There are three tally marks on the back of the jersey for Rawleigh Williams. He’s the third in his family to carry the name. Everyone gets that.
What we may get today is that he wants to make sure he is there for another one or two, perhaps a Rawleigh Williams IV. That would do my heart good.
There should be lots like Rawleigh Williams in this world. That wonderful, bright, beautiful smile should be everywhere we look in what sometimes is a difficult and trying world.
It’s a world with more than football. If anyone understands that, it’s Rawleigh Williams III. His father, Rawleigh Jr., is a sergeant in the Dallas police force.
Arkansas lost a football player Monday when Williams announced that he would not return for his junior season. It’s a huge loss. He led the SEC in rushing last regular season. He would probably be one of the top two or three backs in the league next year and one of the best in the nation. He was spectacular in spring scrimmages.
Williams decided it was best to give up the sport after a second neck injury during his Arkansas career. His first required surgery to repair a broken bone. The second produced loss of feeling. He knew he couldn’t risk a third, especially with how little contact there was on his second. He was hardly touched.
My last interview with Williams as a football player came almost three weeks ago after a Tuesday night practice. There was time for a brief one-on-one. I wanted to ask him about the work the Hogs did this spring to reclaim the ‘A’ gap in the running game. That’s the slot on either side of the center.
I asked Rawleigh if he was ready to dominate those two running lanes, the key to the Arkansas offense. Everything builds off of that. I call it the dark alley of football. It’s nothing but blood and guts. It’s heart against heart, will against will. It’s where you find out who has toughness. Only real men dare go there with a football tucked under their arm.
Rawleigh is everything you wanted for the ‘A’ gap. He loves that part of the game. It’s probably what he’ll miss the most. It’s where you test everything you’ve got.
Rawleigh had the heart for the ‘A’ gap, just not the right neck. Some issues with the neck are going to keep him out of football.
I get all of this. In the early years of my job as a journalist, I ran across Ray Murphy, an All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State in the late 1960s. He broke his neck in an all-star wrestling match in 1970 and lived the last 40 years of his life as a quadriplegic.
Our family got to know Ray as members of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Tulsa. I went to Ray’s home several times to take food on Wednesday nights. I also wrote several stories about Ray. He passed away seven years ago at the age of 63.
I’ve thought about Ray a lot in the last year as Rawleigh battled back from the first neck injury. I never questioned Rawleigh’s decision to play to anyone. I figured doctors and family knew best.
But I couldn’t keep thinking about the way I saw Ray all those times, with breathing tubes and all the other things that were needed to keep him going.
It was an amazing story, about the way Ray’s mother cared for him and kept him living, although it really was about a church, a city and a university, too. Ray was a scientist. He became one of the leaders on the sip-andpuff technology that allowed quadriplegics to run computers.
I never told anyone this stuff over the last 18 months because I didn’t want to be the one to doubt anyone else’s ability to determine whether Rawleigh should play.
I admit that I was pessimistic about the possibility of his return after the second injury. I did not think he could go against his family’s wishes. You could see the emotional state of Rawleigh’s family as medical personnel tended to him at the final spring practice when he was injured again. It just wasn’t going to happen.
I think everyone understands that Rawleigh shouldn’t play anymore. And, almost everyone understands what the Hogs had in both his character and ability.
Rawleigh told me in that last interview as a football player — probably the last one anyone had — that his goal was to be the best running back in the country. He thought that was doable. He wanted to be the best in pass protection, the best as a runner and the best — since I asked — in the ‘A’ gap. There was nothing in my mind that said he couldn’t do that. He made 1,360 yards last season with 12 touchdowns. He was going to top that in 2017.
That’s what the Hogs had in Rawleigh. He was going to work to be the best. Was he better than the good one at LSU (Derrius Guice) or several in the deep stable at Alabama? I don’t know if better is the right question. He was at least in the same paragraph. He’s that good. He was great this spring, much better than what he was last year when he led the SEC.
The Hogs have other good ones. Devwah Whaley is the heir apparent. He was more highly regarded than Williams as a prep player when he arrived from Beaumont (Central), Texas. True freshman Maleek Williams had Rawleigh-like stature and moves this spring. The Punta Gorda (Charlotte), Fla., product is also highly regarded.
There are more options. T.J. Hammonds played mainly slot receiver this spring, but he’s probably going to be more needed as a tailback with Rawleigh out of football. Hammonds has slick moves and a burst. He’ll be valuable as a running back. Chase Hayden will arrive sometime in the next few weeks as a true freshman. The Memphis (Saint George’s), Tenn., product had seven SEC offers. He’s got speed and a wiggle. He’s an outstanding prospect.
So there is ability and numbers for the Hogs to absorb the loss. What I don’t know that they have is anyone with a Rawleigh Williams-like smile. It’s the best.
I think we’ll still see it plenty. I expect him to be around as he finishes his degree. What I know, it’ll look great in a board room, too. I expect Rawleigh Williams to soar through corporate America. He could be anything. He could lead our country. He’s that kind of person.
If you can run through the ‘A’ gap, there’s probably not much out there to deter Rawleigh Williams in real life. He’s going to be fine. Maybe I’ll get to cover his brother, son or daughter some day.
I’ll be watching for that smile.
Oh, I ache to see Rawleigh Williams IV. That’s what this may be all about — going on with what God has in store for Rawleigh Williams III.
Clay Henry can be reached at [email protected] .