Nigel Williams

Professional career In 1992, Williams was signed to the practice roster of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also noted for his versatility: at one point he led the league in yards per carry with 26.1 (183 yards on seven carries) and yards per kickoff return with 28.2 (241 yards on five returns). However, he was released on June 26, 1993.

On August 24, 1993, it was reported that Williams had been signed to the practice roster of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. However, he was cut shortly thereafter, and returned to the West Island Broncos in 1993 to play his final year of junior football eligibility.

Williams signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the CFL on May 9, 1995. He spent part of the season on the injured list. Ottawa finished the year with a 3–15 record.

In March 1996, Williams was the first pick of the revived Montreal Alouettes in the CFL equalization draft. He dressed in 16 games overall for Montreal in 1996, recording 33 receptions for 461 yards and three touchdowns, and five kickoff returns for 58 yards. Williams dressed in 14 games in 1997, catching 25 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He dressed in the first two games of the 1998 season for Montreal and caught one pass for 13 yards. He dressed in the final 16 games of the season for Toronto, totaling a career-high 61 catches for 1,057 yards and five touchdowns, and six kickoff returns for 117 yards.

After a strong 1998 season, Williams had workouts with several NFL teams. He signed with the Washington Redskins in February 1999, and received a $25,000 signing bonus. The Redskins' director of player personnel had previously gone to Canada in 1998 to specifically watch Williams play on October 17, 1998, against the Alouettes, a game in which Williams dropped two likely touchdowns. The New York Jets reportedly also showed some interest in Williams, but he was not allowed to sign with another NFL team due to being in the option year of his CFL contract.

On September 8, 1999, Toronto traded Williams and Brad Elberg to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for Craig Hendrickson. Williams finished the 1999 season in Winnipeg, dressing in nine games while catching 22 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash in a workout for the NFL's Green Bay Packers, but turned down their contract offer because there was no signing bonus. Williams dressed in all 18 games for the Eskimos in 2000, recording 40 receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns. Williams was released by the Eskimos on June 7, 2001, so the team could stay under the salary cap. He would have earned CA$60,000 for the 2001 season, not including performance bonuses.

Williams later signed with the Argonauts on August 7, 2001, after he called them. Williams dressed in six games for Toronto in 2002, catching seven passes for 89 yards, before being released on August 12, 2002.

Williams signed with the CFL's Ottawa Renegades on August 19, 2002. Williams was released on June 8, 2003, after being outplayed by other Canadian receivers the team had in camp. He finished his CFL career with totals of 118 games dressed, 242 receptions for 3,526 yards and 21 touchdowns, 37 kickoff returns for 666 yards, and 13 tackles. He completed two tours of duty during the War in Afghanistan, in 2006 and 2011. Williams said "a lot of my football buddies think I'm crazy. I got an e-mail the other day from a guy I used to play with and all he asked me was: 'What the heck are you thinking?'"

Williams graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in business administration. He later started a career in real estate. He has also served as a mentor for the Amherstburg Freedom Museum.