Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509150054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
He hadn't done it since he was growing up in Bath County, but that didn't matter to VMI's football coaches.
With two starters injured in the preseason, somebody had to play defensive back, preferably somebody with experience. Tim Williams, a fifth-year senior, was the logical choice.
And why not? After being a running back, cornerback, punt- and kickoff-coverage man, punt- and kickoff-return man and, most recently, a wide receiver, Williams has played just about everywhere else.
``I don't think there's any other teams that need a guy to do as much,'' said Williams, who along with pal Marlon Anderson is playing wideout and corner for the Keydets. ``That's the uniqueness about the school; you get a chance to do everything.''
But very few actually do everything.
``He's the ultimate team man,'' said Bill Stewart, VMI's coach. ``If he ain't my favorite, he's darn close.''
Once Andre Johnson (bruised knee) and Darrius Johnson (broken foot) went down with injuries in the preseason, the Keydets needed someone to fill the void. Without hesitation, the choice for the job was Williams.
It had been that way in 1991, when VMI moved the fifth all-time leading rusher in Virginia High School League history to corner.
``I didn't think any school would ask me to do anything other than running back,'' he said. ``I got here and got a little surprise.''
It was the fans who were surprised during the opener at Richmond on Sept.2 when they saw Williams, converted to wide receiver last year, stay in the game when the Keydets' defense took the field. He did it again vs. Liberty on Saturday, a game in which he caught the ball, ran the ball, intercepted the ball, blocked for teammates when the Keydets had the ball and tackled opponents when the Flames had the ball.
``I've never been so tired as after these last two games,'' Williams said.
Because they beat Liberty 50-31, however, Williams got to rest. Commandant Col. Mike Bozeman allowed the corps to leave their beds down Sunday morning as a reward for the victory. For once, but only once, the Keydets could sleep until noon if they wanted.
Williams took advantage of the offer. He probably dreamt about how glad he was he came back for his fifth year of eligibility. In the winter, after VMI upset Appalachian State in its last game of the 1994 season, he didn't think he would return.
``He wanted to go out a winner,'' Stewart said.
``It wasn't because of football, but because of the school I go to,'' Williams said. ``Having to wear this uniform every day, having to be in bed by 11:00 ... at the age of 22, 23, you want to do what you want to do when you feel like doing it.
``After the win at App State, it made it hard. I didn't want to come back and go through another season like last year. But I think I made the best decision by coming back. Things right now are looking up and it's only the second week.''
Williams' teammates were glad to hear his decision.
``He's basically who I look up to,'' said Anderson, a fourth-year senior. ``It gets you up when you're feeling down that he came back when he could have left.''
Williams postponed his graduation until December, adding an English minor to his economics and business major.
The past off-season, however, was not the first time Williams debated his future in Lexington. As a sophomore in 1992, Williams lost his father, Reginald, to cancer, and lost the end of that season and all of the next to a shoulder injury.
He didn't feel like going back to school. He wanted to stay home and help his mother, Joan, take care of his younger sisters, Yetta and Sarah.
But three of Joan Williams' sons were in college or already had their degrees. All competed in sports, including his oldest brother, Rayna, a former Ferrum College quarterback, and none of them dropped out.
None of them wanted Tim to give up, either. He was meant to do many things. Quitting wasn't one of them.
``Because of them, I was able to adjust to VMI,'' he said. ``When I was being yelled at the first year, it happened every day at home.
``When we played in the yard, you'd play defense and then you'd have to play offense.''
Luckily for the Keydets, he's never had a problem with that kind of adjustment.
by CNB