Rodney Williams Hometown: Decatur, Ga. High School: Southwest DeKalb H.S. Height / Weight: 6-1 / 187 Position: Punter Birthdate: 04/25/1977

DRAFTED BY THE ST. LOUIS RAMS (7-46)

AT TECH: Two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference honoree and the best punter in Georgia Tech history . . . Finished his career with an average of 41.4 yards per punt to set a new school record . . . Over his last two seasons he averaged 44.0 yards per punt with a net of 40.5 yards per kick . . . Ranks fourth in Tech history in career punts (178) and punting yardage (7,373) . . . Career average ranks 17th in ACC history . . . Named ACC Specialist of the Week three times during his career . . . Became a starter midway through his freshman season . . . Excellent athlete with a very strong leg . . . Has worked at wide receiver in spring practice and showed promise in terms of speed and athletic ability . . . Participated in the East-West Shrine Game in Palo Alto, Calif., following his senior season.

1998: First-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference punter for the second straight year . . . Finalist for the Mosi Tatupu Special Teams Award, also for the second straight year . . . Averaged 42.5 yards per punt, with a net of 40.1 yards . . . Led the ACC and ranked sixth in the nation in net punting . . . Pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 19 times . . . Only 17 of his 50 punts were returned, for an average of just 7.2 yards . . . Against Top 10 foes Virginia and Florida State, he averaged 48.9 yards on 11 punts with a net of 45.1 . . . Also kicked off and allowed Tech opponents an average field position of their own 22.2-yard line . . . Touchbacks on 23 of his 71 kickoffs . . . Named ACC Specialist of the Week for win over sixth-ranked Virginia, when he averaged 45.4 yards on five punts with a net of 43.6 and had four touchbacks and an average field position of the 18-yard line on eight kickoffs . . . Named Tech’s Outstanding Special Teams Player.

1997: First-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection by the Atlantic Coast Sportswriters Association and Football News . . . Third-team all-America by Football News . . . Finalist for the Mosi Tatupu Special Teams Award . . . Set a Georgia Tech record by averaging 45.64 yards per punt . . . Bettered the Tech record of 45.51, set in 1994 by all-America Jason Bender . . . Posted the third-best season average in ACC history . . . Ranked sixth in the nation in punting average . . . Even more impressive was his net of 40.0 yards per punt, which also ranked sixth nationally . . . Punted 47 times for a total of 2,145 yards . . . Pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 19 times . . . Hit 21 punts over 50 yards, including nine kicks of 56 yards or longer, with a season-best 64-yard blast against Florida State and a 63-yard boot against North Carolina . . . Only 19 of his 47 punts were returned . . . Recognized as Tech’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Performer.

Enjoyed the most prolific punting performance in school history against Florida State, when he punted 12 times for 553 yards—both school records—for a 46.1-yard average and a 44.0 net . . . Downed five punts inside the Florida State 20-yard line and the Seminoles’ average field position after his punts was its own 17-yard line . . . Set a school record against N.C. State by averaging 52.7 yards on six punts, and then topped his own record with a 53.3-yard average on three kicks against Duke . . . Also kicked off against the Blue Devils when regular Dave Frakes was injured.

Named ACC Specialist of the Week for his play against fifth-ranked North Carolina with a 49.2 average, a 47.0 net and five punts at or inside the 20-yard line . . . Punted just twice against Boston College, hitting kicks of 57 and 53 yards with a net average of 53.0 . . . Averaged 48.0 yards on three punts against Notre Dame with a net of 45.0 . . . Averaged just 37.8 yards on five punts against Georgia but nailed two crucial fourth-quarter punts inside the 10-yard line . . . Did not punt in Tech’s win over Maryland, the first game in 44 years in which the Jackets did not attempt a punt (last time, Sept. 19, 1953 vs. Davidson, 453 straight games) . . . Preseason all-ACC first-team selection by several publications, including Football News, Athlon and Lindy’s.

1996: Punted 53 times for a 38.4-yard average . . . Had 16 punts downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line . . . Hit three punts of 50 yards or longer . . . Was perhaps Tech’s most valuable player in the win over 12th-ranked Virginia and was named ACC Specialist of the Week . . . Punted nine times for a 40.0 yard average against Virginia . . . Six of his nine punts were downed inside the 20-yard line as he pinned the Cavaliers at their own one, four, six 10, 14 and 17-yard lines . . . Nailed a 77-yard bomb that was downed at the Virginia four-yard line for the fifth-longest punt in school history . . . Also punted nine times against Florida State for a 36.2-yard average, but had one punt blocked . . . Averaged 44.0 yards on four punts against Georgia and 44.0 yards on three kicks against Clemson . . . Punted four times for a 42.0-yard average against Wake Forest.

1995: True freshman who took over the punting chores for the final five games of the season . . . Struggled with inconsistency at times but displayed his potential with an outstanding game against Georgia, when he punted four times for a 50.3 average, including a net of 45.8 yards . . . Nailed a 57-yarder against Wake Forest for his longest punt of the year . . . Added a 56-yard boot against the Bulldogs . . . Made a touchdown-saving tackle on a punt return against Florida State . . . Punted 28 times and averaged 38.1 yards per kick.

