WACO — Ricky Williams didn’t wear a cowboy hat or cowboy boots to his Texas Sports Hall of Fame induction like Walt Garrison did. But he still considers himself 50 percent Texan despite being born in San Diego.
“It speaks a lot about why I came to [the University of] Texas,” Williams said Monday. “There’s something about Texans having a lot of pride. That was something I wanted to be a part of. They embraced me, and they supported me, and I had a lot of success because of it.”Williams was one of seven athletes in the Class of 2012, inducted with Drew Brees, Garrison, Eddie Matthews, Bobby Moegle, Cat Osterman and Shaquille O’Neal.O’Neal, who played at San Antonio Cole High School, made Texas Sports Hall of Fame history when he bailed on the induction ceremony at the 11th hour. He was the first living athlete in the TSHOF’s history ever enshrined without being at his induction.O’Neal’s agent, Perry Rogers, called TSHOF Board President Carroll Dawson late Sunday night to inform Dawson that O’Neal was flying home to California from the NBA All-Star Game to attend to a family matter.“I have been looking forward to this ceremony for months,” O’Neal said. “I have a great love for the state of Texas and the city of San Antonio and would have loved to attend in person, if at all possible. I sincerely thank the committee for selecting me to receive this great honor.”That left it to Williams and Brees to carry the day before the largest crowd in TSHOF history at more than 1,000.“Those are the guys who are the household names,” said Osterman, a four-time All-American in softball at UT who also won two Olympic medals in the sport.Carrying the load was a familiar feeling for Williams, who left UT as the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher with 6,279 yards and with a Heisman Trophy, and for Garrison, who had 3,886 rushing yards in his nine NFL seasons with the Cowboys.“There are some great athletes in this hall of fame,” Garrison said. “I wasn’t sure I ought to be one of them. …It’s quite an honor, but to be in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame is an even bigger honor, because this is my home state, and I’m proud of it.”While Garrison never gave entering the TSHOF a second thought, Williams figured it was just a “matter of time” based on his career at UT.Williams, the fifth overall pick of the 1999 draft, retired after the 2011 season. He played his last season with the Baltimore Ravens who wanted him back for another season. As it turned out, Williams passed on a chance to win a Super Bowl ring.Williams, though, left on his terms.“I wouldn’t have retired if I didn’t [think I still had something left],” Williams said. “I know that doesn’t make sense. But to be able to walk away from the game was fun for me. Knowing that I could still play made it easier to walk away.”Williams, 35, is doing whatever he wants in retirement. He said some days that means taking his kids to the park near his home in Austin and some days it is traveling to exotic places like New Zealand.He’s considered a lot of things in post-retirement, including coaching and holistic medicine. But for now, being retired is enough.“Every time I have long-range plans, something always changes,” Williams said. “I’ve learned my lesson.”Charean Williams, 817-390-7760 Twitter: @NFLCharean
