Instead of “Run Ricky” Run, it was almost “Hit Ricky Hit.”
Ricky Williams’ childhood passion was baseball and he nearly made the switch after getting drafted into the NFL fifth overall by the Saints in 1999, he told Audacy’s “The Bradfo Sho.”
“Growing up, that was my dream, to be a professional baseball player. I grew up in San Diego. I watched Tony Gwynn. Home of Ted Williams. I thought that was my future,” said Williams, the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner. “When I was 13, I started watching Notre Dame football. I was like, ‘Wow. I gotta have the college football experience.’ When I was drafted by the Phillies, when I was being recruited, I told all the baseball scouts, ‘I’m playing baseball, but I need to play college football too.’ They all knew. In football, I told all the colleges, ‘I’m coming to play football, but I’m a baseball player.’
“Went to Texas and was playing minor league baseball at the same time. I was much better at football. There was just much more opportunity. I still wanted to play both, but when I got drafted, the Saints said, ‘You’ve got to choose.’ So, I chose.”
Ricky Williams playing for the Saints in 2001.APWilliams missed 10 games in his first two years in the NFL, which gave him pause about football. He reached out to a former baseball coach.
“Started taking batting practice again. Reached out to the Rangers and really strongly considered making the switch,” Williams said. “My first year [with the Saints] I missed four games because of an injury. My second year, I missed six games because of an injury. I was thinking, ‘Maybe I need to play a sport that’s not so rough.'”
In the end, he made the right choice, playing 11 seasons in the league with the Saints, Dolphins and Ravens. Williams finished his career with 10,009 rushing yards and 66 touchdowns. He hit .211 combined over four seasons in rookie or Class A ball in the minor leagues with a .520 OPS.
