Ricky Williams: A Football Life

Plan Your Visit Published on : 10/31/2014
Fans touring the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Friday and Saturday can also enjoy a special premiere of the NFL Network series “A Football Life.” This week’s screening of “Ricky Williams: A Football Life,” a one-hour documentary produced by NFL Films, profiles the life and career of the former Heisman Trophy-winning running back.

“Ricky Williams: A Football Life” will be shown continuously at the Hall of Fame from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1.

Each episode of this season’s “A Football Life” is being shown at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The series aligns with the Hall of Fame’s Mission to: Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.

Williams, a Heisman trophy winning running back from the University of Texas, made headlines when then New Orleans Saints head coach Mike Ditka dealt all of his draft picks to move up to fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft and select Williams.

It began a tumultuous career, on and off the field, for the running back that held so much potential.

“I can look back at it now as definitely like an initiation into adulthood,” Williams shares in the documentary. “Almost overnight in the NFL, I was put on a pedestal and I was supposed to be this icon or this image of what a professional athlete was supposed to be. I felt like I just got stuck trying to be someone else and I forgot who I actually was.”

In all, Williams rushed for more than 10,000 yards and scored 66 touchdowns while adding 342 catches and 8 TD receptions in 12 NFL seasons with the Saints, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens.

“I decide what it’s like for me, not other people. You can be whatever you’d like to be. You just have to choose it,” Williams comments in this week’s episode of “A Football Life.”

This week’s screening of “A Football Life” was preceded by premieres of episodes profiling Hall of Famers Warren Moon and Eric Dickerson and former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis. Upcoming “A Football Life” episodes examine the life and careers of several great NFL legends and Pro Football Hall of Famers. Screenings of “A Football Life” at the Hall of Fame are included with the price of admission. The following is the broadcast schedule for November for “A Football Life” that airs on Fridays at 9:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

November 7 – Earl Campbell*
November 14 – Larry Csonka*, Jim Kiick & Eugene “Mercury” Morris
November 21 – Lyle Alzado
November 28 – Dick Butkus* & Gale Sayers*

* Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

“A Football Life” series – will be available on NFL Now, the League’s next-generation video service. Providing fans access to the largest digital library of NFL video anywhere, NFL Now dynamically personalizes each fan's viewing experience, allowing them to follow their favorite NFL teams and players.

Every episode of “A Football Life” – as well as all NFL Network programming – is streamed live on NFL Mobile from Verizon, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.