Smash Williams
Encyclopedia
Brian "Smash" Williams is a fictional character
in the NBC
/DirecTV
(The 101 Network) drama television series Friday Night Lights
portrayed by actor Gaius Charles
. He is the starting running back
of the Dillon High School Panthers. Considered the most talented player on the roster after quarterback Jason Street
, Smash received his nickname from his father after hitting a water heater. Smash is believed to be based on Boobie Miles from the Friday Night Lights book and film.
Williams is shown to be a jock in the beginning of the show. He starts a feud with fullback
Tim Riggins, after almost having sex with Riggins' girlfriend Tyra Collette. After being caught taking performance-enhancing drugs
, Smash begins a more mature approach to life, taking QB Matt Saracen
under his wing, building a friendship with Riggins and leading the team after the devastating injury on Jason Street.
presumably in the late 1980s to Michael and Corrina Williams. He grew up there before moving away to Dillon, Texas because his mother wanted him and his two sisters away from their father. A few years later, in 1999, Michael Williams was killed in a car accident with a woman while still married.
Week, when a renowned football scout is in the audience. Desperate to be a top-100 recruit in the nation, Smash turns to steroids and is able to win the next game for the team. However, when his mother discovers the drugs she assumes that Coach Taylor is behind it and accidentally reveals his indiscretion when she accuses the coach. For a time Smash's future is in doubt, but eventually Taylor allows him back on the team provided he takes regular drug tests.
After assistant coach Mac McGill makes controversial comments regarding the abilities of black football players to the press, Smash is at first accepting of his apology. However, discussions with the other black players leads him to become very offended at the comments, and he convinces all the black players to sit out of every game until Mac is fired. However, after his mother tells him to be more careful about picking his battles, he relents and plays in the next game. At the following playoff game against Dunston Valley Cardinals, Smash and the black players face real racism from an all white football team who were involved in the hazing of a player in blackface
and the Cardinals don't act differently towards the Panthers' black players. During the game they are the subject of numerous taunts, corrupt officials and dirty hits leading to a brawl (instigated surprisingly enough by Tim Riggins at Smash's defense over a late hit followed by a racist remark from a Cardinals' Player) that ends the game in a Panthers victory. On the way back, the team bus is pulled over by local officers who tell the coaches to hand over Smash for a trumped up charge of assault stemming from the last play of the game, but Mac steps up and refuses to let them on the bus without a warrant, resulting in Smash and Mac's reconciliation.
At the state championship Smash's former teammate "Voodoo" Tatum, now on the opposing team, offers to let Smash transfer so they can be the same formidable duo again. Smash declines, his loyalty to the Panthers having grown over the season. In the game, Smash gets injured after scoring a touchdown, but returns in time to make a last-second score with no time remaining to complete a Panther comeback to win the state championshipship. After Coach Taylor visits the school after possibly transferring to fictional Texas Methodist University, Smash leads the other players in a chant of the team's motto "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose," showing they still have respect for him.
to try a team-first approach to the game, Smash responds that this year will determine the rest of his life and that he's enjoying the attention. When Coach Taylor returns, tensions between Smash and Saracen come to a head, but after winning a close game at home, things revert to normal.
Late in the season, recruiting period begins in college football
and Smash is courted by scouts from the University of Alabama
, the University of Miami
, and the fictional TMU and Oklahoma Tech. He eventually gives a verbal commitment to TMU, calling it his 'dream'. This brief period of happiness is shattered when Smash gets upset and retaliates against a group of racist white teenagers who were making remarks at his sister and Smash's white girlfriend, Noelle, in a movie theater. Coach Taylor forces him to apologize, but Smash erupts after seeing his televised apology to members of the local media. The school board decides to suspend Williams for three games (the rest of the regular season), with the Dillon High on the brink of the playoffs. Before the Panthers' first game without him, Smash gives a stirring pre-game speech in the locker room to Coach Taylor's approval.
In the season 2 finale "May The Best Man Win", it is revealed that TMU has revoked its scholarship offer to Smash, as have most Division I schools such as Texas A&M
and University of Alabama
. With only a few colleges still willing to accept him, Eric Taylor directs him to Whitmore, a HBCU whose coach, Deeks, has followed Smash's career since his 7th grade year. With the opportunity to transfer to a D-1 school in two years, Williams gives Deeks his verbal commitment.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
/DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
(The 101 Network) drama television series Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
portrayed by actor Gaius Charles
Gaius Charles
Gaius Charles is an American stage, television and film actor best known for playing Brian "Smash" Williams on NBC's Friday Night Lights.-Early life:...
. He is the starting running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
of the Dillon High School Panthers. Considered the most talented player on the roster after quarterback Jason Street
Jason Street
Jason Mitchell Street is a fictional character in the NBC/DirecTV television drama Friday Night Lights, portrayed by Scott Porter...
