Ricky Williams to Become Running Backs Coach at University of the Incarnate Word
ByRicky Williams has agreed to be the running backs coach for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Williams played college football for the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns and was a Heisman Trophy winning running back in 1998. He retired from the NFL for the second and final time in February 2012.
"Ricky reached out to me about getting into coaching," said UIW head coach Larry Kennan. "We have an opening and he is looking to get into coaching so I think it is a good fit. His experience will be a big help to our staff and players and I think he will have a positive effect on our recruiting efforts."
UIW is a private Catholic college in San Antonio and is moving up to NCAA division I in football this year. They will remain independent of a conference their first year and will join the Southland Conference in 2014.
"We knew that the move to Division I would increase the talent pool of candidates for staffing positions as they came available," UIW athletic director Mark Papich told the Baltimore Sun. "When Coach Kennan approached me regarding Ricky as a potential addition to our staff, it reinforced what we already believed to be true. The potential to bring someone with the athletic experience of Ricky Williams to work with our student-athletes will enhance their exposure to elite level football."
The UIW Cards begin practice on July 31 and Kennan said his players are "very excited" about the signing of Williams to the coaching staff.
Williams started his pro career with the New Orleans Saints when they picked him fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. Williams was then traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. That season, he lead the league in rushing.
In 2004, he unexpectedly announced his first retirement from the NFL after he tested positive for marijuana. It was his second drug policy violation and he was rumored to have had a third.
He returned in 2006 with the Canadian Football League and re-joined the Dolphins in 2007. He ended his career with the Baltimore Ravens and, in January 2012, he surpassed 10,000 rushing yards in his career. One month later, he retired for good.