Former Covington High star Mike Williams was an All-Southeastern Conference player and All-American at LSU. He was drafted in the first-round of the NFL draft in 1975 by the San Diego Chargers. Former Covington High, LSU and NFL standout Mike Williams, pictured, in the front yard of his Covington home.
LSU All-American Mike Williams in an undated publicity photo from Tiger Stadium. Williams starred at Covington High School before playing at LSU and the NFL. Former Covington High standout Mike Williams waits for a snap during his playing days with the NFL's San Diego Chargers.
Mike Williams was a two-way star for Covington High, excelling on both offense and defense. Former San Diego defensive back Mike Williams returns an interception against the Seattle Seahawks. Williams, who prepped at Covington High, played seven seasons in the NFL.
LSU defensive back Mike Williams (29) leaps high off the turf of Tiger Stadium Saturday to deflect a pass from the grasp of Texas Aggie receiver Carl Roaches. The spectacular play came with 30 seconds remaining and the Aggies facing a third and ten from the Tiger 26 on Sept. 22, 1973.
LSU won, 28-23. Former LSU great Mike Williams in Tiger Stadium in 2012. Former Covington High, LSU and NFL standout Mike Williams, pictured, in the front yard of his Covington home.
Mike Williams still has his signature smile, even if he can’t run as fast as he once did. The now 70-year-old former Covington High and LSU standout spent nine seasons in the NFL, but his favorite memories of all the games he played at the highest levels are still crystal clear. “The thing I remember most is spending time hanging with the guys,” Williams said.
“I just like being around people. That was the main thing.” So who is Mike Williams? The simple answer is he’s someone who likes helping people where he can and inserting a quick joke into any conversation.
The more detailed response is that he is someone who had a historic career at LSU — he was one of the first two players to break the LSU football color barrier and was LSU’s first Black player to earn All-American status. But he always shied away from the public eye, preferring to spend time with family and friends. “He had a wonderful career at LSU and in the NFL,” his daughter, Michelle Williams, said.
“Off the field, he’s just very humble and quiet and generous about giving back to the community. He doesn’t like a lot of attention. He does it behind the scenes.
That’s just his way.” But despite his efforts to stay behind the scenes, his athletic ability prevented that. Everyone still stops and waves if they see him outside.
“I played baseball and football, but when I picked up a football, that was it. When I started playing football in high school, that took away baseball,” Williams said. “Football was just something that came natural.
Then, as I got bigger, I learned to play a little better.” He didn’t start playing football until junior high, but by the time he was a senior at Covington High, he finished third in the state in rushing yards. He also was considered one of the finest defensive back prospects in the nation coming out of high school.
He chose to attend LSU, where he was a three-time All-SEC defensive back and an All-American as a senior in 1974. Williams was a starter from his first varsity game in 1972 (freshmen were not eligible to play then). As a sophomore, Williams recorded a career-best 66 tackles and four interceptions.
“He is an extremely coachable and dedicated young man,” then LSU assistant coach Don “Scooter” Purvis told The Advocate. “As a freshman, he showed reaction quickness as good as any back I’ve seen, including (All-American Tommy) Casanova.” Williams recorded 50 tackles and three interceptions in 1973, prompting Advocate sports writer Joe Planas to write that Williams “plays the corner like he owns the whole block.
” During his senior season, Williams switched from cornerback to safety, recording 63 tackles with two fumble recoveries. Williams was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 1975 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers — the first and only St. Tammany Parish-based player to become a first-round pick in the NFL.
He started more than 100 games at cornerback with the Chargers over the next eight seasons before finishing his pro career in 1983 with the Los Angeles Rams. “He’s as good at covering passes as anyone I’ve ever seen,” then Chargers coach Tommy Prothro said. "And he's tough.
” Williams said it was a sound assessment, especially the part about toughness. “I loved hitting somebody, even the big backs," he said. "I wanted to hit, and they wanted to run over you.
I just wanted to compete.” Williams, who said he ran a 4.5 consistently but could run a 4.
3 “anytime he wanted,” started to have nagging injuries like muscle pulls before retiring from the league. “I just decided that it was time to let it go,” Williams said. “Pain is a rough thing when you’re playing in the NFL.
That pain started to bother me, so I started to think about doing something else.” Coaching might have been a logical choice for the personable former player, but Williams said that never really was in the cards. “I never wanted to coach, to tell you the truth,” he said.
"All I wanted to do was be a player. As long as I was helping the other guys, that was the most important thing about playing football to me.” Williams returned to Covington in the early 1980s after his final games with the Rams and settled into life after the NFL.
He took some time off (playing nearly a decade in the NFL took on a physical toll) before working nearly a decade with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office and then retiring for good. He’s still a die-hard LSU fan, and pieces of LSU memorabilia are highlights of his home, including a photo of him that hung in the LSU Fieldhouse for years.
“If you’re not an LSU fan, something is wrong with you,” Williams said, flashing his signature grin once again. For nearly a decade, Williams has been a member of Tree of Hope — an organization that gives back to the community where it sees a need. But perhaps his greatest legacy is what he passed to the community through his children.
They've all volunteered and coached in local youth recreation groups, sharing the love for sports they got from their father with other children in Covington. “Covington has always been home,” Michelle said. “(Dad) likes being in the community and seeing old friends.
He just likes being home. To me, he is just Dad, but then we would go out, and people would want autographs and things like that, so we took a lot of pride in that. But when he is home, he’s just Dad.
” Williams has advice for young players looking to chase their own college football or NFL dreams. “Make sure that you get your education because you have to do something after playing football,” Williams said. “My goal was to get an education.
" Michelle said her father’s legacy is the commitment he instilled in his family to give back to the community. “I think you kind of watch and pick it up. The beauty of giving back is the actual act, so that’s the reward.
The joy comes from actually being there and helping, and that’s the part that he’s passed down over the years,” she said..
