Wednesday, December 29
Williams ready to move Texas line
Associated Press
DALLAS -- When somebody mentioned the bus incident at the
high school all-star game, Bobby Williams put his huge right hand
over his face. He was embarrassed.
Prodded, he fessed up.
Seems that Williams had laid claim to a particular window seat
on the bus that transported the players. On this day, a 330-pound
teammate was in the seat.
"I asked him politely would he move," said Williams, a senior
tackle at Arkansas.
"You're name ain't on it," the player responded.
"He didn't just want to move voluntarily," Williams said. "I
helped him a little bit."
D.J. Cooper, Williams' teammate at Arkansas and at the all-star
game, swears Williams tossed the seat squatter at least 5 feet.
"After that he was pretty much a good friend," Williams said,
but refused to identify the player. "Can't say no names."
Williams will admit to a temper from time to time and his feats,
when riled up, are related with awe.
Cooper says former offensive line coach Mike Bender once started
yelling at Willliams about getting low when hitting a large
blocking sled. "That thing weighs about 2,000 pounds," Cooper
said. "But Bobby picks it up and pushes it about 10 yards
downfield and drops it."
"Sometimes, you've almost got to step on his toes to get him
going," said Arkansas offensive line coach Mike Markuson.
"You know what it is? Off the field, he's just a good old
guy," Markuson said. "He's tender hearted. He's not a rah-rah.
He's not a guy who's going to brawl you on the street. He's just a
big old teddy bear who likes to play football."
Williams says his approach is one of "controlled aggression. I
had to work with it a little bit, but I think I've got the hang of
it now," he said with a big smile.
Last year, Williams was overshadowed by four seniors.
"Bobby was that one lone guy who was coming back and I needed
him, especially with the young group that I had to play with this
year," Markuson said. "He's not a real vocal guy, but he's a
practice guy, a do-hard guy. He's a yes-sir, no-sir."
This year, Williams was a second team All-Southeastern
Conference selection and anchored a line that only allowed 14
sacks.
Saturday, he'll start his 35th straight game when the Razorbacks
play Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Early this week, he paid more
attention to the menu than the opponents when the two teams got
together for a barbecue.
"No size, no nothing puts fear in my heart," he said. "that's
not the type of person I am."
He loved basketball in high school at Jefferson -- about 140
miles east of Dallas -- and picked up the nickname "Baby Shaq." He
was 6-2½, "a slim 305," and broke a rim with a dunk in the ninth
grade.
A man he trusted told him he could make a lot of money playing
football. "I thought, 'I don't think I'm going to get too much
taller for basketball, but I think I'm going to get a little bit
bigger so I think I'm going to stick with this football," he said.
Now, he's 6-4½ and 330.
Williams said many Texas schools were very interested in him
until they found out he had postponed taking the ACT. The Longhorns
were among those who backed off.
"You forgive and you forget, but this right here is a whole
nother form of payback," he said. "I'm taking this as a personal
issue, going out with a bang, have fun and the only way to have fun
is to win."
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