November 2004 Williams Nominated for NFL Man of The Year Honors

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Former Orange tight end and current Oakland Raider Roland Williams has been nominated for the 2004 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Williams is one of 32 players nominated for the award.

The Man of the Year honor is the only league award that recognizes off-the-field community service as well as playing excellence. Williams is nominated because he has demonstrated an outstanding balance between civic and professional responsibilities in his life this season. At SU, he coordinated Jam Session in 1999 and 2000, which benefited the Boys and Girls Club of Syracuse. He represented Syracuse at the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference in May 1997.

Currently, Williams is involved in helping at-risk youth across the nation.

The Free Football & Life Skills Camp is the premier program of the Roland Williams Youth Lifeline Foundation. The Youth Lifeline Foundation is a national non-profit organization that uses the influence of athletics and entertainment to support life skill development for middle and high school disadvantaged youth.

The mission of the Youth Lifeline Foundation is to provide at-risk youth with essential skills and tools to enable them to lead positive, productive and fulfilling lives.

Entering its sixth year, the Free Football & Life Skills Camp incorporates active and retired NFL players and coaches to teach core fundamentals of football with an emphasis on exercise, team-building, discipline and self esteem. To complement expert athletic training, an exciting educational curriculum teaches fundamentals of computer/internet competency, financial literacy, goal achievement strategies, health and nutrition, social etiquette and time management.

The Free Football & Life Skills Camp started in Roland’s hometown of Rochester, NY, and has recently expanded to Oakland, CA, Las Vegas, NV and Utica, NY. Since 1999, more than 1,500 youth nationwide have participated in Youth Lifeline Foundation programs all free of charge. The foundations has offered these programs without a fee to best reach the youth who need them the most.

The 2004 Walter Payton Man of the Year winner will be announced during a Super Bowl press conference on February 4 in Jacksonville, Fla. The winner will be selected from an elite panel of judges including NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Sports Illustrated writer Peter King, Connie Payton (wife of the late Walter Payton), and former players Frank Gifford, Jack Kemp, Anthony Munoz, and last year’s winner Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields. The winner will receive $25,000 to donate to his selected charity. Each finalist will receive a $1,000 contribution towards a charity of his choice.

Williams began his NFL career with the St. Louis Rams (1998-2000), where he earned a Super Bowl ring in 2000. He played for the Oakland Raiders from 2001-2002 and returned to Oakland in 2004, after one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003). Williams played in 12 games this season and started three for the Raiders.