GAMBIER, Ohio – Every new college graduate becomes excited with the acceptance of their first full-time job after taking the first leap into adulthood. Recent Kenyon College graduate and football star Brett Williams not only can be excited to make the same decision but also for the fact that his first gig will take him to a new continent and position him to do something that he not only exceled in at Kenyon but loves to do. Williams is already overseas and ready to continue his football career in Germany while embarking on what will surely become a long list of lifelong memories.
Williams '13 was the Lords primary ball carrier in their miraculous season that ended just short of a share of the 2012 North Coast Athletic Conference championship and the team's best record since 2005. He will take those same skills to Osnabruck, German and the German Football League 2 (GFL2) after signing a contract to play with the Osnabruck Tigers in January.
The league is part of an American football system constructed very similarly to the European soccer system which begins play for youths and advances all the way to a professional level. The two professional leagues compete independently of one another but the GFL2 league champion and runner up have the potential to be promoted to the GFL. Each team is permitted a small allotment of foreign players, typically American, to comprise the team's roster.
The players' responsibilities are not constrained to the football field but also expand to include a coaching role. Williams will not only be expected to catch passes and run wildly amongst opposing defenses, but he will also be called upon to guide younger teams within the Tigers' system to victory as a coach.
Despite being nervous about the journey itself and what the experience will hold, Williams is excited to enjoy a culture he is somewhat familiar with, see new sights, learn while indulging in his surroundings and most of all, playing the game that he loves.
Though unsure at first that his late arrival into the country in addition to an altered training regime due to his participation with the Kenyon men's track and field team this spring, Williams' number was called upon in the Tigers' first game of the season and his impact is already being felt on the field. In Osnabruck's season opener last week, Williams scored his first professional touchdown on a one-yard run and also converted a two-point conversion in his team's 26-20 win over the favored Lubeck Cougars. The Tigers' next game will be on June 2 against the Bonn Gamecocks.
Williams finished his career as a three-time All-NCAC selection and a 1,000-yard rusher in 2012 in addition to his seven touchdowns. Helped the Lords to its best season in seven years, finishing 6-4 overall.
View the full story first brought to you by Gabriel Brison-Trezise and the Kenyon Collegian.
Click here to learn more about the Osnabruck Tigers.
