ECU Pirates senior and Georgia native Terry “The Swamp Monster” Williams, is a 6 ft 1 inch 353 lbs starting nose tackle. He was recently rewarded with a Pre-Season All American Conference selection by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s College Football Preview Magazine, and rightly so, because he has definitely left his mark on the field.
Williams has done impressive things as a Pirate football player over the years. In the 2012 season Terry was able to book 15 tackles and had a season high,five,against Virginia Tech. But, the game that stands out most to Williams came in that same year against Marshall where he was able to cause multiple turnovers to help his Pirates get the W.
The ECU weight room is another place where Williams has left his mark, putting up record numbers in the back squat with a lift of 775 lbs. He also earned units best in bench press with an astounding 415 lbs pounds and power clean and jerk of 341 lbs.
Williams isn’t the only athlete in his family, his uncle Bernard Adams played football for Western Kentucky. Terry mentioned that when he was younger he use to look up to his uncle. But, as he’s grown older he notes the fact that his uncle made mistakes that cost him the opportunity to keep playing football at a higher level and he wants to be better than that.
Williams has learned the hard way to take that opportunity seriously after having served a suspension for an off field non football related incident last season. Terry made his first appearance back on the field at the beginning of this season after having served his suspension.
When the news first broke of Williams’s suspension he received a lot of negative backlash and had to deal with a lot of adversity. Friends, family, and his teammates are what really helped him get through this tough time.
Williams ECU teammates are not just teammates, but his friends and family as well. He credits a lot of that to Head Coach Ruffin McNeil for having built a family within the football program.
As bad as it was hearing you are going to be suspended, he was able to grown and learn a life lesson from the situation. Terry said Coach McNeil told him, “In life you are going to make mistakes but you have to learn from them”.
When speaking with Williams I asked him how it felt to be back, his response, “Great!! And I am very blessed to back”.
Off the field and after classes Terry likes to relax. When I asked him what he does to unwind; He stated that after a hard practice or tough game he likes to unwind with a little Madden, or 2k and enjoying a cookout with his boys.
If you were to be listening to Williams’ pre-game music with him you would probably hear “Neva Eva” or “Motivation” to get him pumped up.
When asked which NFL player he most admired, “Ray Lewis” was the answer. He said he likes the way he played and how much passion Lewis put into his games. He said it’s sad to not see him on the field anymore.
Over these four years Terry has learned more than just a playbook. He has taken away the life lesson of never taking anything for granted. The Pirate community wishes Williams the best of luck and hopes to see him succeed on and off the field in the future.
