Murray State University Athletics
The Sports Network Honors Williams as First-Team All-American
1/6/2009 6:00:00 AM | Football
Murray State linebacker Nathan Williams received his third All-America honor Tuesday when he garnered first-team accolades from The Sports Network. Last month, Williams earned first-team honors from the Walter Camp Foundation and Associated Press.
Williams, who finished fifth in the Buck Buchanan Award voting honoring the nation's top defensive player, capped off his storied Racer career by leading all of college football with 179 tackles. The Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year added 13 tackles-for-loss, eight sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Williams recorded double-digit tackles nine of the 12 games this season and made at least 15 stops in seven contests. He posted a career-best 23 stops in the game against Illinois State. His 14.9 tackles-per-game average ranks in the all-time top 10 in the FCS.
He ended his career with 386 tackles, including 208 solo stops. His career 10.4 tackles-per-game average ranks sixth all-time in the FCS, while his 5.5 solo stops ranks in the all-time top 10.
Despite missing two full seasons with injury, Williams ranks fourth on MSU's career tackle list. He is also tied for fifth on the career sack list with 11 sacks.
