Ricky Williams nearly cut NFL career short to play professional baseball

Ricky Williams nearly cut NFL career short to play professional baseball

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Ricky Williams was one of the greatest running backs of his era, but he nearly gave up football for another sport. Baseball was Williams' childhood pa sion, and shortly after he began his NFL career, he had a desire to make the switch. and addre sed his love for baseball. Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1995 MLB Draft, Williams played minor league baseball while tearing up college football defenses at the Antonio Brown Jersey University of Texas.The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner had always wanted to excel in baseball, but he had a choice to make after the chose him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft."Growing up, that was my dream, to be a profe sional baseball player. I grew up in San Diego. I watched Tony Gwynn. Home of Ted Williams. I thought that was my future. When I was 13, I started watching Notre Dame football. I was like, 'Wow. I gotta have the college football experience.' When I was drafted by the Phillies, when I was being recruited, I told all the baseball scouts, 'I'm playing baseball, but I need to play college football too.' They all knew. In football, I told all the colleges, 'I'm coming to play football, but I'm a baseball player.'"Went to Texas and was playing minor league baseball at the same time. I was much better at football. There was just much more opportunity. I still wanted to play both, but when I got drafted, the Saints said, 'You've got to choose.' So, I chose." Williams' desire to play profe sional baseball was rekindled when he mi sed a combined 10 games John Stallworth Jersey due to injury in his first two NFL seasons. Williams said he got in contact with a former coach and the Texas Rangers about the po sibility of getting back into baseball."There was one point, after my second year in New Orleans, I called up my old baseball coach. Started taking batting practice again. Reached out to the Rangers and really strongly considered making the switch. My first year I mi sed four games because of an injury. My second year, I mi sed six games because of an injury. I was thinking, 'Maybe I need to play a sport that's not so rough.'"Williams stuck with football, and it worked out quite well for him. Just two years later, while on the , Williams led the NFL in rushing with 1,853 yards and was Tyson Alualu Jersey named a first-team All-Pro. In 11 seasons with the Saints, Dolphins, and , Williams totaled 10,009 rushing yards and 66 touchdowns. He also caught 342 pa ses for 2,606 yards and eight touchdowns.
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