Ricky Williams played minor league baseball while playing soccer for the University of Texas (UT)
Ricky Williams was born in May 1977 and is a famous running back in the National Football League (NFL) who joined the Miami Dolphins after playing for the New Orleans Saints and before them the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns. Ricky has repeatedly shown that he is a valuable player for whatever team he’s playing for, and in some respects he seems to be improving with age, a statement that is simply unheard of at the running back position. Most fans don’t realize that while Ricky played soccer in Austin, Texas, he also played minor league baseball during the offseason.
Ricky was born in San Diego, California in the late 1970s; He grew up mainly with his mother after his parents separated when he was six years old. As a teenager at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, Ricky excelled in various sports as a collegiate member of the track and field, wrestling and baseball teams, in addition to the success he enjoyed on the soccer field. After rushing more than 2,000 yards and scoring 25 touchdowns in his senior year at Patrick Henry High School, Ricky was awarded the coveted Offensive Player of the Year award by the local San Diego newspaper. Considering the population and number of athletes playing soccer in the San Diego area, this award speaks volumes about Ricky Williams’ abilities.
Despite the promise Williams showed on the football field, it was a career on the baseball field that he originally chose to pursue after finishing high school. While most football fans primarily think of Ricky Williams as a football player for the University of Texas Longhorns prior to his entry into the NFL, he actually played minor league baseball on the Los Angeles farm system. Philadelphia Phillies and at the same time playing football for the UT Longhorns. Ricky was chosen in the 1995 baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth round.
Most people are not that familiar with Ricky Williams’ baseball career because it never really took off. Williams spent four years in Single A, which is the lowest of the Single A, Double A and Triple A minor league divisions. Triple A is the highest level of minor league baseball before being called up to the major leagues. Unbeknownst to most college football fans, while Williams broke college football career records (including the coveted rushing yards record), he spent his free seasons playing baseball and struggling in vain to get into the majors.