College Football Hall of Famer and Former Dallas Cowboy Roy Williams Named No. 12 Player on All-Time Team

SHREVEPORT, La. (Sept. 21, 2026) – This week’s Independence Bowl 50th Anniversary All-Time Team player release marks back-to-back players from the 1999 Oklahoma Sooners, as College Football Hall of Fame safety Roy Williams enters the list at number 12.

Williams, who was a redshirt freshman in 1999, started for the Sooners in the 1999 Independence Bowl. He collected six solo tackles, one tackle-for-loss (TFL) and one pass breakup.

Like the Oklahoma program as a whole, Williams built off the 1999 season and Independence Bowl appearance and propelled his game to the next level. He was yet again a starter in 2000 and helped lead the Sooners to a BCS National Championship and an undefeated season. He set the Oklahoma defensive back record for TFL in a season with 12, and he was named first-team All-Big 12.

Personally, for Williams, the 2001 season, his junior year, was his finest in Norman. Among the long list of awards he won that season are the Bronko Nagurski Trophy – awarded to the top defensive player in the country – and the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the nation. He was also named a unanimous All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. 

Williams was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022 – alongside fellow Independence Bowl alum Kevin Faulk (LSU – 1995 and 1997) and Gary Pinkel (Missouri – 2003, 2005 and 2011).

After forgoing his senior year, Williams was selected eighth overall in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, and he quickly became known as one of the league’s hardest-hitting safeties. Williams brought back two pick-sixes in his rookie season in 2002, tying the Cowboys’ single-season record for interceptions returned for touchdowns. He finished as the runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team.

The 2003 season was the best of Williams’ pro career, as he made his lone appearance on the All-Pro team – a first-team nod – and was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of five consecutive times. His stellar season helped lead Dallas to the NFL’s number-one defense and to their first playoff appearance since 1999. 

Williams ended up playing nine seasons in the NFL – seven seasons for the Cowboys and two for the Cincinnati Bengals. Over his NFL career, he compiled 471 solo tackles, 601 total tackles, 20 interceptions, 58 pass deflections, nine forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries, 24 TFL, 7.5 sacks, and three touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl every year between 2003 and 2007.

The next player on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, No. 11, will be released on Monday, September 28. Players will be unveiled individually every week, with No. 1 being announced on Monday, December 7.

Previously Announced Members of the All-Time Team

The first 38 players on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, as previously announced, include:

• No. 13 – Josh Heupel (QB – Oklahoma, 1999)
• No. 14 – Art Monk (WR – Syracuse, 1979)
• No. 15 – Von Miller (OLB – Texas A&M, 2009)
• No. 16 – Wesley Walls (DE/TE – Ole Miss, 1986)
• No. 17 – Joe Morris (RB – Syracuse, 1979)
• No. 18 – Ray Childress (DT – Texas A&M, 1981)
• No. 19 – Sidney Rice (WR – South Carolina, 2005)
• No. 20 – Brad Smith (QB – Missouri, 2003 & 2005)
• No. 21 – Derrick Mason (WR – Michigan State, 1995)
• No. 22 – Garrison Hearst (RB – Georgia, 1991)
• No. 23 – Jacob Rodriguez (LB – Texas Tech, 2023)
• No. 24 – Tim Krumrie (NG – Wisconsin, 1982)
• No. 25 – Muhsin Muhammad (WR – Michigan State, 1995)
• No. 26 – Ja’Mar Toombs (RB – Texas A&M, 2000)
• No. 27 – Otis Wilson (LB – Louisville, 1977)
• No. 28 – A.J. Green (WR – Georgia, 2009)
• No. 29 – Rocky Calmus (LB – Oklahoma, 1999)
• No. 30 – Flozell Adams (OT – Michigan State, 1995)
• No. 31 – Willie Blade (DT – Mississippi State, 2000)
• No. 32 – Scott Thomas (S – Air Force, 1983 & 1984)
• No. 33 – Chad Hennings (DT – Air Force, 1984)
• No. 34 – Dameyune Craig (QB – Auburn, 1996)
• No. 35 – Geno Atkins (DT – Georgia, 2009)
• No. 36 – Rondell Mealey (RB – LSU, 1997)
• No. 37 – Rolando McClain (LB – Alabama, 2007)
• No. 38 – Weldon Brown (CB – Louisiana Tech, 2008)
• No. 39 – Andre Smith (OT – Alabama, 2006 & 2007)
• No. 40 – Tiki Barber (RB – Virginia, 1994)
• No. 41 – Puka Nacua (WR – BYU, 2021)
• No. 42 – Gary Kubiak (QB – Texas A&M, 1981)
• No. 43 – Seneca Wallace (QB – Iowa State, 2001)
• No. 44 – Todd McClure (C – LSU, 1995 & 1997)
• No. 45 – Gary Anderson (K – Syracuse, 1979)
• No. 46 – Booger McFarland (LB – LSU, 1995 & 1997)
• No. 47 – Tremaine Edmunds (LB – Virginia Tech, 2015)
• No. 48 – Bill Musgrave (QB – Oregon, 1989)
• No. 49 – Larry Anderson (DB – Louisiana Tech, 1977)
• No. 50 – Lorenza Baker (LB – Louisiana Tech, 1990)

Selection & Ranking Criteria and Committee

An experienced, diverse committee compiled the list of the top 50 all-time players, including local media members and Independence Bowl representatives. Players were nominated and evaluated based on the following criteria:

• 40 percent weight based on their Independence Bowl performance(s)
• 30 percent based on their college career and accolades
• 30 percent based on their pro career and accomplishments

To read more about the nomination and selection process, release schedule and selection and ranking committee, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com/news.

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL™

Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is college football’s 11th most historic bowl game, with the 50th anniversary game set for Tuesday, December 22, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. CST on ESPN. Radiance Technologies is the bowl’s title sponsor through at least the 2027 Bowl Season. 

The Independence Bowl Foundation is a prominent presence in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, X and Instagram at @IndyBowl.