Former Memphis Tiger football great DeAngelo Williams was not out of work for long, as he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 13.
He’ll team up with two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell in the backfield.
The Carolina Panthers released Williams on March 10, the only NFL team he had ever played for after nine years of service.
Before he starred with the Panthers, Williams established himself as a Memphis Tiger great becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher with 6,026 yards, good enough for fourth-all time in Division I when he left Memphis.
He also owns both the Tigers and Conference USA career rushing records in carries (969), rushing average (6.2), rushing touchdowns (55), and 100-yard games (34). Williams leads the NCAA all-time all-purpose yardage with 7,526 yards.
As a result of his dominance, he was named C-USA Player of the Year three years in a row from 2003-05.
The Tigers also benefitted as a team during Williams’ reign of terror in the Memphis backfield. He would form a nice quarterback-running back duo with former Tiger quarterback Danny Wimprine who leads the Tigers all-time in virtually every passing category imaginable.
The two would help lead the Tigers to bowl games in each of the three years Williams was named C-USA Player of the Year. Memphis won bowl games in 2003 and 2005 against North Texas and Akron, respectively. It would be the last two Tiger bowl wins before the Miami Beach Bowl success last season.
Williams was a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2006 going 27th overall. In nine seasons with Carolina, Williams became the franchise’s all-time leaders in rushing attempts (1,432), rushing yards (6,846) and rushing touchdowns (46). Though, he was on the decline by the time he was released as he had not rushed for over 1,000 yards since the 2009 season.
He was named to the NFL Pro Bowl in 2009, and was named to NFL Second-Team All Pro in 2008. Williams led the league that season with 18 rushing touchdowns and ran for 1,515 yards.
