As an integral part of the Green Bay Packers, Tramon Williams has been a whirlwind of excitement. It’s no secret that Williams’ journey to success was slow, bumpy and nothing short of remarkable.
Despite being one of the most respected, hard-working athletic players on the field, his talents were overlooked countless times, forcing him to walk on in college and go undrafted during the NFL draft. For many players, this would have been the end of the line, but not for Williams. These obstacles only made him stronger and strengthen his drive to succeed.
His hard work and persistence has paid off. Pro Player Insiders spoke with Williams about his experience.
“My draft day was laid back. I wasn’t even expecting to get drafted although I knew it could have been a possibility. I knew for sure I wasn’t going to be one of those guys who would be drafted the first day. I would be late round or free agent like it was.
It wasn’t much stress on me so I was laid back I knew I wanted the opportunity to be on a team and just state my case. That’s what I did when I had the chance and now I’ve been in the league going on 9 years, playing at high level. I had to take the long way in but it’s been a blessing. You learn to appreciate the long way having to go the hard route and I would do it again.”
In 2007, Tramon scored his first NFL touchdown on a 94-yard punt return vs. Carolina on Nov. 18.
Tramon continues to distinguish his career with his interceptions and his high level of Corner Back play. He is the only non-drafted free agent in the NFL to post four or more interceptions each in the 2007 and 2008 seasons and his five interceptions in 2008 were his most in any single season, college or pro.
In 2009, Tramon became the first player in franchise history to post a 65-yard interception return (67 vs. Chicago, Sept. 13) and a 45-yard punt return (45 vs. Detroit, Oct. 18) in the same season.
Tramon made an enormous impact during the 2010 season. In the Packers’ second playoff game in Atlanta against the Atlanta Falcons, he had two interceptions in the first half. The first of these was a touchdown-saving interception in the Packers’ own end-zone, the second was an interception just before halftime which Tramon returned 70 yards for a touchdown (the first interception return for a touchdown in his career). That interception helped the Packers secure the victory and led the team to the NFC championship against the Chicago Bears. Tramon’s excellent coverage and defensive play helped the Green Bay Packers earn their place as NFC Champions and 2010 Super Bowl Champions
Off the field Tramon mentors several kids personally from high school age to guys in college. They reach out to him on twitter, his home town and through his mom and dad. One of the things he does with the kids is invite them to a workout with him in Houston. He says, “They want to know what it’s like to work out with a NFL player, or do a NFL work out.” Through the workout and spending time together, Tramon says it helps them learn respect and give him and opportunity to learn more about the kids he’s trying to guide.
This past month, Tramon returned to Belle Rose Middle School, to give some of his time to a few former panthers. Coach Banks asked the Super Bowl winner to talk to some of his boys about overcoming obstacles, working hard and relentlessly pursuing dreams. Tramon did just that but only after he finished playing about two hours of basketball with the kids.
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