Top 25 Players in Big 12 History: No. 4, Ricky Williams

One-time fullback and minor league baseball player went on to win two Doak Walker Awards, a Heisman Trophy, the all-time NCAA rushing crown and spot in the CFB Hall of Fame

As the Big 12 Conference ramps up its 25th football season, it’s a good time to look back through the league’s illustrious history and identify the best football players ever to suit up.

It was a daunting task to rank players from 14 schools over 24 seasons. Some schools, of course, didn’t participate in all 24 years.

Rather than select an all-time All-Big 12 team — we’ll endeavor to pull that off after the 25th season has concluded — publishers from SI affiliates who currently cover the Big 12 were asked to vote on their top 25 players.

Players were judged on both their college careers and their professional football exploits. National awards, championships and individual achievement were all considered.

In all, nearly 50 players received votes. Only 10 players were unanimous selections.

With that, the countdown continues with No. 4 — a player so good, Texas just named its field after him:

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Ricky Williams broke the NCAA career rushing record that stood for 22 years — and he held the new mark for all of one year.

Ricky Williams / University of Texas Athletics

Still, Williams was ball carrying excellence nonpareil in his four seasons at Texas, rushing for 6,592 yards from 1995-98 before Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne came along in 1999 and reset the bar.

After dabbling in minor league baseball, Williams led the nation in rushing in 1997 and 1998, a two-year NCAA record of 4,220 yards to go with 54 touchdowns. Including bowl stats, he rushed for 1,000 yards in all four years and finished with 79 total touchdowns.

In 1998, he and coach Mack Brown led Texas to a rebirth. His 2,327 yards and 29 touchdowns earned him the Heisman Trophy and his second Doak Walker Award as America’s top collegiate running back.

Williams was the No. 5 overall pick of the New Orleans Saints, and although he had numerous stops and starts to his 11-year NFL career, he finished his with 10,009 yards and 68 touchdowns, including five 1,000-yard seasons. In 2002, his first year with the Miami Dolphins, Williams won the NFL rushing crown with 1,853 yards.

In 2005, Williams became the third player in Big 12 history to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Tomorrow

No. 3

Previously

• No. 5: Baker Mayfield
• No. 6: Michael Crabtree
• No. 7: Darren Sproles
• No. 8: Derrick Johnson
• No. 9: Dat Nguyen
• No. 10: Roy Williams
• No. 11: Kyler Murray
• No. 12: Grant Wistrom
• No. 13: Von Miller
• No. 14 (tie): Justin Blackmon, Tommie Harris
• No. 16: Terence Newman
• No. 17: Jeremy Maclin
• No. 18-21 (tie): Sam Bradford, Ryan Broyles, CeeDee Lamb, DeMarco Murray
• No. 22-23 (tie): Rashaun Woods, Earl Thomas
• No. 24: Tavon Austin
• No. 25 (tie): Robert Griffin III, Patrick Mahomes & Jason White

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