KEEP ON TRUCKIN’
Free-agent receiver Williams earns shot in NFL after flashing his speed
Wendall Williams’ speed has led him from truck driving to college to NFL minicamp.
The truck driver has wheels, piston-fire legs that propel him at lightning speed across a football field or track surface.
The truck driver was pondering his destination, believing he had the talent to play in the NFL even though he was traveling a meandering road filled with obstacles. Some of them were of his own making due to his indifference toward academics.
The truck driver used to rise at dawn, getting upfor work before 5 a.m. in upstate New York to make his deliveries. In between a series of brief junior-college stints, he delivered hamburger buns to local businesses. Now, Wendall Williams is done driving a truck. Four seconds and a bit of change transformed his life.
“I wouldn’t change my path for anything,” said Williams, 25, a Texans undrafted rookie wide receiver and kick returner from the University of the Cumberlands. “It made me who I am today. I’m proud of the things I went through. I’m still here fighting and chasing my dream. It’s actually a reality now.”
Williams ran a blistering 4.19 in the 40-yard dash this spring for NFL scouts timing him on handheld stopwatches at a regional combine. That would have broken the record-setting 4.24 time Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson ran at the NFL combine eight years ago.
Eye-catching time
Although Williams’ official laser time was a 4.32, that’s staggering speed. It’s the same time Texans first-round receiver Will Fuller ran in February at the NFL scouting combine.
Williams also registered a 45inch vertical leap, good enough to have tied the combine record shared by Donald Washington and Chris Conley.
That sprint, though, those four seconds and change, put the NAIA track All-American on the map with NFL scouts.
“Four seconds changed my life,” said Williams, who signed with the Texans for $5,000. “I never experienced that many phone calls or texts or write-ups. It was crazy. I’m so thankful. It feels like a dream come true.”
Driving a truck four years ago built character for Williams, a former 155-pound senior at Bishop Ludden High School in Syracuse, N.Y., who’s now 5-10, 185 pounds.
Williams had hit rock bottom, resigned to the possibility his football career was probably over after attending three junior colleges.
“It was good money and a good job,” Williams said. “When I woke up every morning, I had the mindset to better myself instead of be- ing angry or mad. It was tough work, but I enjoyed it.”
After going to Morrisville State and playing right away as a 17-year-old freshman for the Division III school in New York, Williams left after one semester.
Williams acknowledges he could have handled the situation better in terms of applying himself in his classes and dealing with the responsibilities of football.
“Growing up, I always dreamed of being in the NFL, but I kind of put all of my eggs into sports,” Williams said. “I didn’t do my work in the classroom. Growing up, I kind of learned the hard way. People would tell me you can’t do it without grades, that you can’t get to where you want to go. I always thought sports would get me to where I want.”
Climbing from rock bottom
Leaving Morrisville after four months, Williams enrolled at Onondaga Community College and Hudson Valley Community College.
“I wasn’t ready to be serious about school,” Williams said. “Everything that happened, not taking advantage of those opportunities, that was all my fault. Nobody else’s.”
After those false starts, Williams became a truck driver. He liked the reliable money of the blue-collar job, and there was no pressure on him to be anything more than a hard worker making deliveries on time. Williams thought he had squandered his talent, but it wasn’t over.
“Everybody needs to hit rock bottom,” said Jamar Clarke, Williams’ older brother and trainer. “He definitely woke up. Wendall has had a very long journey.”
Motivated by his family, Williams decided to give school one more shot. He enrolled at Herkimer County Community College where he played basketball and track. He also earned academic honors.
“It changed totally once I realized that unless I buckled downin the classroom, I wouldn’t be able to transfer to a four-year school,” Williams said. “Once I figured it all out, I got good grades and I ran with it.”
This successful junior-college stint led to Williams going to the University of the Cumberlands with track coach BJ Temple recruiting him to join the track team and play football. So, Williams enrolled in the private, liberal arts college in Williamsburg, Ky.
Williams thrived. He became the NA IA national outdoor champion in the long jump and was an All-American in the 100 and 200 meters. He scored 15 touchdowns in 10 games last season, including eight touchdown catches and three rushing touchdowns, and ran back three kickoffs and one punt for scores.
He caught 15 passes for 457 yards, averaging 30.5 yards per catch in an offense that primarily runs the triple option. They manufactured touches for him, including reverses, as he rushed for 204 yards.
“Any time we wanted a big play or a touchdown, we designed plays specifically for Wendall,” Cum ber lands coach Matt Rhymer said. “Wendall is a worker. He’s a pretty determined person. He’s a tough-nosed, blue-collar guy.
“He came to our school as an older student, but he’s an athlete. He loves to train. He takes care of his body. He’s got some toughness. He can take a hit and stand in there. I think he can be effective at any level. He’s faster with the ball in his hands than clocking him in the 40-yard dash. He’s got a track mind and he can score anytime he touches it. He’s one of those guys, however fast he has to be to win the race, he’s going to do it.”
Molded by family
The youngest of four brothers, Williams was raised by a single mother, Claudine Clarke.
It wasn’t easy being the youngest, and the smallest, but it built his resolve.
“We were all pretty good athletes, and we toughened him up,” Jamar Clarke said. “There was no doubt in our minds, he had something. He was special. He’s so humble and so very low-key. I may be biased, but he’s the fastest human being I’ve ever seen.”
Williams has a chance to turn that speed into an NFL job.
“I’m the baby and I grew up with all my brothers and their friends, and it kind of paved my path,” Williams said. “They were always chasing me, tackling me and roughing meup. I was always around older guys and my brothers. Playing sports with them put it all in perspective for me. It’s how I learned to be a man.”
‘Just trying to run with it’
During Texans minicamp, Williams flashed his trademark speed. He ran away from coverage at wide receiver and as a kick returner. He also showed signs of having a lot to learn.
“The transition from college to the NFL is a big difference,” Williams said. “I try not to think about being overwhelmed. I just try to take it one day at a time, second, minute, hour, you know? I’m not trying to think of later on in the day. I want to take it one step at a time. It’s been a big step. I’ve been working hard to get to where I’m at. I’m given an opportunity and I’m just trying to run with it.”