Roland Williams

Roland Williams is a former NFL tight end, Super Bowl champion, motivational speaker, author, and entrepreneur. Williams played college football for Syracuse Orange and became the first person in his immediate family to graduate from a four-year college. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech communications with a minor in management from Whitman School of Management, and also attended Newhouse School of Public Communications to pursue a master's in public relations.

Williams' path to the NFL included overcoming a late start in football, a position change, and injuries, having played only one year of high school football and a limited college career. Fourteen tight ends were selected during the 1998 NFL Draft, but only one would play in the league longer than Williams, who was chosen by the Rams in the fourth round out of Syracuse. In his first season, he was named the team's rookie of the year. The following year, Williams caught seven touchdown passes in an offense known as "The Greatest Show on Turf," which achieved one of the highest point totals in NFL history and became the first team to go from last place to winning a Super Bowl in one season. Over eight seasons in the NFL—four with the Rams, three with the Raiders, and one with the Buccaneers—Williams totaled 114 receptions for 1,004 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was recognized as a premier blocking tight end in the NFL.

For his humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, and community contributions, Williams received several awards and accolades, including the Press-Radio Club Pro Athlete of the Year Award, two-time Oakland Raiders Man of the Year Award, and was a multiyear semifinalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. Syracuse University awarded him the Letterwinner of Distinction for his athletic achievements and ongoing charitable work. Williams serves on the Sport Management Advisory Council at Syracuse University's Falk College of Sport, supporting programs focused on leadership, education, and career development in the sports industry.

Since retiring from professional football, Williams has worked as a television and radio sports analyst and keynote speaker, appearing on media outlets including CBS Sports Network, ESPN, MTV, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Nickelodeon, NFL Network, CNBC, Fox, Fox Sports Net, CBS, and ABC. Williams is also a motivational speaker, trainer, and author who has written three books, including "365 Happy: The Simple & Funny Playbook For Happiness You Really Should Read ASAP," "Happy In A Hurry: The Seven Simple Secrets To Happiness You Can Unlock in 60 Seconds Or Less," and "365 Happy Poetry: The Journey." Williams is the founder and chairman of Champion Academy, a nonprofit mentoring program that has helped hundreds of at-risk middle and high school students. As a social entrepreneur, he developed the Extreme Mentoring & Empowerment Model, which has achieved significant academic and social outcomes with high-risk teens.