Honorary Captain Q and A With Bobbie Williams

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A 13-year NFL veteran, Bobbie Williams is the honorary captain for Saturday’s game against Texas State. He played for the Razorbacks from 1996-99, starting the last 25 games of his career at right tackle alongside Arkansas legend Brandon Burlsworth, who started at right guard.

Williams was an integral part of the SEC Western Division co-champions in 1998 and the Cotton Bowl champions in 1999, earning All-SEC honors in 1999. He was selected in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

He played in 163 games, including 136 starts, over his 13-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. From 2002-10, he appeared in all but three games, which included 120 starts. He also won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2012, his final season in the NFL.

Williams and his family reside in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia. He has one son, Brandon, who attended Rutgers and currently serves in the Air Force, and one daughter, Tiana, who attends Arkansas.

What does it mean to come back to Razorback Stadium as an honorary captain this weekend?
BW – “First and foremost, I’m very thankful that I was considered for this honor. It’s a great feeling. I’m a proud Razorback. It’s exciting. It’s definitely humbling to be honored. It’s a fulfilling moment that not everybody gets to have, but I have been blessed to receive this honor by Coach (Bret) Bielema. I’m thankful. I didn’t really think that I would be on their radar, but I’m thankful that they thought about me to bestow this honor on me. I welcome it. I didn’t think what I did was no more than the guy beside me when I was there. He’s a true hero and he was an awesome guy at right guard, and that was Brandon Burlsworth. He was a great guy.”

What was it like playing alongside Brandon Burlsworth and now seeing his story immortalized on the big screen with the movie “Greater”?
BW – “It puts a smile on my face. I knew his brother Marty, but to play beside Brandon, it was truly ­– and I mean this – a pleasure. It’s funny. When the game started out, guys would be talking noise and making fun of the glasses and Burls, he wouldn’t say anything. He would just sit there and smile. Looking over at Grant Garrett or Russell Brown, they’re sitting over there laughing. By halftime or toward the end of the game, they would be saying, ‘Bobbie, tell your boy to let up.’ And Brandon was still picking them up and driving them into the ground. It was my honor to get in on there on some double-team blocks and do that with him. It was truly an honor to play with him for the years that I did.”

What memories do you have from your playing days at Arkansas?
BW – “Definitely the 1999 Cotton Bowl, putting a whipping on Texas. There were so many guys from that Texas team that I ended up playing against in the NFL – Casey Hampton, Shawn Rodgers. They are guys who I consider friends. I remember not only that game, but also beating LSU for the Boot down in Little Rock. That was always a big game. I think back to the game against Tennessee, when we lost, when we were in contention for going all the way. Unfortunate circumstances happened, but you get better from it. I have a lot of good memories down in Arkansas.”

What do you remember about the 28-24 win over Tennessee in 1999 and what was it like being a part of that moment in Razorback history?
BW – “That was surreal, very surreal. You think back on moments like that. You see them on TV all the time and you never really think that we, as a team, can create a moment like that where the fans are just busting at the seam like that and then it actually happens. It was awesome being a part of that. Those are the lifelong moments and memories that you can share with you family. And now that I have a daughter that’s attending the University of Arkansas, my alma mater. She can attend games and be a part of those type moment that Coach Bielema is going to bring to the university.”

What was it like ending your college career with a Cotton Bowl win over rival Texas?
BW – “We went into that game just not wanting to be denied victory. It was tradition. Coach (Houston) Nutt let us know that it was a tradition. For those of us guys that were seniors, what better way to make a statement going out than beating at Texas team in their home state? We came down and put our Razorback stamp on it and said, ‘This year is ours.’ And that was the way to go out.”

What do you think allowed you to play at the highest level and have the kind of success that you did in the NFL for 13 seasons?
BW – “Truthfully, it was nothing but the good lord above. When I came out, I was just giving myself three years, even though I signed a four-year contract. I gave myself three years, to make my money, create a nice nest egg, get out and go back to finish my degree, and go ahead on with life and enjoy life, just being a family man. I gave myself three years, but the good lord said, ‘I’ll give you 13, and then to put a cherry on top, I’ll give you a Super Bowl ring.’ Who am I to complain? His plan was way better than mine.”

What do you remember about your Super Bowl season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013?
BW – “It was one of the best years, if not the best year, in my life. And when I say life, I mean my football life because it was actually a year where there didn’t seem to be any pressure. I was coming off of one of my only real injuries in my career that happened at the end of the 2012 season. Going to Baltimore, I knew Coach (John) Harbaugh from the Philadelphia days. He was my special teams coach there, and the organization from being conference rivals (at Cincinnati). I came in and the respect was there. They treated me and my family very well, so there was never any pressure. When I felt like I was ready to go, they pulled me on in. I played there and I enjoyed it. That playoff run was magical and historical. Guys came together and gelled together. It was truly one for the story book.”

Looking back, how do you think Arkansas prepared you for your successful NFL career?
BW – “It prepared me in so many ways, truthfully. Arkansas taught me what it meant to be tough. Mike Bender, Charley North, they were my O-line coaches, and then Coach (Mike) Markuson came in for my junior and senior years. I’ll tell you what, toughness was instilled in me by Coach Bender and Coach North, especially Bender. He was cut from the old school. I’m talking about, it was all about a flat back, staying low and coming off that ball. I remember those hot days and non-stop reps, as they developed a mental toughness in us, and it was like a sense of pride to be tough, to be a Razorback offensive lineman. It wasn’t cut out for everybody. I saw a lot of guys come through that had tremendous talent but they couldn’t finish the job. That toughness was instilled in me and it’s still with me today. One guy can’t beat you. It’s going to take more than one guy. It’s just a mindset. At the end of the game, you can feel pain, but during the game, there’s no pain. You have to actually be injured. That mindset stuck with me for my entire career.”

What is it like coming back to Arkansas now? What’s your perception of the football program today?
BW – “They are light-years ahead of where we were back then. I look at all the money that’s been put back into the university and everything like that. I would say that these guys have it pretty good. The weight room is phenomenal, the fields, the facilities, the technology, everything is phenomenal. It’s exciting to see that growth and that’s how it should be. It’s the SEC, and Arkansas is definitely one of the top teams. We are primed and ready this year to make a statement. I brag all the way up here in New Jersey, and in the winter time, I go down to Florida, and I’m wearing Arkansas gear all over the place.”