Ricky Williams was born in May of 1977 and is a famous National Football League (NFL) running back who arrived with the Miami Dolphins after playing for the New Orleans Saints and the before them the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns. Ricky has repeatedly proven himself as a valuable player for whatever team he is playing on and in some respects seems to be getting better with age, a statement that is simply unheard of at the running back position. Most fans do not realize that while Ricky was playing football in Austin, Texas he was also playing minor league baseball during the football off season.
Ricky was born in San Diego, California in the late 1970s he primarily grew up with his mother after his parents separated when he was six years old. As a teenager at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego Ricky excelled at a number of sports as a varsity member of the track, wrestling, and baseball teams in addition to the success he enjoyed on the football field. After rushing for over 2,000 yards and punching in 25 touchdowns as a senior at Patrick Henry High School Ricky was awarded the coveted Offensive Player of the Year award by the local San Diego newspaper. Considering the population and number of athletes playing football in the San Diego area this award speaks volumes about the grid iron abilities of Ricky Williams.
Despite the promise that Williams showed on the football field it was a career on the baseball diamond that he originally chose to pursue right out of high school. While most football fans primarily think of Ricky Williams as a football player for the University of Texas Longhorns before his entrance into the NFL he actually played minor league baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system while at the same time playing football for the UT Longhorns. Ricky was taken in the 1995 baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth round.
Most people are not as familiar with the baseball career of Ricky Williams because it never really took off. Williams spent four years in Single A which is the lowest of the minor league divisions of Single A, Double A, and Triple A. Triple A is the highest level of minor league baseball before being called up to the big leagues. Unbeknownst to most college football fans while Williams was breaking college football rushing records (including the coveted most rushing yards record) he was spending his football off seasons playing baseball and struggling in vain to break into Major League Baseball.