# Ricky Williams
**Ricky Williams** is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) running back who won the 1998 [Heisman Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/heisman-trophy) at the University of Texas, broke the [NCAA Division I](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i) career rushing record, and played 11 NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens.[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-williams/stats/career) His professional career was interrupted by repeated suspensions under the NFL's substance-abuse policy for marijuana use, including a retirement during the 2004 season, and he later became a cannabis entrepreneur and advocate.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-williams-impressive-determined-to-return-to-form-09000d5d809c237a) • [4](https://norml.org/about-norml/norml-advisory-board/ricky-williams/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Heisman Trophy | 1998 winner, the second Texas player to win it after Earl Campbell; received 714 of 920 first-place votes, a then-record share of about 78%[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) • [17](https://www.heisman.com/articles/celebrating-the-25th-anniversary-of-ricky-williams-1998-heisman-trophy/) |
| 1998 season | 2,124 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns; set 21 NCAA records and broke Tony Dorsett's 22-year-old NCAA career rushing record[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) |
| College honors | First two-time winner of the Doak Walker Award; Maxwell and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards; No. 34 jersey retired by Texas on Sept. 30, 2000[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) |
| 1999 NFL draft | New Orleans traded its entire 1999 draft plus 2000 first- and third-round picks to Washington for the fifth pick, the first time one player constituted a team's entire draft class[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) |
| NFL career totals | 147 games, 2,431 carries, 10,009 rushing yards (4.1 average), 66 rushing touchdowns, 342 receptions for 2,606 yards[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-williams/stats/career) |
| Peak season | 2002: NFL-best 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns for Miami[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-williams-impressive-determined-to-return-to-form-09000d5d809c237a) |
| Post-NFL | College Football Hall of Fame (2015); founded the cannabis brand Highsman in 2021[4](https://norml.org/about-norml/norml-advisory-board/ricky-williams/) |
## College career at Texas
Williams broke out as a junior in 1997, leading the nation with 1,893 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns while finishing fifth in that year's Heisman voting.[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) He entered 1998 as a front-runner for the award and within reach of [Tony Dorsett](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-dorsett)'s career rushing record.
The 1998 season made his reputation. He rushed for 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns, led Texas to a 9-3 record, set 21 NCAA records, and broke Dorsett's 22-year-old NCAA career rushing mark.[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) He won the Heisman with 714 of the 920 first-place votes, about 78%, then the greatest percentage of first-place votes in the award's history, and became the first two-time winner of the Doak Walker Award while also claiming the Maxwell and Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year awards.[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) • [17](https://www.heisman.com/articles/celebrating-the-25th-anniversary-of-ricky-williams-1998-heisman-trophy/) Texas retired his No. 34 jersey in a pregame ceremony before the Oklahoma State game on September 30, 2000.[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/)
## The 1999 draft trade
[New Orleans Saints](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-orleans-saints) coach [Mike Ditka](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-ditka) traded the Saints' entire 1999 draft, all eight picks, plus first- and third-round selections in 2000, to the Washington Redskins to move up and select Williams with the fifth overall pick.[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/74ce49079f324ca0a9fa8e61857783fb) It was the first time in NFL history that a single player made up a team's entire draft class.[1](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/) Ditka's Saints went 3-13 in 1999, his worst season as a player or coach, and he left coaching afterward.[5](https://apnews.com/article/74ce49079f324ca0a9fa8e61857783fb)
## NFL career
Williams spent three seasons in New Orleans, rushing for 884 yards in 1999, 1,000 in 2000, and 1,245 in 2001, before joining Miami in 2002.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-williams/stats/career) His first Dolphins season was his best: an NFL-best 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-williams-impressive-determined-to-return-to-form-09000d5d809c237a) In 2003 he carried 392 times for 1,372 yards, and during the 2002 and 2003 seasons he ran the ball more than any other running back in the league.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-williams/stats/career) • [6](https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/nanna/record/26369/files/Beacon_01_27_05.pdf?registerDownload=1&version=1&withMetadata=0&withWatermark=0)
His career totals over 147 games were 2,431 carries for 10,009 yards and 66 touchdowns, plus 342 receptions for 2,606 yards and 8 scores.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-williams/stats/career) He finished his career with Baltimore in 2011 after five seasons back with Miami following his reinstatement.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-williams/stats/career)
## Suspensions, retirement, and return
**The 2004 retirement.** Williams tested positive for marijuana a third time under the league's substance-abuse policy, which carried a four-game suspension, and retired just before training camp in July 2004 after five pro seasons.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2004/07/30/retired-williams-cites-marijuana/c1b98e0b-ff92-431c-997e-e375349293ea) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-williams-impressive-determined-to-return-to-form-09000d5d809c237a) He told the Miami Herald that marijuana played a larger role in the decision than he first indicated, saying, "I didn't quit football because I failed a drug test. I failed a drug test because I was ready to quit football," and he cited "a hundred reasons" for leaving.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2004/07/30/retired-williams-cites-marijuana/c1b98e0b-ff92-431c-997e-e375349293ea) In his first television interview after retiring, on *60 Minutes* in December 2004, he said he quit to avoid dealing with the failed drug test, and he traveled to Australia, where he read and discovered Ayurveda.