Former Texas RB Ricky Williams Almost Left Football for Baseball After Second NFL Season

Williams detailed his love for baseball and how it impacted his football career.

© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Longhorns have had their fair share of dominant running backs don the burnt orange and white. However, in the Longhorns' storied history, two running backs stand out above the rest. 

Texas boasts two Heisman winners, in running backs Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams. However, while Williams was a star running back as a Longhorn and saw success in the NFL, he almost pursued a different sport after college. 

While Williams was drafted No. 5 overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 1999 NFL Draft, he would almost give up football for baseball after his second season in the NFL. In an appearance on Audacy's "The Bradfo Sho," Williams detailed his passion for baseball. 

"Growing up, that was my dream to be a professional baseball player," Williams said. "I grew up in San Diego watching Tony Gwynn, home of Ted Williams. I thought that was my future." 

While Williams loved baseball as a kid, it didn't take long for him to find that same love for football. 

“Then when I was 13, I started watching Notre Dame football and I was like ‘Wow, I gotta have that college football experience'," Williams said. 

When he found that love for football, he knew that he needed to play it at the college level. Despite that though, Williams made sure to let any schools recruiting him know that he intended to play baseball also, especially having been drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1995 MLB Draft.

"When I was drafted by the Phillies – when I was being recruited I told all the baseball scouts, I said ‘I’m playing baseball, but I need to play college football,’" Williams said. "I went to Texas and was playing minor league baseball at the same time and I was just much better at football." 

Williams loved baseball so much that despite being drafted by the Saints, he still wondered what could have been had he chosen baseball. So much so that he considered leaving football behind for baseball, even after making it to the NFL.

“After my second year, ‘cause my first year I missed four games because of an injury. My second year I missed six games because of an injury,” Williams said. “So I was thinking maybe I need to play a sport that’s not so rough.”

Whether or not Williams would have had the same success that two-sport star Bo Jackson had is ultimately unknown. However, it does lead one to wonder what would have been had he made the jump back to baseball and where he'd be today had he done so.  

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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