By Dan Ryan/B-CU Athletics
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Terry Williams' NFL draft odyssey wasn't the whirlwind experience today's players endure. No crisscrossing the country for workouts. No Mel Kiper (mercifully) either.
While many Bethune-Cookman Sunday hopefuls visit one or two – or maybe even 10-12 – auditions for NFL scouts, Williams' 1988 predraft experience was just one workout – and then not a question of if or where, but when.
“When” for Williams, now the defensive backs coach at Bethune-Cookman, was the 37th selection overall and the second round of the New York J-E-T-S. His place in Wildcat draft history is second highest all-time behind the Tampa Bay Bucs' selection of Booker Reese with the 32nd pick (second round) in 1982. All one can say about that is that was the Bucs' decision – not Bethune-Cookman's – and leave it to the NFL historians.
After concluding his Bethune-Cookman career in 1987, Williams' name was out there in a draft year where defensive needs made for a seller's market. However, all it took was two hours with the Jets for Williams to secure his potential football future.
The Jets were already impressed enough by Williams that he was on their draft board by virtue of game film and word of mouth. When the Jets' scouting department told Williams they would pick him, “Yeah, right,” was Williams' first response.
Then came the private workout.
“The general manager called me afterwards and said `You don't need to work out for anyone else, you're going to be a Jet,' “Williams recalled. “`Yeah,right' again.”
Still, Williams held the Jets to their word and didn't go on tour. He would get some hotel time, though, in the days leading up to the draft.
His agent was the late Bud Asher, considered the “Grand Poobah” of football in and around Daytona Beach, Fla. When Asher saw that Williams was starting to become surrounded by a legion of hangers-on, Asher whisked Williams to an undisclosed location. Room service WAS included.
“I got away,” Williams said. “Needed to get away from people and I was able to get a little rest and prepare.”
Draft day itself was the scene that has been seen countless times throughout the years. Asher hosted the poolside cookout at his riverfront home and Williams was surrounded by family and friends. There was some hope for a first-round surprise, but Asher and Williams were confident that something would happen by round three.
Unlike today's process, the big moment of watching the commissioner call his name and the celebration came before the phone call from the team. And it didn't spoil anything.
“Two minutes later, the Jets were saying `We told you we were going to get you,'” Williams remembers. “I didn't say `yeah right' that time and was just appreciative of everything they did.”
Williams didn't get to experience the now legendary experience of Jets fans at the draft that weekend, but was warmly received by “gang green” the following weekend at a mini-camp.
“They welcomed me,” Williams said. “A lot of fans were out there that weekend. We drafted two other corners [James Hasty of Washington State and James Booty of TCU] so there was a lot of interest.”
One of the perks of playing for the Jets was a trip back to South Florida each year to play the Dolphins. So not only was Williams able to line up against Dan Marino, Mark Duper and Mark Clayton, he had family and friends at whatever the stadium was named back then [Pro Player?] watching him play.
It's also where Williams' brief playing career ended in 1989.
“Kickoff return,” Williams said. “I was blocking and some Dolphin linebacker dove and put his helmet in my knee. I was done. It was hard to watch football for a long time, but then you realize everything happens for a reason.”
He came back to his alma mater in 1998. He would mentored All Pros Rashean Mathis and Nick Collins during their Wildcat playing days and advised them on what to expect and how to deal with the transition to playing on Sundays.
Mathis, who was named the 2002 Buck Buchanan Award winner for FCS Defensive Player of The Year before heading off to the Jaguars and Lions, gave Williams a shout-out during his retirement ceremony earlier this month. Collins developed into a three-time All Pro who registered a Pick Six for the Green Packers against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Super Bowl Sunday.
He gave Mathis and Collins, and Ryan Davis, currently with the Jaguars, the same advice.
“Take your time and let your agent work for you – you don't work for your agent,” Williams said. “Especially when it comes to the later rounds and free agency. Once they go into those draft rooms, you never know what's going to happen.
“Agents have to look for a team that needs you, because it's not about the money,” Williams added. “Otherwise, you're going to get cut at the earliest opportunity. Keep his head up and don't worry about the other stuff – just go make a team. And enjoy the moment”
