Broughton Williams

Broughton Williams
Florida Gators
PositionEnd
Personal information
Born:(1922-10-15)October 15, 1922
Florida, U.S.
Died:February 10, 2011(2011-02-10) (aged 88)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career history
CollegeFlorida (1941–1942; 1946)
High schoolPlant
Career highlights and awards

Charles Broughton "Brute" Williams (October 15, 1922 – February 10, 2011) was an American football player. He played college football for the Florida Gators football team in 1941, 1942, and 1946,[1] with his collegiate career having been interrupted by military service during World War II.[2][3] Williams played for a winless 1946 Florida team that compiled an 0–9 record, catching 29 passes for 490 yards in eight games.[4] Despite missing the last two games of the 1946 season due to injury, he led the NCAA in receiving yards that year.[2][5] In the Gators' 1946 loss to North Carolina, Williams caught eight passes for 166 yards,[2] setting a Florida Gators record for single-game receiving yards that stood for more than 20 years until broken by Carlos Alvarez in 1969.[6] He also posted a then-school record 9 receptions in the 13–27 loss to Tulane.[7] He was selected by the United Press as a first-team end on the 1946 All-SEC football team.[8] Dr. John J. Tigert called Williams "one of the finest pass receivers I've ever seen."[9]

In March 1947, Williams gave up his final two years of college eligibility and signed a contract to play professional football for the Chicago Bears,[10] who selected him in the 1945 NFL draft.[11] He appears not to have played in any regular season NFL games. He later coached high school football at Columbia High School and at Lake City. He later established the Broughton Williams School in Tampa.[12][13]

  1. ^ Arthur Martin (September 4, 1946). "Gators Will Scrap Says Coach, Facing Toughest Card In Years". St. Petersburg Times.
  2. ^ a b c "Florida Wingman Leads; Williams Destined To Set Collegiate Record for 1946". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 31, 1946. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Brute Williams Of Florida Top Receiver". St. Petersburg Times. October 30, 1946.
  4. ^ "Cowpoke Neill Armstrong Wins College Pass Receiving Crown". The Galveston News. December 13, 1946. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 1205.
  6. ^ 2002 Florida Gators Media Guide Archived December 29, 2004, at the Wayback Machine, p. 309.
  7. ^ Norm Carlson. "The Golden Era". Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  8. ^ "Travis Tidwell, Auburn Back, On 2nd Team". The Anniston Star. November 21, 1946. p. 16. Retrieved May 30, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ "Williams Quits Florida To Join Chicago Bears". The Independent. March 7, 1947.
  10. ^ "Florida Loses Williams". The Dothan Eagle. March 6, 1947. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Drawing attention to sports | TBO.com and the Tampa Tribune". Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  12. ^ "Two More Athletes Signed by Gators". Panama City News-Herald. February 14, 1952. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "In Memory of Charles Broughton Williams October 15, 1922 - February 10, 2011". dignitymemorial.com. Retrieved October 25, 2015.