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Tuskegee's Roosevelt Williams Likes Situation with Bears
April 30, 2002
Tuskegee, AL - He was confident that he would go in the early rounds of
the NFL draft.
He did.
Now Tuskegee University Golden Tigers Cornerback Roosevelt Williams, a
third round selection on the first day of the 2002 draft, is in Chicago
- home of the Bears.
He is the only player from a Historically Black College or University
in Alabama and one of only five players from HBCUs across the nation selected
in the 2002 NFL draft.
Although the question remains as to where he will end up on the roster
- cornerback, safety or special teams - Williams is a defensive choice
of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears finished the 2001 season with an impressive 13 - 3 record, which
should make things familiar for Williams - player with the defending SIAC
champion football team known as the country's winningest HBCU, including
its 2001 11-1 (6-1 SIAC) record.
"I'm satisfied. I wouldn't want to be any other place," Williams
said from the airport en route to Chicago. He said he watched the draft
with his family in Atlanta.
While he expected to have been drafted late in the first or early in the
second round, Williams says he is happy to be with the Bears.
"I'm in a good situation," said Williams, whose goal is to start
or play his first season. "But if I don't, I'm going to do whatever
it takes to help the team out."
While he would prefer to play cornerback, Williams said, "If they
need me somewhere else to help us win the Super Bowl, that's where I'll
be."
Just days after the draft and headed for a three-day, non-contact mini-camp
in Chicago, Williams described his mood as "a little excited,"
but mostly "just laid back trying to go there and be humble and listen
and learn."
Williams played on two SIAC championship teams under Tuskegee University
coach Rick Comegy.
"There is no doubt in my mind that he will make it with the Bears,"
Comegy said. "He will go a long way with the Bears."
Williams, Coach Comegy maintains, has all the qualities it takes to play
professional football. Williams is not overconfident, Comegy says, "he
is hungry. Coming from a small college, he probably thinks he has something
to prove and that will keep him hungry, as he should be.
"We try not to be overconfident in our program. We take everything
in stride, and I hope he learned something from us."
What the Jacksonville, Fla., native did take away from Tuskegee is an
outstanding record. He played the 1998 and '99 seasons at Savannah State
before transferring to Tuskegee University in 2000. He completed his collegiate
career with 61 pass deflections and 13 interceptions while making 97 tackles
in 46 games. He returned 44 kickoffs for 1,114 yards and a touchdown.
The 2000 season at Tuskegee University may have been the most productive
for Williams when he started all 12 games and recorded a career-high 32
tackles (24 solo) with three fumble recoveries for 28 yards in returns
and a forced fumble. His 2000 record at Tuskegee University also includes
23 pass deflections, four interceptions, and 155 yards on nine kickoff
returns.
And good things are still circulating about Williams, who was a 2001 preseason
All-SIAC pick for the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers, first team All-SIAC
in 2001, Sheridan Broadcasting Network All-American nominee and a member
of the Black College Sports Page "Baad" team.
He was also selected to play in the annual Blue Gray Classic but decided
to stay with his team for the postseason Pioneer Bowl, and he made a good
showing in this year's Senior Bowl.
In discussions of the draft on ESPN, sports analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., thought
Williams should have been a second-round pick. He described the former
Tuskegee University Golden Tiger as being "solidly-built" and
a "confident young man."
At 5-11 and 202 pounds, Williams was selected with the 72nd overall pick
in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys. Williams will be competing for a position
on a team that has lost half of its starting secondary to free agency.
Pro Football Weekly says Williams "has the size and ability to play
with the big boys once he improves his technique, concentration and focus."
The Chicago Bears see Williams as being "fluid in transition, showing
sharp acceleration out of his backpedal." Williams "shows the
ability to close in a flash, coming off his shoes with great vertical
force," according to Chicago Bears reports.
"We're really excited about Roosevelt and his athletic ability and
aggressiveness as a corner," said Coach Dick Jauron of the Chicago
Bears. "I don't like to use the term cocky, but you have to have
a lot of confidence to play out there on the edge. He shows us all of
those things."
Williams has the same confidence in himself that the Bears have expressed
about his play. He says before he ends his career, "they will find
out that I was the best cornerback in the 2002 draft."
For more information, contact Sports Information Director Arnold Houston
in the Tuskegee University Office of Marketing and Communications at (334)
727-8150.
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