Jerry Williams
Encyclopedia
Jerome Ralph "Jerry" Williams (November 1, 1923 – December 31, 1998) was an American football
player and coach who served as head coach of two Canadian Football League
teams, as well as the National Football League
's Philadelphia Eagles
.
by the Los Angeles Rams
, Williams played four seasons with the team, seeing most of his action as a defensive back. During his first three seasons the Rams made three consecutive trips to the NFL title game winning the 1951 NFL Championship
.
In his first season Williams intercepted five passes. The most memorable image of his Rams career however came in the 1951 regular season finale against the Green Bay Packers
on December 16. Following a missed Packer field goal Williams returned the attempt 99 yards for a touchdown, a record that stood until the 1971 season when Williams coached, Al Nelson
had a 102 yard missed field goal return, when rule changes allowed for missed field goal attempts into the end zone to be returned.
Williams' desire to play on the offensive side of the ball led to his request to be traded and on May 12, 1953, Williams was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles
. He proceeded to lead the Eagles in total offense during his first season and in his two years caught 75 passes, rushed for over 500 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Williams served in the capacity of player-coach in 1954 before leaving the playing field for the coaching ranks.
/Montana
border when they were forced, through bad weather, to attempt a landing on a rural mountain road. And again on October 3, 1957, Williams with 14 of his players, while en route to Provo, Utah
to face the Brigham Young Cougars, were forced down for yet another emergency landing.
After the 1957 season Williams returned to Philadelphia to serve as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive back coach under head coach Buck Shaw
with the team capturing the 1960 NFL Championship in a thrilling 17-13 victory over Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. It was also during this season that Williams came up with one of his most notable contributions to the game devising the "Nickel" defensive scheme, a scheme still employed by most football programs today. Coach Shaw retired after the 1960 season but new coach Nick Skorich
kept Williams on his staff until their dismissal at the conclusion of the 1963 NFL season
.
New ownership and the arrival of new coach/GM in Joe Kuharich led to Williams accepting an assistant coaching position with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders
. Shortly after the conclusion of the 1964 season Williams was elevated to head coach and compiled a 40-23-1 record over the next four years. Earning Coach of the Year honors in 1967 William's teams reached the playoffs three times and competed in the 1968 Grey Cup
(the first time in 19 years)
On May 9, 1969, after another ownership change in Philadelphia, Williams was hired as the Eagles new head coach but endured a 7-22-2 record during his short two year tenure. After dropping four exhibition games preceding the 1971 NFL season Williams was released, replaced by Ed Khayat
, and finished the 1971 season as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns
.
On January 19, 1972, Williams returned to the CFL when he was named head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
. In just his first season the Ti-Cats reached the pinnacle of Canadian Professional football winning the Grey Cup in a 13-10 thriller over the Western Conference champion Saskatchewan Roughriders. Williams resigned after three seasons with the Tiger-Cats on December 12, 1975 following a 5-10-1 season. In his four years with Hamilton Williams compiled a 30-29-1 record and a Grey Cup title.
After briefly turning to ranching in Arizona Williams made one last foray into football returning as offensive coordinator with the Calgary Stampeders
. He was later promoted to head coach on October 5, 1981 but once again retired from football following that season. He returned to Arizona to become part owner in a flight charter service and enjoy retirement in Prescott, Az. and later, Chandler, Az.
and spent two months in the hospital eventually making a full recovery. By 1998 however his health began to fail and on December 31 he died at his home in Chandler, Arizona with his wife, middle son and youngest daughter by his side.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach who served as head coach of two Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
teams, as well as the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early life
Williams was a native of Spokane, Washington. He attended North Central high school where he was an All-City running back and All-Inland Empire Athlete of the Year (1942) as a three sport athlete. Graduating in 1942, Williams enrolled at the University of Idaho, but with the war efforts building he made the decision to join his older brother, William H. Williams (eventual Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court) in the Army Air Corps. Williams became a fighter pilot flying P-38's in the Pacific theater. One of his most notable missions was as a fighter escort to both Japanese and American dignitaries traveling to Tokyo Bay and the peace signing on the USS Missouri in 1945. Returning form the war efforts Williams enrolled at Washington State University where he played both offense and defensive Halfback for the WSU Cougars from 1946-1948. He set the Pacific Coast Conference kickoff return record and led the Cougars in total offense in his senior season at WSU. Most notable was a punt return of 97 yards against Oregon in '47 and kickoff returns of 88 and 87 yards against Montana and California. In Williams' senior season (1948) he earned All-Coast honors accumulating 1,500 all-purpose yards. He participated in both the East-West Shrine game and College All-Star Classic before joining the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL.Playing career
Drafted in the seventh round of the 1949 NFL Draft1949 NFL Draft
The 1949 National Football League Draft was held on December 21, 1948.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
by the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, Williams played four seasons with the team, seeing most of his action as a defensive back. During his first three seasons the Rams made three consecutive trips to the NFL title game winning the 1951 NFL Championship
NFL Championship Game, 1951
In the 1951 National Football League Championship Game, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cleveland Browns, 24–17, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on December 23, 1951. This Championship Game was the first one televised coast-to-coast. The DuMont Network purchased...
