Phoenix Cardinals Williams was selected by the
Calgary Stampeders seventh overall in the first round of the
CFL draft in February 1992, but decided to wait for the
NFL draft in April before deciding on his professional future. He was selected by the
Phoenix Cardinals in the ninth round (239th overall) of the
1992 NFL draft, becoming the first
Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union player selected in the NFL draft since the
Los Angeles Rams selected
offensive lineman
Mike Schad of the
Queen's University Golden Gaels in the first round (23rd overall) in
1986. Not since
University of Toronto Varsity Blues quarterback Dan Feraday, who was selected in the 12th round by the
Cincinnati Bengals in
1982, had a skill-position player from a Canadian university been taken by an NFL team. Williams was not the first Western graduate to go to the NFL. Future
Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee
Joe Krol played two games with the
Detroit Lions in 1945, and offensive guard
Dave Sparenberg played one game for the
Cleveland Browns as a
replacement player during the
National Football League Players Association strike in 1987. Nor was Williams the first Mustang to be drafted by the NFL. Linebacker John Priestner was an 11th round pick (280th overall) of the
Baltimore Colts in 1979. Priestner did not play in any regular season games with the Colts and returned to Canada to play for the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Williams' NFL career did not start off smoothly. In 1992, he missed the first two weeks of the Cardinals training camp because his work visa did not arrive, and after falling behind the competition, he was waived on September 1.
Dallas Cowboys On September 2,
1992, Williams was signed by the
Dallas Cowboys to the team's
practice squad. During the season he never dressed for a regular or playoff game. Although he was deactivated, he earned his first
Super Bowl ring watching from the sidelines as the Cowboys crushed the
Buffalo Bills 52–17 in
Super Bowl XXVII. In
1993, the on-field high point of Williams' time with Dallas came on August 8, when he hooked up with quarterback
Jason Garrett for 5 catches and 157 yards, including a game-tying 53-yard touchdown pass in the Cowboys' 13–13 tie with the Detroit Lions in a preseason game at
Wembley Stadium in London, England. He dressed for 9 games during the Cowboys' 1993 regular season, and played in 5 games catching one pass for 25 yards. The Cowboys earned a berth in
Super Bowl XXVIII, but Williams was relegated to the inactive list when the team decided to dress an extra running back. He did not play in the game, but earned a second Super Bowl ring as the Cowboys defeated the Bills 30–13 to win their second consecutive NFL championship. On July 11,
1994, Williams parted with the Cowboys, and was claimed by the
Chicago Bears on July 12, but he was released during the team's final cuts. After sitting out the 1994 season, Williams was invited to the
Buffalo Bills training camp on January 26,
1995. He was released on August 26, and decided to look for new opportunities back in Canada. ==Canadian Football League==