Football Spotlight on Cristian Williams

Spotlight on Cristian Williams

#3 Cristian Williams • 6-0 • 190 • Senior • Nickel Safety

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Senior nickel safety Cristian Williams is a two-year letterwinner who has played in 33 games with 10 starts. Williams returned to the team this season after missing all but two games in 2018, following what was thought to be a career-ending spine injury. He has tallied 93 career tackles, five pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries in a Tulsa uniform. Williams is majoring in organizational studies.

My favorite part of football ... 
The fact that I get to play with other people and get to know more about everyone. Instead of getting to know 10 or 11 guys, we've got 110 on the team that you get to know. You get to see different personalities and you learn how to be around a lot of people and deal with those personalities.
 
My pregame ritual is to ...
I have to play my favorite songs. I have to listen to my favorite artists and that changes depending on how I feel when I wake up in the morning.
 
In high school ...
I ran track, played football and other than that, I did culinary arts for a while. I started my freshman year of high school in culinary arts and I was the only boy in there until my senior year. I learned a lot about how to cook, the importance of sanitizing your food and cooking areas and what not to do with food. I learned a lot of new recipes.
 
On if he has collaborated with fellow teammate and chef Shemarr Robinson in the kitchen...
No, I've had some of his food before though and it's good. I'm more of a creole person so I like a lot of cajun food. I'm from New Orleans so everything has to have a little spice to it.
 
On your journey to Tulsa ...
I was originally committed to SMU before I came here. I was in touch with the Tulsa coaches and checked in periodically. I took my last visit to Tulsa and it just changed my mind of where I wanted to be. I just felt the family energy from here and that's how I ended up here.
 
Favorite thing about playing at TU ...
I love that I get to play with a lot of my brothers from Dallas. I love the school as well, but I love the fact that I get to play with some people from home. This is a new place to us and we've made it home.
 
My favorite NFL team is ...
New Orleans Saints, of course.
 
My favorite NFL players are ...
Jalen Ramsey (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Marshon Lattimore (New Orleans Saints).
 
Favorite pro athlete outside of football ...
Kobe Bryant.
 
My favorite class at TU ... 
Probably was my French class with Madame (Veronique) Conway. I took two semesters of French in high school and I just wanted to further my education in that area here. I'm able to hold a conversation, but I'm probably at the level of a 9-year old in France.
 
My hobbies outside of football are ...
Cooking, for sure. Playing NBA2k, it's non-stop. Honestly, I watch a lot of film. Film study is another big hobby. Other than that, I just like to chill with my dog.
 
On leaving New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina ...
It was tough. I was around 9 years old. When that happened, my world was just like a roller coaster. I honestly didn't really know what was going on because I was so young. We left two days before the storm hit, so it was just raining heavy and windy while we were leaving. The traffic to get out was bad, obviously, and my friend who stayed with me in high school stayed through it and was telling me all about the storm. I'm glad that I didn't have to experience that.
 
On relocating to Texas after the storm ...
We actually went to Frisco at first. They gave us a hotel, I'm not sure how that worked out. After that, we had an adopted family through FEMA help us get back on our feet. They stuck with us for a while and I get in touch with them periodically. Their son goes to Oklahoma State right now. I stay in touch with them a lot.
 
How difficult was it to hear that I had to medically retire …
It was pretty tough. I played football since I was nine. To do something every day for a long time and then one day it's gone, it was really tough. I thank my teammates and my family for not letting me be in those dark moments by myself. After I noticed where I was in life, the university that I'm at and the degree that I could get, it was just a reminder that football wasn't everything. I can do something else in life that I can have just as much passion for it as football.

On the process of coming back to football ...
I prayed on it a lot. In December, I talked to my mom and she told me that she found a doctor in Dallas that actually did a similar surgery for a friend of hers. So I talked to Coach Monty and the doctor and he told me all of the risks involved. I went home and prayed on it again and I knew that God wouldn't put me in anything that would harm me. I just let God do his part. I did the surgery and thank God for giving me another chance to play.
 
On being told that I could play football again ...
The first thing that went through my head was to call (nickel safeties) Coach (Luke) Olson. If anybody cried as much as me (when the injury happened), it was him. We were both going through it together. It was tough for both of us. So he was the first person that I called and we were just so happy.
 
When I felt like I was "back"…
The first moment that I realized I was back was probably the first day we put on shoulder pads and helmets. We did "thud" drills where we just give a little thud on a teammate. I wanted to just see how my neck would feel after a hit and it felt fine. After a big hit at Michigan State against their tight end, I knew I was back.

My Twitter handle ...
@_cwill504

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