Sid Williams
United States Ambassador to the Bahamas
In office March 27, 1994 – January 11, 1998
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	John S. Ford
Succeeded by	Arthur Louis Schechter
Personal details
Born	Sidney Williams (1942-03-24) March 24, 1942 (age 82) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Maxine Waters ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Pepperdine University (MA)
American football player American football career
No. 67, 64, 52
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:	Wheatley (Houston, Texas)
College:	Southern
NFL draft:	1964 / Round: 16 / Pick: 222
Career history
Cleveland Browns (1964–1966) Washington Redskins (1967) Baltimore Colts (1968) Pittsburgh Steelers (1969)
Career highlights and awards
2× NFL champion (1964, 1968)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 70 Touchdowns: 1 Interceptions: 1 Fumbles recovered: 1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Sidney Williams (born March 24, 1942) is an American former diplomat and American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Southern University.

Early life

Williams was born on March 24, 1942, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and grew up in Houston, Texas. He attended and played high school football at Wheatley High School, graduating in 1959.^[1]

College career

Williams attended and played college football at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Later, he earned a master's degree at Pepperdine University.^[2]

Professional career

Williams was drafted in the 16th round (222nd overall) of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, where he played from 1964 to 1966, and was a member of the 1964 NFL Champion Browns team. After a contract dispute with the Browns in 1967,^[3] he was traded to the New York Giants in 1967 for a draft selection, but was released a few weeks later.^[4] Williams was then signed by the Washington Redskins, where he played in 1967. He also played for the Baltimore Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On June 4, 1967, along with several other Black athletes and one Black political leader, Williams participated in what is now known as the "Cleveland Summit" or the "Muhammad Ali Summit" in Cleveland, Ohio, followed by a press conference, to express support for Muhammad Ali, who was to stand trial for refusing to submit to the military draft.^[5]

Sales career

Williams was employed as a sales representative at Mercedes-Benz Hollywood, Inc. in Hollywood, California, from 1979 to 1994.^[6]

Political and civil service career

Williams worked as a business developer with the Black Economic Union in Los Angeles, California, and served as a legislative aide for Los Angeles City Councilman David S. Cunningham Jr.^[2][5] He then served as the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas under the Clinton Administration from 1994 to 1998.^[5][7]

Personal life

Williams is the husband of Representative Maxine Waters, who represents California's 43rd congressional district.^[8]