.
In his first season Williams intercepted five passes. The most memorable image of his Rams career however came in the 1951 regular season finale against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
on December 16. Following a missed Packer field goal Williams returned the attempt 99 yards for a touchdown, a record that stood until the 1971 season when Williams coached, Al Nelson
Al Nelson
Albert "Al" Nelson is a former professional American football cornerback in the National Football League for nine seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Cincinnati and was drafted in the third round of the 1965 NFL Draft...
had a 102 yard missed field goal return, when rule changes allowed for missed field goal attempts into the end zone to be returned.
Williams' desire to play on the offensive side of the ball led to his request to be traded and on May 12, 1953, Williams was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He proceeded to lead the Eagles in total offense during his first season and in his two years caught 75 passes, rushed for over 500 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Williams served in the capacity of player-coach in 1954 before leaving the playing field for the coaching ranks.
Coaching career
Officially entering the coaching ranks the following year Williams became the head coach at the University of Montana where in three seasons his teams, while known for their competitiveness went 6-21 overall. Football wasn't the only endeavor that led to close calls for Williams as he escaped with his life on two separate occasions during harrowing crash landings of small aircraft. While piloting a private plane on May 24, 1956, Williams and assistant Lauri Niemi were knocked unconscious in a crash near the IdahoIdaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
/Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
border when they were forced, through bad weather, to attempt a landing on a rural mountain road. And again on October 3, 1957, Williams with 14 of his players, while en route to Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
to face the Brigham Young Cougars, were forced down for yet another emergency landing.
After the 1957 season Williams returned to Philadelphia to serve as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive back coach under head coach Buck Shaw
Buck Shaw
Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach for Santa Clara University, the University of California, Berkeley, the San Francisco 49ers, the United States Air Force Academy, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
with the team capturing the 1960 NFL Championship in a thrilling 17-13 victory over Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. It was also during this season that Williams came up with one of his most notable contributions to the game devising the "Nickel" defensive scheme, a scheme still employed by most football programs today. Coach Shaw retired after the 1960 season but new coach Nick Skorich
Nick Skorich
Nicholas Leonard Skorich was an American football offensive lineman and coach.Skorich played guard at Bellaire High School and the University of Cincinnati before joining the Navy in 1943. After the end of World War II, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had drafted him in 1943...
kept Williams on his staff until their dismissal at the conclusion of the 1963 NFL season
1963 NFL season
The 1963 NFL season was the 44th regular season of the National Football League. On April 17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their own teams, as well as other NFL games;...
.
New ownership and the arrival of new coach/GM in Joe Kuharich led to Williams accepting an assistant coaching position with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
. Shortly after the conclusion of the 1964 season Williams was elevated to head coach and compiled a 40-23-1 record over the next four years. Earning Coach of the Year honors in 1967 William's teams reached the playoffs three times and competed in the 1968 Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
(the first time in 19 years)
On May 9, 1969, after another ownership change in Philadelphia, Williams was hired as the Eagles new head coach but endured a 7-22-2 record during his short two year tenure. After dropping four exhibition games preceding the 1971 NFL season Williams was released, replaced by Ed Khayat
Ed Khayat
Edward Michael "Ed" Khayat is a former college and professional football defensive lineman who played in the National Football League and for the American Football League's Boston Patriots. He was also later a head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. His career record as a coach is 8-15-2...
, and finished the 1971 season as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
On January 19, 1972, Williams returned to the CFL when he was named head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
. In just his first season the Ti-Cats reached the pinnacle of Canadian Professional football winning the Grey Cup in a 13-10 thriller over the Western Conference champion Saskatchewan Roughriders. Williams resigned after three seasons with the Tiger-Cats on December 12, 1975 following a 5-10-1 season. In his four years with Hamilton Williams compiled a 30-29-1 record and a Grey Cup title.
After briefly turning to ranching in Arizona Williams made one last foray into football returning as offensive coordinator with the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
. He was later promoted to head coach on October 5, 1981 but once again retired from football following that season. He returned to Arizona to become part owner in a flight charter service and enjoy retirement in Prescott, Az. and later, Chandler, Az.
Death
In 1990 Jerry was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and spent two months in the hospital eventually making a full recovery. By 1998 however his health began to fail and on December 31 he died at his home in Chandler, Arizona with his wife, middle son and youngest daughter by his side.