected from the national ballot of 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 96 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks.
The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
"No one is more deserving of this amazing recognition than DeAngelo Williams, Memphis head football coach Ryan Silverfield said. "He has meant so much to our university and our football program. DeAngelo loves his Tigers and we are so pleased that he is being honored for all his accomplishments and contributions to college football."
An elusive running back who rewrote the record books, Williams helped transform the Memphis program, leading the Tigers to three-straight bowl games for the first time in school history.
A First Team All-American in 2005, Wynne, Ark. native finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting and was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. An AP Third Team All-American in 2004, Williams set an NCAA record with 34 games of 100-plus yards rushing, and he finished his career as the FBS record holder in all-purpose yards (7,573), now ranking fourth.
By career's end, he ranked fourth (now sixth) in FBS history with 6,026 career rushing yards. He ended his senior campaign ranked No. 1 nationally in rushing, with an average of 178.55 yards per game.
The Tigers averaged eight wins per season from 2003 to 2005 behind Williams, and the team earned three-consecutive bowl appearances, the first time in school history. The Tigers won the 2003 New Orleans Bowl, and Williams claimed MVP honors in the Tigers' victory in the 2005 Motor City Bowl.
A three-time Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and a three-time First-Team All-C-USA performer (2003-05), he remains C-USA's all-time leading rusher (6,026 yards – more than 700 yards more than the player in second place). He finished his career as the conference's all-time leader in career rushing touchdowns (55), total touchdowns (60), carries (969), yards per carry (6.2), and 100-yard games (34). He was named to the 2002 C-USA All-Freshman Team.
Williams also holds virtually every career, single-season and single-game rushing record in Memphis history, including career rushing yards (6,026 – nearly 2,500 more yards than the player in second), career carries (969), career touchdowns (60), career rushing touchdowns (55) and 100-yard games (34). He boasts the top two single-season rushing performances in school history with 1,964 yards in 2005 and 1,948 yards in 2004.
He ranks fourth all-time in scoring at Memphis (362 points), the most points ever by a non-kicker, and he led the Tigers in scoring his final two seasons. He finished career with 969 rushes for 6,026 yards and 55 touchdowns, adding 70 receptions for 723 receiving yards and five touchdowns in career. He also returned 60 kickoffs (22.3 avg.) in his career.
He won the inaugural ARA Sportsmanship Award in 2005, and he was the MVP of the 2006 Senior Bowl. In 2012, the school renamed the team MVP award as the "DeAngelo Williams MVP Award" in his honor. Memphis retired his jersey in 2006, and he was selected to the M Club Hall of Fame in 2014. He was an inaugural member of the C-USA Hall of Fame in 2019.
Drafted in the first round (27th overall) by Carolina in 2006, he played with the Panthers until 2014 and then for the Steelers from 2015-16. He twice led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (2008, 2015). He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and was named a Second Team All-Pro in 2008.
Williams' charitable activities include the DeAngelo Williams Foundation, which he founded in 2006 in honor of his mother, Sandra, and four aunts who passed away from breast cancer. The Foundation's "53 Strong for Sandra" program, has assisted nearly 1,000 low-income women with mammogram and cancer treatments.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Football, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5, 2023, at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.
"I have no doubt that every member of Tiger Nation is extremely proud of this much-deserved recognition for DeAngelo and the incredible career and impact he made for Memphis Football," said Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Laird Veatch. "We are so grateful to the College Football Hall of Fame and thankful for how DeAngelo continues to support and represent our program and city."
The 18 First Team All-America players and four standout coaches in the 2023 Class were selected from the national ballot of 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 96 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks.
The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
"No one is more deserving of this amazing recognition than DeAngelo Williams, Memphis head football coach Ryan Silverfield said. "He has meant so much to our university and our football program. DeAngelo loves his Tigers and we are so pleased that he is being honored for all his accomplishments and contributions to college football."
An elusive running back who rewrote the record books, Williams helped transform the Memphis program, leading the Tigers to three-straight bowl games for the first time in school history.
A First Team All-American in 2005, Wynne, Ark. native finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting and was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. An AP Third Team All-American in 2004, Williams set an NCAA record with 34 games of 100-plus yards rushing, and he finished his career as the FBS record holder in all-purpose yards (7,573), now ranking fourth.
By career's end, he ranked fourth (now sixth) in FBS history with 6,026 career rushing yards. He ended his senior campaign ranked No. 1 nationally in rushing, with an average of 178.55 yards per game.
The Tigers averaged eight wins per season from 2003 to 2005 behind Williams, and the team earned three-consecutive bowl appearances, the first time in school history. The Tigers won the 2003 New Orleans Bowl, and Williams claimed MVP honors in the Tigers' victory in the 2005 Motor City Bowl.
A three-time Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and a three-time First-Team All-C-USA performer (2003-05), he remains C-USA's all-time leading rusher (6,026 yards – more than 700 yards more than the player in second place). He finished his career as the conference's all-time leader in career rushing touchdowns (55), total touchdowns (60), carries (969), yards per carry (6.2), and 100-yard games (34). He was named to the 2002 C-USA All-Freshman Team.
Williams also holds virtually every career, single-season and single-game rushing record in Memphis history, including career rushing yards (6,026 – nearly 2,500 more yards than the player in second), career carries (969), career touchdowns (60), career rushing touchdowns (55) and 100-yard games (34). He boasts the top two single-season rushing performances in school history with 1,964 yards in 2005 and 1,948 yards in 2004.
He ranks fourth all-time in scoring at Memphis (362 points), the most points ever by a non-kicker, and he led the Tigers in scoring his final two seasons. He finished career with 969 rushes for 6,026 yards and 55 touchdowns, adding 70 receptions for 723 receiving yards and five touchdowns in career. He also returned 60 kickoffs (22.3 avg.) in his career.
He won the inaugural ARA Sportsmanship Award in 2005, and he was the MVP of the 2006 Senior Bowl. In 2012, the school renamed the team MVP award as the "DeAngelo Williams MVP Award" in his honor. Memphis retired his jersey in 2006, and he was selected to the M Club Hall of Fame in 2014. He was an inaugural member of the C-USA Hall of Fame in 2019.
Drafted in the first round (27th overall) by Carolina in 2006, he played with the Panthers until 2014 and then for the Steelers from 2015-16. He twice led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (2008, 2015). He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and was named a Second Team All-Pro in 2008.
Williams' charitable activities include the DeAngelo Williams Foundation, which he founded in 2006 in honor of his mother, Sandra, and four aunts who passed away from breast cancer. The Foundation's "53 Strong for Sandra" program, has assisted nearly 1,000 low-income women with mammogram and cancer treatments.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Football, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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