The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2026
A dominant force on the offensive line, Mike Williams emerged as one of the top offensive tackles in college football and one of the premier players from Mack Brown’s first recruiting class at Texas. The 6-foot-6, 345-pound lineman earned consensus First-Team All-America honors as a senior in 2001 before becoming the No. 4 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. A Texas prep standout from The Colony High School, Williams arrived on the Forty Acres in 1998 and immediately contributed as a true freshman, seeing action on both the offensive and defensive lines in all 12 games. He earned the starting right tackle job late in his sophomore season and went on to start the final 24 games of his career, finishing with 51 career appearances and 28 starts. During those 28 starts, Williams allowed just two sacks while paving the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his final three seasons. Texas averaged more than 400 yards of offense per game while ranking in the NCAA top-15 in his three years as a starter. He anchored the right side of the offensive line opposite fellow Hall of Honor member Leonard Davis — a consensus First-Team All-American and NFL First-Round Draft Pick — in 1999 and 2000 then followed in his footsteps in claiming those same honors in 2001. Davis, 6-foot-6, 365-pounds, and Williams formed one of the nation’s most-imposing offensive tackle duos and were key figures in an explosive Longhorn offensive attack — a unit that ranked eighth nationally in total offense (438.6 yards per game) in 2000. He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors that year while helping Texas post a 9-3 record and No. 12 national ranking. Along with consensus first-team All-American honors as a senior in 2001, Williams was a first-team All-Big 12 selection as he helped lead Texas to an 11-2 record, the Big 12 South Division Championship, a Holiday Bowl victory over No. 20 Washington, and a No. 5 national ranking. The Longhorns’ 11 wins were their most since 1983 and a Texas offense that ranked sixth nationally in total yards per game 412.6 was a critical factor in that success. He earned his first starting nods at right tackle as a sophomore in 1999, a year UT claimed the Big 12 South Division crown, posted a 9-5 record and finished with a No. 21 ranking. He saw action in all 12 games either on the offensive line or on defense in goal-line situations as a true freshman on Mack Brown’s first Texas squad that went 9-3, won the Cotton Bowl and earned a No. 15 final ranking in 1998. During his four seasons, Texas compiled a 38-13 record, captured two Big 12 South Division titles (1999, 2001), posted four consecutive seasons with at least nine victories and finished ranked in the top-25 each year, including three top-15 finishes. The four-straight nine-win seasons were a first at UT since 1961-64. Williams became one of the highest-drafted players in school history when the Buffalo Bills selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Along with teammate Quentin Jammer, who was chosen fifth overall, the pair became the first Longhorn teammates selected among the first five picks of the same NFL Draft. Despite injuries limiting his professional career, Williams played five NFL seasons, appearing in 67 games with 64 starts. He spent four seasons with the Bills, starting 56 of 59 games before a back injury cut short his time in Buffalo. After three years away from football, he returned in 2009 with Washington, starting eight games at guard before retiring in 2010. Today, Williams remains closely connected to the game as a volunteer offensive line coach at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. He and his wife, Jamie, have three children: Dawson, who is headed to Old Dominion; Macy, a high school junior; and Mia, an accomplished young wrestler with Olympic aspirations. Williams continues to pass along the values and lessons he learned as a Longhorn student-athlete to the next generation, both as a volunteer coach and as a supportive dad traveling the country with 13-year-old Mia for training and wrestling competitions.