A History of Husky Football Players Named Williams

From Demond to Reggie, the UW has has flourished.

Demonds Williams Jr. calls the signals in the Oregon game in Eugene. / Skylar Lin Visuals

EL PASO, Texas -- Standing at a Sun Bowl podium in an airport hotel, Jedd Fisch was asked why Williams?

On Monday, the University of Washington football coach was quizzed by a Louisville writer about what went on in making freshman Demond Williams Jr. his starting quarterback late in the season.

Fisch brought up the UCLA game, and told how Williams led the Huskies to three second-half drives to beat UCLA and then elaborated on how things played out thereafter.

"At some point, you've got to decide when to play the kid," the coach said. "We were playing him about 10 to 12 plays a game all season long. We felt, hey, why not start him against the No. 1 team in the country on the road?"

Deadpan with that response, in referring to facing and losing to top-ranked Oregon in Eugene with Williams at the helm, Fisch clarified by saying and drawing laughs, "That was a joke."

Yet Fisch offered another reminder, "We did it anyway."

While Demond Williams Jr., so speedy and so disruptive on the field, is a talent in his own right, the bigger picture surrounding UW football is it has always had great success in relying on players named Williams to get things done. There have been extremely tough times, as well.

Demond Williams Jr. and Adam Mohammed, freshmen of the future for the UW, leave the field at Penn State. / Skylar Lin Visuals

The Huskies' greatest receiver in school annals, of course, is Reggie Williams, and it's not even close, with hsi 243 catches and everything that came with them.

The most tragic story involving a UW player getting carried off a football field has been cornerback Curtis Williams, who was left paralyzed after making a goal-line tackle at Stanford and died 18 months later.

In all, 19 Huskies named Williams have done enough to do get into games and be remembered for it.

Three of them have been quarterbacks, going as far back as back as 123 years.

What could be fun is redshirt freshman Rashid Williams playing alongside Demond Williams Jr. -- he's poised to become a starting wide receiver and even caught a 2-yard touchdown pass at Iowa from the other Williams.

Williams to Williams.

The following is a detailed breakdown of these similarly named Husky football players, with a few of them related:

Aaron Williams, WR, 1979-82

The 6-foot, 176-pound receiver from Tacoma, Washington, started 22 games and caught 68 career passes for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Amandre Williams, LB, 2017-18

The linebacker from Maple Valley, Washington, redshirted and played two seasons for the UW, coming up with 13 tackles and a sack and a half as a reserve, before the 6-foot-2, 232-pounder finished up at Montana State.

Cam Williams, S, 2019-22

A 6-foot, 205-pound safety from Bakersfield, California, he played four seasons for the UW and started nine times, including five outings as a freshman in 2019, and totaled 33 tackles and 3 interceptions. He spent the past two seasons as a part-time starter at Georgia Southern.

Huskies safety Cameron Williams intercepts a pass intended for USC wide receiver Drake London in 2019. / Jennifer Buchanan-Imagn Images

Corey Williams, WR, 2003-07

From Las Vegas, this 6-foot-2, 196-pound wide receiver started three times in 2004-07 and caught 41 career passes for 503 yards and a touchdown.

Curtis Williams, S, 1998-2000

He's been the most unfortunate Williams. On Oct. 28, 2000, this free safety lowered his head, took on a Stanford runner at the goal line and was left paralyzed with a spinal-cord injury. He was 24 when he died a year and a half later in his hometown Fresno, California, from complications from the injury. In his three seasons, he started 20 times for the UW and finished with 142 tackles, 7 pass break-ups and an interception. His brother, J.D., served as a Husky assistant coach in 2006-08 supervising the defensive backs.

Dave Williams, WR, 1964-66

Listed in UW records as a tight end, this Tacoma product doubled as a sprinter for the Husky track team and played football more like a wide receiver. His speed enabled the 6-foot-2, 207-pounder to start 22 games and catch 62 passes for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns before he became an NFL pass-catcher. He holds the school record for most receiving yards in a game with 257. He died on June 19 at age 78.

Demond Williams Jr., QB, 2024

Fisch turned the current team over to the 5-foot-11, 187-pound Williams, a freshman from Chandler, Arizona, late in the season and he'll take the field as the Sun Bowl starter against Louisville. He has completed 56 of 73 passes for 570 yards and 4 touchdowns in his debut season, and he's rushed 63 times 234 yards and another score, with his longest run a 43-yarder at Penn State. Fisch has called him the future face of Husky football.

Demouy Williams, CB, 1985-87

A cornerback from Rancho Cordova, California, he was a seven-game starter and picked up 51 tackles, 10 PBUs and a pair of interceptions over three seasons.

DeShon Williams, TE, 2018

The older brother of Amandre, the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder from Maple Valley played during the 2017-18 seasons for the Huskies, mostly on special teams.

Greg Williams, LB, 1979-80

A transfer from Long Beach City College in California, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound defender spent two seasons in Montlake as a reserve and contributed 37 tackles.

Jafar Williams, LB, 1998-00, 2002

From Oakland, California, the 6-foot, 195-pound outside linebacker was a 29-game starter who came up with 124 tackles for Jim Lambright and Rick Neuheisel teams.

Jerry Williams, DL, 1964-66

A tough-minded 5-foot-11, 210-pound player, the Kingston, Washington, product started 17 games over three seasons on the defensive line, either coming out of a stance inside or off the edge as a defensvie end, while filling in on the offensive line.

10/27/2012: Keith Price (@17keithprice) connects with Kasen Williams who makes a fantastic bobbling catch along the sideline. The catch and subsequent penalty helped UW kick the game-winning FG and hand #7 OSU their first loss of the year pic.twitter.com/GBZmTEcOYW

— Random UW Clips (@uwhighlights) December 29, 2024

Kasen Williams, WR, 2011-14

The son of Aaron Williams, he followed his father to the UW as a wide receiver, started 28 times and was similarly produtive by hauling in 162 career passes for 1,915 yards and 15 TDs, catching 77 balls as a senior.

Nate Williams, S, 2007-10

He came to the UW from suburban Renton as a running back and made the conversion to 6-foot-1, 220-pound free safety, where he piled up 285 tackles, 14 PBUs and an interception in his time in Montlake.

Rashid Williams confers with fellow UW receiver Giles Jackson. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Rashid Williams, WR, 2023-24

The 6-foot-1, 182-pound receiver from Brentwood, California, has 12 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown over two seasons as two different coaching staffs have developed him with the idea this particular Williams will be a headliner at some point.

Reggie Williams, WR, 2001-03

The most decorated of all the Williams for the Huskies, this 6-foot-4, 215-pound pass-catcher from Tacoma holds nearly all of the top UW receiving records with a career stat line of 243 catches for 3,598 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was a consensus All-America selection as a sophomore and was the ninth overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ex-Husky receiver Reggie Williams shown with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008. / Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Ross Williams, QB, 1917

While World War I raged overseas, this Williams was the starting quarterback for a Husky team that played just four games and finished 1-2-1. While stats back then aren't available, the UW had trouble generating offense, going scoreless in three games and putting up 13 points in the other.

Troy Williams, QB, 2014

He started one game for the UW as a redshirt freshman, completing 18 of 26 passes for 139 yards with two interceptions in a 24-10 loss to Arizona State in a driving rain storm at home. The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Carson, California, product finished up at Utah and now plays for the Memphis Showboats of the CFL.

Williams, OT, 1901

The Seattle newspapers at the turn of the century, with Husky football just a dozen years old, referred to this guy only as Williams, someone who played left tackle for a 3-3 Huskies team and was described as the team's top lineman.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington