ORANGE FOOTBALL

Former Bills, Syracuse football player dies in construction accident at 36

Published: Sep. 06, 2023, 8:22 a.m.



Buffalo Bills WR Mike Williams #19 in action during pre game against the New York Jets at the MetLife Stadium during an NFL game in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/David Seelig)

By Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.com

Former Syracuse football player Mike Williams is dead at 36 after being injured in an accident on a construction site.

Williams died Tuesday, according to Jon Scott of Spectrum News 1 in Buffalo. Williams was injured Sept. 1 when a steel beam fell on his head while at work, a GoFundMe page said; he was paralyzed in his right arm and lower body, then suffered breathing problems in the hospital and never gained consciousness.

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Williams, a Buffalo native, spent three seasons as a standout wide receiver for Syracuse University before being selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At SU, he finished ninth in career receptions (133), eighth in receiving yards (2,044) and tied for second in receiving touchdowns (20), despite leaving the Orange in the middle of the 2009 season after being suspended for violating team rules under then-head coach Doug Marrone.



In this 2009 file photo, Syracuse WR Mike Williams leaps over USF's Jerrell Young to catch a touchdown pass in the Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y. Photo by Frank Ordonez | The Post-Standard

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Williams spent four seasons with the Bucs, notably recording 11 touchdowns and 964 receiving yards in his rookie season. It set a single-season record for the team at the time and he finished second for Rookie of the Year honors behind Sam Bradford, according to the New York Post.

Williams was traded in 2014 to his hometown Buffalo Bills, where he played his final NFL game. His last stint in the league was in 2016, when he was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs before the season started.

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