Cadillac Williams facts for kids
Williams with the Auburn Tigers in 2004
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| Las Vegas Raiders | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running backs coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | April 21, 1982 Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Etowah (Attalla, Alabama) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Auburn (2001–2004) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||
| Regular season: | 2–2 (.500) (NCAA) | ||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Carnell Lamar "Cadillac" Williams (born April 21, 1982) is an American football coach and former running back. He is currently the running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders in the National Football League (NFL). Before this, he coached at Auburn University from 2019 to 2023. He even served as their interim head coach in 2022, becoming the first African American to hold that role at Auburn.
Williams played college football for the Auburn Tigers. He set a school record for career rushing touchdowns. In 2004, he helped his team have a perfect season without any losses. He was named an All-American that year. After college, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. He also played for the St. Louis Rams. In 2005, Williams won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, which is a big honor for a first-year player.
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College Career: Becoming "Cadillac"
Williams went to Auburn University after finishing high school in Attalla, Alabama. He earned the nickname "Cadillac" from a TV sportscaster. The sportscaster said he ran with a special style, like a fancy car, and the name stuck!
He started playing in 2001 as a freshman. He quickly showed his amazing talent as a running back. In one game, he gained 177 yards, which helped him become the starting running back. In another big game against the University of Georgia, he helped Auburn win by running for 167 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Sadly, he broke his collar bone in a game against the University of Alabama and missed the rest of his first season. He still finished with 614 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2002, Williams had another promising start. But his season ended early again when he broke his lower left leg. He had already gained 745 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in just seven games before his injury.
The 2003 season was a big one for Williams. He proved he could stay healthy and play at a high level. He set a new Auburn record with 17 touchdowns in a single season. He also gained a career-high 1,307 yards. A highlight was an 80-yard touchdown run against Alabama right at the start of the game.
Williams decided to stay at Auburn for his senior year in 2004. This was a great choice! He, along with his teammates, led the Tigers to win the SEC Championship and the Sugar Bowl. They finished with a perfect 13–0 record. Williams earned All-American honors. He also led the team in rushing for the third time with 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 3,831 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. This broke Bo Jackson's record for most touchdowns at Auburn.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Y/G | |||
| 2001 | Auburn | 9 | 120 | 614 | 5.1 | 55 | 6 | 68.2 |
| 2002 | Auburn | 7 | 141 | 745 | 5.3 | 65 | 10 | 106.4 |
| 2003 | Auburn | 13 | 241 | 1,307 | 5.4 | 80 | 17 | 100.5 |
| 2004 | Auburn | 13 | 239 | 1,165 | 4.9 | 36 | 12 | 89.6 |
| Career | 42 | 741 | 3,831 | 5.2 | 80 | 45 | 91.5 | |
Professional Career: NFL Star
Williams was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the fifth pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. He signed a big five-year contract. Many experts thought he would be the rookie to make the biggest impact in the 2005 NFL season.
Williams started his NFL career with a bang! He rushed for 434 yards in his first three weeks. He became the first rookie running back to have three straight games with over 100 yards. He also set a record for the most rushing yards in the first three weeks of a career. He was named rookie of the week for three weeks in a row. His shoes and gloves from week three were even sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On January 4, 2006, Williams won the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. This showed how amazing his first year was. He led all rookies in rushing yards with 1,178.
Battling Injuries
In 2007, Williams suffered a serious knee injury that ended his season. Doctors were unsure if he would fully recover. But Williams was determined to play again in 2008. He worked hard and returned to the field in November 2008. However, in the final game of that season, he suffered another serious knee injury, this time to his other knee.
Despite these setbacks, Williams showed incredible strength. He went through intense recovery programs. In 2009, he became the first NFL player to return after serious knee injuries to both knees. He played in all 16 games that season, which was a first for him. He finished with 823 rushing yards, his second-highest total in the NFL. He was even a strong contender for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
In 2011, Williams signed with the St. Louis Rams as a backup running back. He continued to play well, finishing the year with 361 rushing yards. He scored one rushing touchdown in the final game of the season.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Y/G | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Y/G | |||
| 2005 | TB | 14 | 290 | 1,178 | 4.1 | 71 | 6 | 84.1 | 20 | 81 | 4.1 | 15 | 0 | 6.2 |
| 2006 | TB | 14 | 225 | 798 | 3.5 | 38 | 1 | 57.0 | 30 | 196 | 6.5 | 21 | 0 | 14.0 |
| 2007 | TB | 4 | 54 | 208 | 3.9 | 38 | 3 | 52.0 | 3 | 17 | 5.6 | 6 | 0 | 4.3 |
| 2008 | TB | 6 | 63 | 233 | 3.7 | 28 | 4 | 38.8 | 7 | 43 | 6.1 | 25 | 0 | 7.2 |
| 2009 | TB | 16 | 211 | 832 | 3.9 | 35 | 4 | 51.3 | 28 | 217 | 7.8 | 22 | 3 | 13.5 |
| 2010 | TB | 16 | 125 | 437 | 3.5 | 45 | 2 | 27.3 | 46 | 355 | 7.7 | 20 | 1 | 22.2 |
| 2011 | STL | 11 | 87 | 361 | 4.1 | 23 | 1 | 30.1 | 14 | 93 | 6.6 | 16 | 0 | 7.8 |
| Total | 81 | 1,055 | 4,047 | 3.8 | 71 | 21 | 50.0 | 148 | 1,002 | 6.8 | 25 | 4 | 12.4 | |
Coaching Career: Guiding New Talent
After his playing career, Williams started coaching. He served as a graduate assistant at the University of West Georgia in 2016. Then, he became the running backs coach at IMG Academy in Florida. In 2018, he coached for the Birmingham Iron in a professional league.
In 2019, Williams returned to his old college, Auburn University, as the running backs coach. He was very grateful to his former head coach, Gus Malzahn, for giving him this opportunity. In October 2022, he was named the interim head coach for Auburn. This meant he took over the team temporarily. On November 12, 2022, he won his first game as a head coach. He finished the 2022 season with a 2–2 record as interim head coach.
In 2024, Williams joined the Las Vegas Raiders as their running backs coach.
College Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (2022) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Auburn | 2–2 | 1–2 | T–6th (Western) | |||||
| Auburn: | 2–2 | 1–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 2–2 | ||||||||
Personal Life
Williams is a Christian. He is married and has two sons.
