AUBURN: Cadillac Williams, a cherished icon and former standout running back, is no longer associated with the Auburn football team. On Thursday night, he made his resignation known.
Williams released a statement saying, “I have decided to resign from my position with Auburn football in order to pursue other opportunities after taking time to pray and reflect.” “Auburn, the players, and the AU family have my undying affection, but my wife, my sons, and I need to make this decision.
“I am incredibly appreciative of Coach (Gus) Malzahn’s and Coach (Hugh) Freeze’s recent opportunities to coach. On the Plains, these last five years have been extraordinary. Auburn has always held a particular place in my heart.
Williams played for Auburn for four seasons, gaining 3,831 yards and 45 touchdowns on 741 rushes from 2001 to 2004. In AU’s all-time record books, those scores are ranked No. 1, No. 2, and No. 1, respectively. With 4,303 yards gained through rushes, Bo Jackson is the only athlete to have ever done so while wearing an Auburn uniform.
Williams was a member of the Tigers’ 37-14 record, which included an unbeaten 2004 campaign that saw Auburn miss out on the title game. Instead, invitations to participate in the Sugar Bowl went to USC and Oklahoma, leaving the Tigers to face Virginia Tech. Both the Sooners and the Trojans had perfect regular seasons, with the former defeating the latter to win the title.SCOUT TEAM: Auburn basketball’s five-man group that helps maintain its intensity
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In the 2005 NFL Draft, Williams was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the fifth overall pick, three picks behind his friend and fellow running back, Ronnie Brown, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins under Nick Saban. Although Williams was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2005, a number of injuries cut short his playing career, which ended after seven seasons.
After his NFL career ended, it took Williams roughly three and a half years to get his first coaching opportunity as a running backs coach at Division II Henderson State in 2015. He then held positions at West Georgia (2016), IMG Academy (2017), and the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football in 2018 before Malzahn hired him to coach his former position at his alma mater.
Williams remained on staff on the Plains through two coaching changes, first surviving the move from Malzahn to Bryan Harsin and then from Harsin to Freeze. In October 2021, with four games left on the schedule, Harsin was fired, and Williams was chosen as interim coach.Under his leadership, the Tigers finished 2-2, including one of the most memorable Auburn triumphs in recent memory—a 13-10 victory over Texas A&M. When Freeze assembled his first coaching staff, he elevated Williams to associate head coach, which came with a $900,000 salary.
“Carnell’s contributions to the Auburn football program during his tenure as a coach are greatly appreciated,” Freeze stated. He is among the all-time greats of the program and guided Auburn through a period of change. I appreciate his decision and wish him nothing but the best, even though I know this wasn’t an easy one for him.
