Williams capitalizes on second chance Williams makes most of second

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Dec 14, 2007 by Ken Corbitt

By Ken Corbitt

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Cary Williams was young and brash, the kind of kid who thought he knew it all.

During his freshman season on the Fordham University football team in 2004, Williams clashed with the coaching staff and ultimately was dismissed from the team.

One coach didn't give up on Williams, steering him to Washburn.

Taking advantage of a second chance, Williams played two seasons for the Ichabods and Thursday picked up two more NCAA Division II All-America honors. The senior cornerback was a first-team selection on The Associated Press Little All-America Team and Daktronics All- America Team chosen by sports information directors.

"It's an incredible honor," said Williams, who made the AFCA coaches All-America team Wednesday. "When you reach All-American status, that shows you're a special player and I'm thankful to be in that position."

Williams always believed he was a special player, but he tried to rush it at Fordham. Constant run-ins with head coach Ed Foley and the defensive coordinator cost him his place on the Rams team.

"We clashed a lot and they were finally fed up with my attitude and kicked me off the team," Williams said. "That was an immediate wake-up call. Me being young and immature, I felt I should have been playing more but I felt they weren't giving me the opportunity.

"I let my immaturity and pride get the best of me. I did some things I regret. Life is a learning experience and I try not to make the same mistakes twice."

A Fordham assistant, Keita Malloy, spent one year at Washburn on Tony DeMeo's staff in 2001. Malloy contacted current Ichabods coach Craig Schurig about Williams.

"Coach Malloy told me, 'Don't mess this up,'\u2009" Williams said. "He told the coaches here that I was a good guy. He told me if I wanted to play football, my attitude had to change."

Williams calls Malloy - now an assistant at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. - his mentor.

"I didn't have a real father figure," said Williams, who grew up in Miami, Fla. "I had my dad, but I haven't lived with him since I was 12 years old. I have a cousin who was kind of like that for me, but Coach Malloy has been there for me and continues to be there for me."

Williams came to Washburn in 2005 and sat out as a redshirt. He started all 11 games his junior year in 2006 opposite cornerback Fletcher Terrell - Washburn's only other Daktronics first-team All- American - and this year he became an All-American himself with seven interceptions and 56 tackles.

"It's a good thing I didn't burn all my bridges," said Williams, a unanimous All-MIAA cornerback as well as the all-conference kick returner. "I have to thank Coach Schurig and all the coaches and the athletic department at Washburn for going out on a limb. I was sight unseen to Washburn and they were to me when I came here. We took a chance on each other. It was an unbelievable experience."

Williams will play in the Cactus Bowl all-star game on Jan. 11 in Kingsville, Texas along with Ichabod defensive tackle Eric Butler.

From nearly self destructing his football career, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Williams has evolved into an NFL draft prospect.

"The road I traveled was hard," he said. "The average guy would have quit with the things I've been though, but I persevered and made it with some luck.

"It's been a lifelong dream to get a shot at the NFL. The ball is in my court and I control my destiny."

Ken Corbitt can be reached

at (785) 295-1123

or ken.corbitt@cjonline.com.

DAKTRONICS ALL-AMERICA TEAM

OFFENSE

TE - Kolo Kapanui, West Texas A&M. WR - Almonzo Banks, West Liberty State; Weston Dressler, North Dakota. OL - Brandon Barnes, Grand Valley State; Ben Hochstein, Nebrsaska-Omaha; Reid Kirby, Northwest Missouri State; Tim McCutcheon, California, Pa.; Nathan Young, Abilene Christian. QB - Daniel Polk, Midwestern State. RB - Xavier Omon, Northwest Missouri State; Bernard Scott, Abilene Christian. All-purpose - Ryan Chappell, North Dakota. PK - Jared Keating, Mesa State.

DEFENSE

DL - Kurt Kissner, Mesa State; Dan Skuta, Grand Valley State; Brandon Swain, West Texas A&M. LB - Anthony Adams, Grand Valley State; Will Clewis, Central Oklahoma; Jared Erspamer, Northwest Missouri State; Michael Eubanks, Delta State. CB - Darren Banks, West Liberty State; Cary Williams, Washburn. S - Ranardrick Phillips, Tarleton State; Sherard Reynolds, Valdosta State. P - Michael Podobnik, Arkansas Tech.

MIAA second team selections

WR Nick Smart, Southwest Baptist; S Kendall Rickets, Central Missouri.