James Williams (American football)
| Rice Owls | |
|---|---|
| Position | End |
| Career history | |
| College | Rice University |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | March 18, 1928 |
| Place of birth | Waco, Texas |
| Date of death | June 23, 2015 (aged 87) |
| Place of death | Houston, Texas |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| College Football Hall of Fame (1965) | |
James "Froggy" Williams (March 18, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was a college American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965. Williams was Rice's all-time leading scorer with 156 career points, including 75 extra points.
Williams was born in Waco, Texas. He attended and played high school football at Waco High School. He starred on the 1945 co-championship team that tied with Highland Park, 7–7, in front of 45,790 fans at the Cotton Bowl.
Williams played as a left end and kicker at Rice University from 1946 to 1949 wearing jersey number 84. He stood 6-2 and weighed 197.
As a freshman, he played on the 9–2 team that defeated Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.
As a senior in 1949, he was the captain and the most important player in head coach Jess Neely's "gridiron machine" team that won the Southwest Conference (SWC) championship. The Owls won nine of ten regular season games and defeated North Carolina and Hall of Fame back Charley "Choo Choo" Justice in the 1950 Cotton Bowl Classic, 27–13.
That same year Williams earned first-team All-America honors after leading the Owls to their first ten-win season in school history and the No. 5 final ranking in the AP Poll. The Owls went 6–0 in SWC play, registering wins over top 10 teams SMU and the Texas. The success of that season boosted interest in the team and expedited the construction of the 70,000-seat Rice Stadium, which opened in time for the 1950 season.
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