Lamanzer Deshan Williams (born November 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played briefly for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998. Williams played college football for the Minnesota Gophers.
References Lamanzer Deshana Williams (born November 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player and high school football coach and administrator. He played defensive end for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selection in 1997. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL draft. He later played in NFL Europe for the Berlin Thunder before beginning a career in high school coaching and educational administration in Michigan.
Early life and college career
Williams was born November 17, 1974, in Greensboro, Alabama, and attended Willow Run High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He played college football as a defensive end at the University of Minnesota.
In 1997, Williams recorded 18.5 sacks, establishing a Minnesota single-season record. He also recorded 24 tackles for loss, another school single-season record, and finished his Minnesota career with 23.5 sacks. Williams was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and received first-team All-Big Ten honors. He also received the Carl Eller Award as Minnesota's outstanding defensive player. Williams was selected to participate in the 1998 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and was also selected to participate in the East–West Shrine Bowl. Williams brother Dan was a first round draft pick in the NFL, they played together in 1999 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Professional career
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Williams in the sixth round, 179th overall, of the 1998 NFL draft. Williams appeared in two regular-season games for Jacksonville during the 1998 season.
Williams subsequently spent time with several NFL organizations, including the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, and Miami Dolphins. His regular-season NFL appearances were limited to two games with Jacksonville.
Williams joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 1999 and 2000. The Chiefs waived him on August 27, 2000.
In 2003, Williams played defensive end for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe. He recorded 10.5 sacks during the season, surpassing the Berlin Thunder's previous single-season sack record of 10 sacks. He was selected to the All-NFL Europe League Team as a defensive end.
Coaching and educational career
After his professional football career, Williams returned to Michigan and began coaching football, including at his alma mater, Willow Run High School. Contemporary reporting stated that he spent eight years assisting with the Willow Run program before becoming a head coach.
Williams was head football coach at Kalamazoo Central High School during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, compiling an 8–10 record. He subsequently worked as an assistant coach in Muskegon before becoming athletic director and football coach at Inkster High School in 2011. In 2012, he became dean and head football coach at Holland High School.
In 2013, Williams was hired by Ypsilanti Community Schools as athletic director and assistant principal and also served as head football coach at Ypsilanti Community High School.
During the 2014 season, Ypsilanti finished 6–4 overall. In the 2015 football season, Williams led Ypsilanti Community to a 4–5 overall record and a 4–1 record in the Southeastern Conference White Division, winning the SEC White Division football championship.
In March 2016, Williams was named head football coach at Avondale High School in Auburn Hills, Michigan but later resigned due to the death of his oldest sons mother.
Williams subsequently worked in educational administration, including at Grand Blanc High School. He later joined Ann Arbor Public Schools and has served as dean of students at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor.
Education
Williams studied kinesiology at the University of Minnesota. He also earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University, a master's degree in sports leadership from Concordia University Chicago, and studied educational leadership at Grand Valley State University.
Honors and achievements
· First-team All-American, 1997
· First-team All-Big Ten, 1997
· Carl Eller Award, 1997
· Minnesota single-season sack record — 18.5 sacks, 1997
· Berlin Thunder single-season sack record — 10.5 sacks, 2003
· All-NFL Europe League Team, 2003
· Willow Run Community Schools Hall of Fame, inducted 2005–06
· Southeastern Conference–White Division football champion, 2015 — Ypsilanti Community High School
References
University of Minnesota, 1997 football press release — supports the 1997 statistics, All-American and All-Big Ten honors, Carl Eller Award, and Senior Bowl/East–West Shrine Bowl selections.
University of Minnesota historical records and media guide — supports the 18.5-sack single-season record.
Pro Football Reference and NFL records — support the 1998 Jacksonville draft selection and NFL statistics.
Pro Football Archives — supports professional roster history and the Berlin Thunder season.
Green Bay Packers/NFL Europe — supports the 2003 All-NFL Europe League Team selection.
AnnArbor.com — supports the coaching chronology from Willow Run through Ypsilanti Community Schools.
Star Tribune — supports the Holland High School appointment.
Willow Run Community Schools Hall of Fame — supports the 2005–06 Hall of Fame induction.
MaxPreps and Michigan high school football historical records — support the 2015 Ypsilanti Community season and SEC White championship.
UPI Archives — supports the August 27, 2000 Kansas City waiver.
Ann Arbor Public Schools — supports the current listing of Williams as dean of students at Skyline High School.
Editorial note
The draft intentionally does not state the reported 2000 grievance and full-salary award as an established fact because an independent public source confirming that claim was not located. The Kansas City waiver itself is documented.