re: D.J. Williams

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LIKE IT IS : Williams' star burns even brighter off the field
WALLY HALL

Long after the cheers and applause had faded last Saturday night, with only a few fans remaining, D.J. Williams scored more points off the football field than anyone ever has on it. Jeff Webb and his son Corey, 15, had driven up from Searcy to see the Razorbacks' spring practice finale, and they wanted to get D.J.'s autograph.

After the scrimmage, Corey ran to the car to get a football while his dad talked to D.J. Before Corey made it back, D.J. was told by a couple of the managers that he had to get to the locker room and get out of his uniform. As he was leaving, he turned to Jeff and pointed and shouted where he would meet them to sign the football. They didn't have to wait long for Williams to appear, sign the football and pose for pictures.

All the while, D.J.'s mom, Vicky, stood by taking it all in. This is the way she expects her son to behave, polite and well-mannered. What was about to happen is not unusual behavior for Williams, it was learned. Understand his mother arranged for 25 kids to get to Fayetteville for the scrimmage and autograph session. She's an example of living and giving.

Before D.J. arrived, Jeff and Corey started talking to a young boy who was in a wheelchair. He was waiting on his favorite player, Michael Smith. Ethan Hamilton hadn't been feeling well for a couple of weeks but convinced his mom, Lisa, he felt better. Good enough to make the car trip from Cabot to Fayetteville and back home that night. They left at 7 a.m. Saturday morning and got home at 2:30 a.m. Sunday, and while that is a long, hard day for anyone, it was especially draining for a 6-year-old who suffers from spina bifida. Somewhere on the trip back, Lisa said Ethan fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Ethan was waiting on Michael when defensive coordinator Willy Robinson came out, looked at Ethan and asked if he could get anybody for him. Then Robinson went back into the locker room to find the starting tailback. He came out a few minutes later and said he was sorry, but Michael had been gone quite a while. D.J. didn't have to think about it. He immediately pulled out his cell phone and called Michael, explained what was going on and then handed the phone to Ethan, who went from happy to euphoric. When he finally handed the phone back to D.J., the tight end got Ethan's address because Michael wanted to send him something. D.J. wrote the address on his arm with a Sharpie so he wouldn't lose it. D.J., who received a nice trophy at halftime for being named the 2008 Most Valuable Offensive Player, kept talking to Ethan.

Jeff and Corey got busy with other players, but when they turned around, their respect for D.J., a 20-year-old from Central Arkansas Christian High School, went through the roof. "We were speechless," Jeff said. "D.J. Williams is the classiest guy I've ever met. I thought that after the first five minutes of talking with him, but that was just the beginning." While visiting with Ethan, D.J. took the Sharpie, autographed the MVP trophy and gave it to Ethan.

"It was probably the happiest day of Ethan's life," Lisa said. When Jeff and Corey turned their attention back in the original direction, D.J. was gone and Ethan was hugging the trophy. D.J. didn't want attention or credit, but then, according to those who know him, he never does. Yet he's always doing nice things for people. In an era when it seems athletes are in the headlines almost daily for drugs, drinking, arrests and lawsuits, a guy like D.J. Williams is more than refreshing. He's a difference-maker. A hero, not just in football games, but in life and lives.

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