[8](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-news-and-stations/shows/60-minutes/releases/?view=8585-in-his-first-television-interview-since-retirement-ricky-williams-says-he-quit-football-to-avoid-dealing-with-his-failed-drug-test-quot60-minutes-sund) An arbitrator, Richard Bloch, ruled that Williams owed the Dolphins $8.6 million for breach of contract even if he returned to play.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/technology/2004/10/22/the-nfls-position-on-ricky-wi/66be20ea-fde4-4e92-b2f1-eb667a604bd1/)
**Suspension and CFL.** Williams returned to play in 2005, then was suspended in April 2006 after violating the drug policy for a fourth time, which under league policy meant a one-year suspension.[10](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/feb/20/miamis-williams-reportedly-faces-drug-suspension/) • [11](https://www.nfl.com/news/williams-meets-with-cameron-set-to-practice-with-dolphins-09000d5d80437553) His return was delayed when he tested positive again for marijuana the following spring, and he played in the [Canadian Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-football-league) during the 2006 season.[11](https://www.nfl.com/news/williams-meets-with-cameron-set-to-practice-with-dolphins-09000d5d80437553) The NFL lifted the suspension, which had lasted about a year and a half, in 2007, and he rejoined the Dolphins.[11](https://www.nfl.com/news/williams-meets-with-cameron-set-to-practice-with-dolphins-09000d5d80437553) He had played in only 12 games between the summer of 2004 and his reinstatement.[11](https://www.nfl.com/news/williams-meets-with-cameron-set-to-practice-with-dolphins-09000d5d80437553)
## Life after football
Williams has spoken publicly about social anxiety disorder; during his playing days he gave post-game interviews wearing his helmet and a tinted visor to avoid eye contact.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-williams-impressive-determined-to-return-to-form-09000d5d809c237a) • [12](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/former-nfl-star-ricky-williams-opens-up-about-his-new-memoir-managing-social-anxiety-disorder-and-life-after-football-exclusive) He has said marijuana helped him after he stopped using an antidepressant.[13](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-03-sp-williams3-story.html)
**Cannabis advocacy and business.** In 2016 he co-founded Power Plant Fitness, a marijuana-friendly gym in San Francisco, with Jim McAlpine, founder of the 420 Games, saying the focus was on the athletic side rather than the cannabis side.[14](https://time.com/4349628/marijuana-pot-gym-california/) In 2021 he founded the cannabis brand Highsman, and he serves on NORML's advisory board; he was inducted into the [College Football Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-hall-of-fame) in 2015.[4](https://norml.org/about-norml/norml-advisory-board/ricky-williams/) He has argued that cannabis can help NFL players manage pain, saying of the pills given to players, "it's better than the pills they were giving us," and he published a memoir, *The Long Run*, in 2026.[15](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ricky-williams-explains-his-belief-that-cannabis-can-help-nfl-players/) • [12](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/former-nfl-star-ricky-williams-opens-up-about-his-new-memoir-managing-social-anxiety-disorder-and-life-after-football-exclusive) He now lives in California and travels regularly to Austin to visit his children.[16](https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2022/01/07/heisman-ricky-williams-interview-austin)
## References
1. [Ricky Williams, Heisman Winners, Heisman Trophy](https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/ricky-williams/)
2. [Ricky Williams Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/ricky-williams/stats/career)
3. [Dolphins' Williams impressive, determined to return to form, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-williams-impressive-determined-to-return-to-form-09000d5d809c237a)
4. [Ricky Williams, NORML Advisory Board](https://norml.org/about-norml/norml-advisory-board/ricky-williams/)
5. [Mike Ditka dies at 86, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/74ce49079f324ca0a9fa8e61857783fb)
6. [The Student, FIU Beacon, January 27, 2005](https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/nanna/record/26369/files/Beacon_01_27_05.pdf?registerDownload=1&version=1&withMetadata=0&withWatermark=0)
7. [Retired Williams Cites Marijuana, The Washington Post, July 30, 2004](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2004/07/30/retired-williams-cites-marijuana/c1b98e0b-ff92-431c-997e-e375349293ea/)
8. [Ricky Williams says he quit football to avoid dealing with his failed drug test, 60 Minutes press release](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-news-and-stations/shows/60-minutes/releases/?view=8585-in-his-first-television-interview-since-retirement-ricky-williams-says-he-quit-football-to-avoid-dealing-with-his-failed-drug-test-quot60-minutes-sund)
9. [The NFL's position on Ricky Williams, The Washington Post, October 22, 2004](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/technology/2004/10/22/the-nfls-position-on-ricky-wi/66be20ea-fde4-4e92-b2f1-eb667a604bd1/)
10. [Miami's Williams reportedly faces drug suspension, The Spokesman-Review, February 20, 2006](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/feb/20/miamis-williams-reportedly-faces-drug-suspension/)
11. [Williams meets with Cameron, set to practice with Dolphins, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/williams-meets-with-cameron-set-to-practice-with-dolphins-09000d5d80437553)
12. [Former NFL Star Ricky Williams opens up about his new memoir, Men's Journal](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/former-nfl-star-ricky-williams-opens-up-about-his-new-memoir-managing-social-anxiety-disorder-and-life-after-football-exclusive)
13. [Williams Will Not Rule Out a Return, Los Angeles Times, December 3, 2004](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-03-sp-williams3-story.html)
14. [This Gym Wants You to Get High While You Work Out, Time](https://time.com/4349628/marijuana-pot-gym-california/)
15. [Ricky Williams explains his belief that cannabis can help NFL players, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ricky-williams-explains-his-belief-that-cannabis-can-help-nfl-players/)
16. [Heisman trophy winner Ricky Williams' very best Austin day, Axios Austin](https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2022/01/07/heisman-ricky-williams-interview-austin)
17. [Celebrating The 25th Anniversary of Ricky Williams' 1998 Heisman Trophy - Heisman](https://www.heisman.com/articles/celebrating-the-25th-anniversary-of-ricky-williams-1998-heisman-trophy/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Running backs › Retired NFL running backs › NFL running backs of the 1990s and 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license