Brandon Williams

Defensive End Baltimore Ravens

Many people look at the life of a professional NFL athlete and paint a romantic picture that includes million-dollar paychecks, high-priced cars and luxurious homes. And while some players do embrace that kind of lifestyle, for players like the Baltimore Ravens’ Brandon Williams, that’s far from reality.

Williams, who played for the Missouri Southern Lions, was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round in the spring of 2013. He has started for the team as a defensive end almost the entire time since being drafted. And though he was recently signed to a large, multi-million dollar contract with the team, he considers his lifestyle to be modest and more indicative of what most NFL players’ lives look like.

And for him, much of the foundation for that lifestyle comes from the lessons and life skills he learned while attending MSSU.

“Most people see Sundays and game days and all they think about are guys who get paid a bunch of money to play a game,” Williams said. “It’s a lot deeper than that. Work for us never stops. It’s 365 days a year. Even on days off, you’re still working out and getting your body right. Every day you go from 6 or 7 in the morning until about 5 or 6 at night.

“And then I come home and I have two boys and a wife, so I have to put on my daddy and husband hat. That’s a full job, too. I have kids who wake up in the middle of the night and sometimes I have to get up with them. I have to be present for them when I’m there. And when you have an injury, like I did earlier this year, you have to deal with that on top of everything else. So there’s a lot that goes into being an NFL player. It’s not just glamour and glitz. It takes the elite of the elite to do it, and that’s why only 1 percent of all college athletes make it.”

But Williams has never been one to back down from a challenge. When he was presented with the opportunity to start for the Missouri Southern Lions, he knew he’d have to work hard to make his dreams of playing for the NFL a reality.

“I knew that by going to a small school I would have to go the extra mile to get noticed by NFL scouts,” he said. “I had to put in extra time in the weight room or extra spins after practice. I had a different D-line coach every year, and each one was teaching me something new or brought a new technique to learn. But I look back and realize that just being at Missouri Southern and having those different styles of coaching got me used to how coaches coach. And now here with the Ravens I’ve had multiple coaches and I’m OK with it because I’ve grown to learn that you just go with it. Whether they’re a yeller or a screamer or a soft talker, you take it and go with it. That’s what Missouri Southern did for me.

“And add on the adversity of not having a winning season until my senior year – which made me want to keep working and grinding – it taught me that if you lose you don’t get too down on yourself. You just get out there and work harder. It taught me to be mentally tough when it comes to tough times. And a lot of those life lessons and values I got from going to Missouri Southern.”

Williams said he knows his football career won’t last forever, and he’s looking forward to using the background in criminal justice he received at Missouri Southern in the second phase of his career. He said he’d love to become a firefighter, and he’s glad that his opportunities through the NFL have given him the freedom to take his time in making life decisions.