, Smash received his nickname from his father after hitting a water heater. Smash is believed to be based on Boobie Miles from the Friday Night Lights book and film.
Williams is shown to be a jock in the beginning of the show. He starts a feud with fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Tim Riggins, after almost having sex with Riggins' girlfriend Tyra Collette. After being caught taking performance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs are substances used by athletes to improve their performances in the sports in which they engage.- Types of performance-enhancing drugs :...
, Smash begins a more mature approach to life, taking QB Matt Saracen
Matt Saracen
Matthew "Matt" Saracen is a fictional character in the NBC/DirecTV television drama series Friday Night Lights portrayed by the actor Zach Gilford...
under his wing, building a friendship with Riggins and leading the team after the devastating injury on Jason Street.
Biography
Smash was born in fictional Gatling, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
presumably in the late 1980s to Michael and Corrina Williams. He grew up there before moving away to Dillon, Texas because his mother wanted him and his two sisters away from their father. A few years later, in 1999, Michael Williams was killed in a car accident with a woman while still married.
Season 1
When Friday Night Lights begins, Smash is shown to be the stereotypical jock, being portrayed as loud-mouthed and flashy on the field. Though a skilled player, he has an off-day at the worst time imaginable during HomecomingHomecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
Week, when a renowned football scout is in the audience. Desperate to be a top-100 recruit in the nation, Smash turns to steroids and is able to win the next game for the team. However, when his mother discovers the drugs she assumes that Coach Taylor is behind it and accidentally reveals his indiscretion when she accuses the coach. For a time Smash's future is in doubt, but eventually Taylor allows him back on the team provided he takes regular drug tests.
After assistant coach Mac McGill makes controversial comments regarding the abilities of black football players to the press, Smash is at first accepting of his apology. However, discussions with the other black players leads him to become very offended at the comments, and he convinces all the black players to sit out of every game until Mac is fired. However, after his mother tells him to be more careful about picking his battles, he relents and plays in the next game. At the following playoff game against Dunston Valley Cardinals, Smash and the black players face real racism from an all white football team who were involved in the hazing of a player in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
and the Cardinals don't act differently towards the Panthers' black players. During the game they are the subject of numerous taunts, corrupt officials and dirty hits leading to a brawl (instigated surprisingly enough by Tim Riggins at Smash's defense over a late hit followed by a racist remark from a Cardinals' Player) that ends the game in a Panthers victory. On the way back, the team bus is pulled over by local officers who tell the coaches to hand over Smash for a trumped up charge of assault stemming from the last play of the game, but Mac steps up and refuses to let them on the bus without a warrant, resulting in Smash and Mac's reconciliation.
At the state championship Smash's former teammate "Voodoo" Tatum, now on the opposing team, offers to let Smash transfer so they can be the same formidable duo again. Smash declines, his loyalty to the Panthers having grown over the season. In the game, Smash gets injured after scoring a touchdown, but returns in time to make a last-second score with no time remaining to complete a Panther comeback to win the state championshipship. After Coach Taylor visits the school after possibly transferring to fictional Texas Methodist University, Smash leads the other players in a chant of the team's motto "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose," showing they still have respect for him.
Season 2
In his senior year, Smash is made the centerpiece of the Panthers offense under the new coach after Eric Taylor's departure to TMU. Despite the team's struggles, Smash shows little concern outside of his personal performance, which enrages the rest of the Panthers. When confronted by quarterback Matt SaracenMatt Saracen
Matthew "Matt" Saracen is a fictional character in the NBC/DirecTV television drama series Friday Night Lights portrayed by the actor Zach Gilford...
to try a team-first approach to the game, Smash responds that this year will determine the rest of his life and that he's enjoying the attention. When Coach Taylor returns, tensions between Smash and Saracen come to a head, but after winning a close game at home, things revert to normal.
Late in the season, recruiting period begins in college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and Smash is courted by scouts from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, and the fictional TMU and Oklahoma Tech. He eventually gives a verbal commitment to TMU, calling it his 'dream'. This brief period of happiness is shattered when Smash gets upset and retaliates against a group of racist white teenagers who were making remarks at his sister and Smash's white girlfriend, Noelle, in a movie theater. Coach Taylor forces him to apologize, but Smash erupts after seeing his televised apology to members of the local media. The school board decides to suspend Williams for three games (the rest of the regular season), with the Dillon High on the brink of the playoffs. Before the Panthers' first game without him, Smash gives a stirring pre-game speech in the locker room to Coach Taylor's approval.
In the season 2 finale "May The Best Man Win", it is revealed that TMU has revoked its scholarship offer to Smash, as have most Division I schools such as Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
and University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. With only a few colleges still willing to accept him, Eric Taylor directs him to Whitmore, a HBCU whose coach, Deeks, has followed Smash's career since his 7th grade year. With the opportunity to transfer to a D-1 school in two years, Williams gives Deeks his verbal commitment.