The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Ricky Williams to be inducted into Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame
05.07.2018 | Football
The Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame will officially welcome Williams on Tuesday.
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DALLAS, Texas – Ricky Williams, the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner, will be inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018 on Tuesday. The announcement was originally made on Dec. 28 at the Cotton Bowl's Big Play Luncheon.
Williams had one of the best Cotton Bowl performances ever in the 1999 game against Mississippi State, a game the Longhorns won 38-11 to finish 9-3 on the season. The Heisman Trophy winner rushed for 203 yards and two scores, totaling 248 yards of offense. That performance capped off a season in which he rushed for a school-record 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns before the bowl game. The 203-yard performance was one of six 200-yard games during his 1998 campaign.
Williams becomes the 12th Longhorn all-time to be inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. He joins Fred Akers, Scott Appleton, Tom Campbell, Duke Carlisle, Mike Dean, Bobby Layne, Darrell Royal, Jerry Sisemore, Cotton Speyrer, James Street and Steve Worster.
Ending his career as the NCAA's all-time leading rusher with 6,279 yards, Williams was a unanimous First Team All-American his junior and senior seasons, Williams took home the 1998 Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and he was the first-ever two-time recipient of the Doak Walker Award.
The two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year won back-to-back NCAA rushing titles in 1997 and 1998, and he set 21 NCAA records, including all-purpose yards (7,206) and rushing touchdowns (72). A three-time First Team All-Big 12 selection, Williams led Texas to the 1995 Southwest Conference championship and the 1996 Big 12 title. He led the Longhorns to three bowl berths, earning MVP honors in the 1999 Cotton Bowl, and he finished his Texas career with 46 school records.
Williams is one of only three Longhorns to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and he set school records for carries (1,011), yards (6,279), yards per game (136.5) and rushing touchdowns (72) during his career. The 1998 AP and Sporting News Player of the Year, Williams was a member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll and the 1998 AFCA Good Works Team. During his time in Austin, he played for coaches John Mackovic and Mack Brown.
Selected with the fifth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, Williams would go on to spend eleven seasons in the NFL with the Saints, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens and one season with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. The San Diego native went to the Pro Bowl in 2002, and he set the Dolphins' record for most 100-yard rushing games in team history with 24.
A 2013 inductee into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, he is a member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor and previously had his jersey retired by the university.
The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame honors the many extraordinary individuals who have played a significant role in developing the tradition, prestige and pageantry of one of America's most historic post-season bowl games. A voting committee comprised of state and national media representatives and select members of the CBAA Board of Directors are appointed each year to elect the Hall of Fame class. Criteria for selection is based solely upon the nominee's Cotton Bowl performance. Individuals eligible for induction include players, coaches, bowl administrators, conference officials and others who have made special contributions to the success of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Each Hall of Fame member is honored with a personalized bronze statue. This trophy features the likeness of a 1930's football player, the era in which the Cotton Bowl was founded.
