Who knew cans of green beans, corn and spaghetti-os helped develop DeAngelo Williams’s skills?
This week’s Conference USA Player of the Week said he spent time working at a local grocery store named IDA while attending Wynne High School back home in Wynne, Ark.
Working as a package boy allowed Williams the opportunity to catch an aluminum spiral which made catching the spiral of the pigskin easier.
“We (fellow employees) used to toss cans,” Williams said. “I guess catching the cans helped me to catch the football because we always tossed a lot of cans at each other.”
The freshman tailback said going to work was fun and growing up in Wynne was enjoyable.
He said the town with a population near 9,000 has a domestic atmosphere.
“It is a very community oriented town,” Williams said. “Everybody pretty much knows everybody. It is like one big happy family.”
The Liberty Bowl feels more like home for Williams when the Tigers play because his hometown cheering section travels 50 miles from Wynne to watch him when the Tigers are at home.
“A lot of people come to the Memphis home games,” Williams said. “They come out and support me.”
The group from Wynne won’t be hard to spot, thanks to the loud cheering and their signature clothes. Williams took charge of the clothes making.
“I made a few shirts for them saying ‘Let’s go DeAngelo’,” Williams said.
Though the smaller hometown attendance numbers might not compare to the crowds of 30,000 or more Williams sees as a Tiger, he has been receiving cheers on the gridiron since he was nine.
It didn’t take long before Williams discovered his love and natural talent for the game.
Williams not only excelled at running back as a youngster. He had success at nearly every position on the field.
“When I turned 10, my little league coach put me in at defensive end,” Williams said. “I got back there twice. I sacked the quarterback twice.
“The following year he moved me to running back. That is when I found out (football) was for me. I had fun learning how to run the ball.”
Williams’ skills grew and matured with time just as he did. And the statistics Williams put up in high school showed he was enjoying the time he spent on the field.
In one season at Wynne High, Williams rushed for 2,204 yards and 34 touchdowns. He averaged 10.4 yards a carry in his senior season, earning the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 2001 Offensive Player of the Year honor.
In addition to the time he spent on the field, Williams’ success in high school may have also derived from studying the techniques of professional running backs.
Williams watched some of the best perform on Sundays, to help with his development.
“I looked up to Barry Sanders,” Williams said. “My personal favorite is Ricky Waters; and Ricky Williams is one of my favorites.”
Just like Sanders left his mark at Oklahoma State, Waters at Notre Dame, and Ricky Williams at Texas, DeAngelo said he is ready to follow his offensive line to success and leave his impression at The University of Memphis.
Williams is well on his way to doing so averaging 100 yards per game. The 190-pound runner said his first four games, as a Tiger, have been a bundle of fun.
“It has been a great experience,” Williams said. “My offensive line basically has been opening gapping holes and allowing me to do the things I need to do.”
With 401 yards in four games, Williams could be on his way to breaking several Tiger records.
Gerald Arnold had 11 career 100-yard games. Williams has three already. Arnold also holds the single season rushing record with the 1,059 yards he rushed for in 1998.
Dave Casinelli, who played from 1960-63, holds the career record of 2,636 total yards. If Williams’ breakneck pace continues that record could be in danger also.