HIGH SCHOOL: First-team Parade magazine all-America as a punter . . . A consensus prep all-America for his punting abilities at Southwest DeKalb High School . . . Averaged 54.2 yards per punt as a junior . . . As a senior, on a much better team with fewer punting opportunities, he averaged 45.9 yards a kick with an average hang time of 4.7 seconds . . . Put 96 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone . . . Named to the Blue Chips Illustrated “Dream Team” prep all-America squad . . . Rated the 38th best prospect in Dixie by SuperPrep magazine . . . Tabbed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Top 50 in Georgia and Super Southern 100 . . . Earned a 9.25 rating from Jeff Whitaker’s Deep South Football . . . Named one of the Top 111 prospects in Georgia by Georgia High School Football . . . Played in the Georgia-Florida All-Star Game . . . Also lettered in track, soccer and wrestling . . . Coached by William “Buck” Godfrey.

PERSONAL: Full name is Rodney Colin Williams . . . Born April 25, 1977 . . . Parents are Syggred and Geraldine Williams . . . Brother of former Tech outside linebacker Marlon Williams (1990-93) . . . Majoring in Management.

GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
1998	Punts	Yards	Avg	LP	Ret	Net	IS20
Boston College‡	4	164	41.0	52	11	38.3	0
New Mexico State‡	3	183	45.8	60	0	45.8	0
North Carolina‡	6	235	39.2	50	0	39.2	4
Duke‡	4	171	42.8	64	12	39.8	3
NC State‡	4	170	42.5	54	51	29.8	3
Virginia‡	5	227	45.4	55	9	43.6	2
Florida State‡	6	311	51.8	59	33	46.3	2
Maryland‡	5	191	38.2	42	3	37.6	1
Clemson‡	6	204	34.0	45	4	33.3	2
Wake Forest‡	1	41	41.0	41	0	41.0	1
Georgia‡	5	229	45.8	61	0	45.8	1
Notre Dame‡#	3	104	34.7	51	8	32.0	1	

1998	KO	TB	OOB	Ret-Yds	FP	Avg	
Boston College‡	6	3	1	2-37	137	22.8
New Mexico State‡	5	0	1	4-64	109	21.8
North Carolina‡	8	2	2	4-103	221	27.6
Duke‡	7	1	0	6-118	164	23.4
NC State‡	8	3	0	5-77	159	19.9
Virginia‡	8	4	0	4-59	147	18.4
Florida State‡	2	0	0	2-53	53	26.5
Maryland‡	6	4	0	2-22	125	20.8
Clemson‡	5	0	0	5-71	107	21.4
Wake Forest‡	10	3	0	7-127	219	21.9
Georgia‡	6	3	1	2-10	116	23.2
Notre Dame‡#	6	1	1	4-55	136	22.7

1997	Punts	Yds	Avg.	LP	Ret	Net	IS20
Notre Dame‡	3	144	48.0	51	9	45.0	0
Wake Forest‡	5	204	40.8	47	6	39.6	1
Clemson‡	4	148	37.0	47	3	36.3	2
Boston College‡	2	110	55.0	57	4	53.0	2
NC State‡	6	316	52.7	57	77	39.8	0
Florida State‡	12	553	46.1	64	25	44.0	5
North Carolina‡	6	295	49.2	63	13	47.0	4
Virginia‡	1	26	26.0	26	0	26.0	1
Duke‡	3	160	53.3	56	74	28.7	1
Maryland		Did Not Punt
Georgia‡	5	189	37.8	55	9	36.0	2
West Virginia‡	4	168	42.0	49	11	39.3	1

1996	Punts	Yds	Avg.	LP	Ret	Net	IS20
NC State‡	3	89	29.6	34	0	29.6	1
Wake Forest‡	4	168	42.0	53	11	39.3	1
North Carolina‡	6	238	39.6	46	10	38.0	0
Duke‡	4	143	35.8	47	9	33.5	0
Virginia‡	9	360	40.0	77	0	40.0	6
Clemson‡	3	132	44.0	55	6	42.0	0
Central Florida‡	5	194	38.8	49	0	38.8	3
Florida State‡	9	319	35.4	44	9	33.3	1
Maryland‡	5	181	36.2	38	13	33.6	3
Navy‡	1	34	24.0	34	0	34.0	0
Georgia‡	4	176	44.0	46	19	39.3	1

1995	Punts	Yds	Avg.	LP	Ret	Net	IS20
Florida State‡	8	278	34.8	39	84	24.3	3
Clemson‡	6	214	35.7	46	34	30.0	2
Wake Forest‡	7	271	38.7	57	25	35.1	3
NC State	3	104	34.7	40	0	34.7	0
Georgia‡	4	201	50.3	56	18	45.8	3

‡ Game Started
# Bowl game stats are not included in season or career totals

CAREER STATISTICS
Year	G-GS	No.	Yds	Avg	LP	Ret	Net	I20
1995	5-4	28	1068	38.1	57	161	32.3	11
1996	11-11	53	2034	38.4	77	77	36.9	16
1997	10-10	47	2145	45.6	64	220	40.6	19
1998	11-11	50	2126	42.5	64	123	40.1	19
Total	37-36	178	7373	41.4	77	574	38.1	65

CAREER HIGHS
Punts: 12 vs. Florida State, 1997 (553 yards)
Yards: 553 vs. Florida State, 1997 (12 punts)
Punting Average: 53.3 vs. Duke, 1997 (3 punts)
Long: 77 vs. Virginia, 1996