Jamal Williams (born April 28, 1976) is an American football defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers in the NFL.
Jamal Williams, the 2nd of 7 boys, was raised in Washington, D.C. by his mother, Harriet, a single parent. He was named a Super Prep All-America at Arch Bishop Carroll High School in Washington D.C. He played at Oklahoma State University in 1995. In 1996, he transferred to Kemper Military School and Junior College in Boonville, Missouri, where he was a standout in the junior college ranks. In 1997, Williams returned to Oklahoma State and was named a First Team All-Big 12 conference selection. He finished his career at OSU with 117 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
Williams was drafted in the second-round of the 1998 NFL Supplemental Draft by the San Diego Chargers. The highlight of his rookie season occurred on December 13, when he scored a touchdown on a 14-yard interception return against the Seattle Seahawks. He started two games in 1999 and all 16 in 2000. He suffered a season ending injury in the third game of the 2001 season, but worked his way back into the starting line-up in 2002, earning the Ed Block Courage Award for his efforts.
The Chargers switched to a 3-4 defensive scheme in 2004 and fielded Williams at nose tackle, arguably the most important position in the 3-4 defense. That year, Williams became widely recognized as a top 3-4 nose tackle in the NFL, being named as a first-alternate to Pro Bowl, first-team All-Pro by SportsIllustrated.com, second-team All-Pro by Associated Press and Football Digest. He also was named to USA Today’s All-Joe Team, and was voted Chargers Defensive Player of Year and Lineman of Year.
The ninth-year pro had arguably his best game of his career against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 8, 2006 when he accumulated 6 tackles and 1 sack, especially considering that the 3-4 nose tackle is a position often devoid of stats. Furthermore, his performance came against perennial pro-Bowlers Jeff Hartings and Alan Faneca. blank">http://www.chargers.com/news/headlines/williams-keeps-dominating.htm
After the 2006 season, he was named a starter in the 2007 Pro Bowl, and earned first-team All-Pro honors from Associated Press, Sporting News, USA Today Sports Weekly, _Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America. He also gained first-team All-AFC honors from PFW and PFWA, and was Chargers co-Lineman of Year.
Jamal Williams was again voted to the Pro Bowl following the 2007 season. He also is the highest rated Defensive Tackle in Madden 08 with an overall rating of 98.
