Born: 4/25/1977 Decatur , GA
College: Georgia Tech
Has become a premier Instructor for Coach Assad's Pro College Football helping many to the college and beyond level assisting and mentoring. Starred in the World League with Rhein several years and the NY Giants before a career ending injury where he played amazing the remainder of the season with a cast on his ball set hand and had a strong season despite this hindering his ability to catch the ball and set it. Amazing.
NFL Rookie Punting Stats | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Team | G | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | OOB | Dn | IN 20 | TB | FC | Ret | RetY | TD |
| 2001 | New York Giants | 15 | 91 | 3,905 | 3,224 | 90 | 42.9 | 35.4 | 0 | 20 | 11 | 25 | 8 | 9 | 43 | 521 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 15 | 91 | 3,905 | 3,224 | 90 | 42.9 | 35.4 | 0 | 20 | 11 | 25 | 8 | |||||
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BEING INDUCTED INTO THE GEORGIA TECH HALL OF FAME
DRAFTED BY THE ST. LOUIS RAMS (7-46)
AT TECH: Two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference honoree and the best punter in Georgia Tech history . . . Finished his career with an average of 41.4 yards per punt to set a new school record . . . Over his last two seasons he averaged 44.0 yards per punt with a net of 40.5 yards per kick . . . Ranks fourth in Tech history in career punts (178) and punting yardage (7,373) . . . Career average ranks 17th in ACC history . . . Named ACC Specialist of the Week three times during his career . . . Became a starter midway through his freshman season . . . Excellent athlete with a very strong leg . . . Has worked at wide receiver in spring practice and showed promise in terms of speed and athletic ability . . . Participated in the East-West Shrine Game in Palo Alto, Calif., following his senior season.
1998: First-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference punter for the second straight year . . . Finalist for the Mosi Tatupu Special Teams Award, also for the second straight year . . . Averaged 42.5 yards per punt, with a net of 40.1 yards . . . Led the ACC and ranked sixth in the nation in net punting . . . Pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 19 times . . . Only 17 of his 50 punts were returned, for an average of just 7.2 yards . . . Against Top 10 foes Virginia and Florida State, he averaged 48.9 yards on 11 punts with a net of 45.1 . . . Also kicked off and allowed Tech opponents an average field position of their own 22.2-yard line . . . Touchbacks on 23 of his 71 kickoffs . . . Named ACC Specialist of the Week for win over sixth-ranked Virginia, when he averaged 45.4 yards on five punts with a net of 43.6 and had four touchbacks and an average field position of the 18-yard line on eight kickoffs . . . Named Tech�s Outstanding Special Teams Player.
1997: First-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection by the Atlantic Coast Sportswriters Association and Football News . . . Third-team all-America by Football News . . . Finalist for the Mosi Tatupu Special Teams Award . . . Set a Georgia Tech record by averaging 45.64 yards per punt . . . Bettered the Tech record of 45.51, set in 1994 by all-America Jason Bender . . . Posted the third-best season average in ACC history . . . Ranked sixth in the nation in punting average . . . Even more impressive was his net of 40.0 yards per punt, which also ranked sixth nationally . . . Punted 47 times for a total of 2,145 yards . . . Pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 19 times . . . Hit 21 punts over 50 yards, including nine kicks of 56 yards or longer, with a season-best 64-yard blast against Florida State and a 63-yard boot against North Carolina . . . Only 19 of his 47 punts were returned . . . Recognized as Tech�s Most Outstanding Special Teams Performer.
Enjoyed the most prolific punting performance in school history against Florida State, when he punted 12 times for 553 yards�both school records�for a 46.1-yard average and a 44.0 net . . . Downed five punts inside the Florida State 20-yard line and the Seminoles� average field position after his punts was its own 17-yard line . . . Set a school record against N.C. State by averaging 52.7 yards on six punts, and then topped his own record with a 53.3-yard average on three kicks against Duke . . . Also kicked off against the Blue Devils when regular Dave Frakes was injured.
Named ACC Specialist of the Week for his play against fifth-ranked North Carolina with a 49.2 average, a 47.0 net and five punts at or inside the 20-yard line . . . Punted just twice against Boston College, hitting kicks of 57 and 53 yards with a net average of 53.0 . . . Averaged 48.0 yards on three punts against Notre Dame with a net of 45.0 . . . Averaged just 37.8 yards on five punts against Georgia but nailed two crucial fourth-quarter punts inside the 10-yard line . . . Did not punt in Tech�s win over Maryland, the first game in 44 years in which the Jackets did not attempt a punt (last time, Sept. 19, 1953 vs. Davidson, 453 straight games) . . . Preseason all-ACC first-team selection by several publications, including Football News, Athlon and Lindy�s.
1996: Punted 53 times for a 38.4-yard average . . . Had 16 punts downed inside the opponents� 20-yard line . . . Hit three punts of 50 yards or longer . . . Was perhaps Tech�s most valuable player in the win over 12th-ranked Virginia and was named ACC Specialist of the Week . . . Punted nine times for a 40.0 yard average against Virginia . . . Six of his nine punts were downed inside the 20-yard line as he pinned the Cavaliers at their own one, four, six 10, 14 and 17-yard lines . . . Nailed a 77-yard bomb that was downed at the Virginia four-yard line for the fifth-longest punt in school history . . . Also punted nine times against Florida State for a 36.2-yard average, but had one punt blocked . . . Averaged 44.0 yards on four punts against Georgia and 44.0 yards on three kicks against Clemson . . . Punted four times for a 42.0-yard average against Wake Forest.
