Pirates Sign RB Pooka Williams Jr.
January 16, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
LOWELL, MA - The Massachusetts Pirates have signed running back Pooka Williams Jr. for the upcoming Indoor Football League Season. Williams, who played in the National Football League with Cincinnati also had professional experience in the XFL and the UFL.
The 5'10", 185 lb. ball carrier who starred at the University of Kansas, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Bengals in 2021. He joined the practice squad and in December of that year was added to the active roster. Williams made his NFL debut against the Los Angeles Chargers and returned three kicks for 52 yards. He subsequently signed a futures contract with Cincinnati and remained with the team until August of 2022.
In 2023 Williams, who hails from New Orleans, LA was drafted in the seventh round of the XFL Draft by the DC Defenders. He was later claimed off waivers by the St. Louis BattleHawks. Williams was later re-signed by the Defenders and helped the team to a first-place finish in the league's North Division. Williams returned ten kickoffs for 273 yards and five punts for 33 yards. He also had one carry at running back.
Last season Williams played in the UFL as he was selected by the Defenders and saw the field in one contest, rushing once for nine yards. He also had two receptions, returned five kickoffs for 122 yards and returned three punts for another 35. After his release from DC he signed with the San Antonio Brahmas. In three games he rushed for nine yards on four carries and had four receptions for 12 yards. He also had 10 kickoff returns for 262 yards with a long of 44 yards.
Williams made his mark collegiately with the Kansas Jayhawks. As a freshman in 2018 he ran for 1,125 yards on 161 attempts while scoring seven touchdowns. He also caught 33 passes for 289 yards and two more scores as he was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year as well as being a First Team All-Conference selection. Four times that season he ran for over 100 yards in a game including a 252 yard performance against Oklahoma.
As a sophomore he posted four more 100 yard games including a 190 yard effort against Texas. At the end of the season his 1,402 rushing yards made him just the second Kansas running back to have back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. He also broke Gale Sayers Jayhawk record for most rushing yards in a player's first two seasons. He added 27 receptions and 214 receiving yards en route to his second consecutive All-Big 12 First-Team selection.
After four games in the 2020 season Williams opted out of the remainder of the season to assist his mother in Louisiana who was battling health issues. Williams finished his Jayhawk career with 2,363 rushing yards which was good for ninth all-time in school history. In 26 games he ran the ball 425 times with an average of 5.7 yards per carry with 12 rushing touchdowns. He also had 66 receptions for 534 yards and four touchdowns.
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