Who was Jimmy Williams? Former 49ers star passes away aged 43

Jimmy Williams, a six-year NFL veteran, passed away at the age of 43 from an undisclosed illness. His alma mater Vanderbilt refused to give more details surrounding his untimely death, honoring the family of the late cornerback’s wishes.

Current Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea released a statement reminiscing about his friend:

"Remembering a Vanderbilt legend, a dedicated husband anf father and a dear friend. You will be missed, Jimmy."

He was an All-SEC defensive back and return specialist at Vanderbilt, where he played four seasons with the Commodores from 1997-2000. He averaged 23 yards per return as a kick returner. He finished ninth in all of college football in 1998 with 678 kickoff return yards.

In his first two seasons at Vanderbilt, he played primarily at running back, racking up 807 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns with the Commodores. He also racked up 10 career interceptions along with two kickoffs and punt returns for touchdowns with Vanderbilt.

Williams was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft but didn't feature for the franchise. He was picked up by the San Francisco 49ers, where he played four seasons (2001 – 2004) and made his mark on special teams.

In the 2002 season, he led the NFL in yards per punt return with 16.8 yards. In his four seasons with San Francisco, he had 55 punt returns and ran one back for touchdowns while getting 49 kickoff returns for 1,030 return yards.

The cornerback joined the Seattle Seahawks for the final two seasons of his NFL career (2005 – 2006), where he had 63 combined tackles and two interceptions while a member of the team. He was also the captain of the special teams in Seattle.

Jimmy Williams' post-NFL career

Williams coaching at Episcopal HS in Baton Rouge, LA. Source: The Advocate

He returned to his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana following his retirement from the NFL in 2006. He recently coached football, taught and was an assistant athletic director at his high school alma mater Episcopal School of Baton Rouge.

Episcopal athletic director Randy Richard said that it was a huge loss and he was always smiling:

"It’s a tough day. It is such a huge loss. He was a great colleague, a friend and a coach that the athletes here loved. He was always smiling."

He’s survived by wife Chandra, his son and his entire friends and family.

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