Throwback Thursday: Profiling the enigmatic career of Ricky Williams

When Dolphins fans reflect on the career of Ricky Williams, they come to a myriad of conclusions.

In many respects he was above and beyond the best offensive player the team had in the early 2000’s with dreadlocked hair and a powerful running style that endeared him to fans. Others remember him as seemingly unenthused, a guy more interested in getting high than having a successful football career.

Regardless of stance, Williams left you wondering: what if? What if he could have stayed out of trouble? What if he could’ve made the most out of his abilities? What if the Dolphins hadn’t given the Saints everything but the kitchen sink to acquire him in 2002?

One of the most decorated college football players of all time, Williams played his college ball at the University of Texas. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1998, and finished his NCAA career with 6,279 rushing yards, good for the most of all time.

After trading all eight of the teams picks to the Redskins, the Saints drafted Williams fifth overall. After spending three marginally successful years in New Orleans, Williams was then shipped to the Dolphins for four draft picks, including two first rounders. In total, Williams was traded for a combined 12 draft picks in a little over 3 years.

Williams play silenced the doubters his first year in South Beach. He epitomized the popular workhorse-back trend of the mid and early 2000’s. He earned First Team All-Pro honors, amassing 1,853 rushing yards, which led the league and set a new single season franchise record.

The talented back would have another successful season in 2003. However, he would see his career spiral downward in 2004.

In May of 2004, Williams received a four-game suspension and a $650,000 fine for testing positive for marijuana the previous year. Instead of pay the fine and serve the suspension, the All-Pro back decided to retire early from football, only to return in 2005.

After serving his suspension and paying the fine he split time with future wildcat-innovator Ronnie Brown for the remainder of the season. Marijuana would jeopardize his football career again in 2006. After testing positive for marijuana a fourth time, the NFL suspended Williams the entire 2006 season.

While serving the suspension, Williams played in the Canadian football League for the Toronto Argonauts. He was reinstated in 2007 and played for the ‘Fins until 2010. The 2009 season saw the aging back rush for 1,121 yards and set the record for longest stretch between thousand yard rushing seasons in NFL history with six. After a brief stop with the Ravens, Williams would retire in 2012.

In his prime, Williams was the total package. Baseball scouts rave about five tool players like Mike Trout while NBA executives are always looking for players with an ability to make an impact in all facets of the game. Finding players such as this are nearly as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. Williams was the running back equivalent to Trout and LeBron James.

He had a combination of power, speed and agility that scouts drool over. No slouch out of the backfield, Williams was also an adept pass catcher and could provide solid blocking in pass protection. The only thing that separated him from the greats was his will to be great.

While most fans are accustomed to players whose lives revolved around football, Williams stood out because he was different. He was reserved because he suffered from social anxiety and used cannabis medicinally to heal himself. He is currently a yoga instructor, medical cannabis advocate, and eats a meat free diet. Williams is about as atypical a football as one could find.

Truly an enigma, his career left ‘Fins fans wondering what could’ve been…

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