1995: True freshman who took over the punting chores for the final five games of the season . . . Struggled with inconsistency at times but displayed his potential with an outstanding game against Georgia, when he punted four times for a 50.3 average, including a net of 45.8 yards . . . Nailed a 57-yarder against Wake Forest for his longest punt of the year . . . Added a 56-yard boot against the Bulldogs . . . Made a touchdown-saving tackle on a punt return against Florida State . . . Punted 28 times and averaged 38.1 yards per kick.
HIGH SCHOOL: First-team Parade magazine all-America as a punter . . . A consensus prep all-America for his punting abilities at Southwest DeKalb High School . . . Averaged 54.2 yards per punt as a junior . . . As a senior, on a much better team with fewer punting opportunities, he averaged 45.9 yards a kick with an average hang time of 4.7 seconds . . . Put 96 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone . . . Named to the Blue Chips Illustrated �Dream Team� prep all-America squad . . . Rated the 38th best prospect in Dixie by SuperPrep magazine . . . Tabbed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution�s Top 50 in Georgia and Super Southern 100 . . . Earned a 9.25 rating from Jeff Whitaker�s Deep South Football . . . Named one of the Top 111 prospects in Georgia by Georgia High School Football . . . Played in the Georgia-Florida All-Star Game . . . Also lettered in track, soccer and wrestling . . . Coached by William �Buck� Godfrey.
PERSONAL: Full name is Rodney Colin Williams . . . Born April 25, 1977 . . . Parents are Syggred and Geraldine Williams . . . Brother of former Tech outside linebacker Marlon Williams (1990-93) . . . Majoring in Management.
GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
1998 Punts Yards Avg LP Ret Net IS20
Boston College� 4 164 41.0 52 11 38.3 0
New Mexico State� 3 183 45.8 60 0 45.8 0
North Carolina� 6 235 39.2 50 0 39.2 4
Duke� 4 171 42.8 64 12 39.8 3
NC State� 4 170 42.5 54 51 29.8 3
Virginia� 5 227 45.4 55 9 43.6 2
Florida State� 6 311 51.8 59 33 46.3 2
Maryland� 5 191 38.2 42 3 37.6 1
Clemson� 6 204 34.0 45 4 33.3 2
Wake Forest� 1 41 41.0 41 0 41.0 1
Georgia� 5 229 45.8 61 0 45.8 1
Notre Dame�# 3 104 34.7 51 8 32.0 1
1998 KO TB OOB Ret-Yds FP Avg
Boston College� 6 3 1 2-37 137 22.8
New Mexico State� 5 0 1 4-64 109 21.8
North Carolina� 8 2 2 4-103 221 27.6
Duke� 7 1 0 6-118 164 23.4
NC State� 8 3 0 5-77 159 19.9
Virginia� 8 4 0 4-59 147 18.4
Florida State� 2 0 0 2-53 53 26.5
Maryland� 6 4 0 2-22 125 20.8
Clemson� 5 0 0 5-71 107 21.4
Wake Forest� 10 3 0 7-127 219 21.9
Georgia� 6 3 1 2-10 116 23.2
Notre Dame�# 6 1 1 4-55 136 22.7
1997 Punts Yds Avg. LP Ret Net IS20
Notre Dame� 3 144 48.0 51 9 45.0 0
Wake Forest� 5 204 40.8 47 6 39.6 1
Clemson� 4 148 37.0 47 3 36.3 2
Boston College� 2 110 55.0 57 4 53.0 2
NC State� 6 316 52.7 57 77 39.8 0
Florida State� 12 553 46.1 64 25 44.0 5
North Carolina� 6 295 49.2 63 13 47.0 4
Virginia� 1 26 26.0 26 0 26.0 1
Duke� 3 160 53.3 56 74 28.7 1
Maryland Did Not Punt
Georgia� 5 189 37.8 55 9 36.0 2
West Virginia� 4 168 42.0 49 11 39.3 1
1996 Punts Yds Avg. LP Ret Net IS20
NC State� 3 89 29.6 34 0 29.6 1
Wake Forest� 4 168 42.0 53 11 39.3 1
North Carolina� 6 238 39.6 46 10 38.0 0
Duke� 4 143 35.8 47 9 33.5 0
Virginia� 9 360 40.0 77 0 40.0 6
Clemson� 3 132 44.0 55 6 42.0 0
Central Florida� 5 194 38.8 49 0 38.8 3
Florida State� 9 319 35.4 44 9 33.3 1
Maryland� 5 181 36.2 38 13 33.6 3
Navy� 1 34 24.0 34 0 34.0 0
Georgia� 4 176 44.0 46 19 39.3 1
1995 Punts Yds Avg. LP Ret Net IS20
Florida State� 8 278 34.8 39 84 24.3 3
Clemson� 6 214 35.7 46 34 30.0 2
Wake Forest� 7 271 38.7 57 25 35.1 3
NC State 3 104 34.7 40 0 34.7 0
Georgia� 4 201 50.3 56 18 45.8 3
� Game Started
# Bowl game stats are not included in season or career totals
CAREER STATISTICS
Year G-GS No. Yds Avg LP Ret Net I20
1995 5-4 28 1068 38.1 57 161 32.3 11
1996 11-11 53 2034 38.4 77 77 36.9 16
1997 10-10 47 2145 45.6 64 220 40.6 19
1998 11-11 50 2126 42.5 64 123 40.1 19
Total 37-36 178 7373 41.4 77 574 38.1 65
CAREER HIGHS
Punts: 12 vs. Florida State, 1997 (553 yards)
Yards: 553 vs. Florida State, 1997 (12 punts)
Punting Average: 53.3 vs. Duke, 1997 (3 punts)
Long: 77 vs. Virginia, 1996
