PLAYING CAREER
EDMONTON ESKIMOS 1986-1988 AND 1990-2000

AWARDS AND HONOURS
ALL-CANADIAN SPECIAL TEAMS 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
ALL-WESTERN SPECIAL TEAMS 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997

GREY CUP PARTICIPATION 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996
GREY CUP WINNING TEAMS 1987, 1993

HENRY WILLIAMS ATTENDED EAST CAROLINE UNIVERSITY AND PLAYED BRIEFLY WITH THE USFL’S MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS BEFORE JOINING THE EDMONTON ESKIMOS IN 1986. HIS SKILLS CAUSED THE CFL TO CREATE A ‘DESIGNATED IMPORT’ SPOT ON EACH TEAM’S ROSTER TO ALLOW FOR A GAME-BREAKING SPECIALIST. NO ONE ELSE BROKE OPEN GAMES LIKE WILLIAMS THROUGH 14 SEASONS WITH THE EDMONTON ESKIMOS.

IN 149 REGULAR SEASON GAMES WILLIAMS, AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS “GIZMO”, RETURNED 26 PUNTS FOR TOUCHDOWNS, INCLUDING FIVE IN ONE SEASON, TO SET CFL RECORDS. HE ALSO RETURNED THREE KICKOFFS AND TWO MISSED FIELD GOALS FOR TOCHDOWNS, ADDED 21 TOUCHDOWN PASSES AS A RECEIVER AND ANOTHER ON A RUNNING PLAY. UNDRESIZED WITH SPEEDY, HE OFTEN PUNCTUATED HIS TOUCHDOWNS WITH END ZONE BACK FLIPS.

WILLIAMS SPENT THE 1989 SEASON WITH THE NFL’S PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AND REJOINED THE ESKIMOS IN 1990. AT THE TIME OF HIS RETIREMENT IN 2000, WILLIAMS WAS THE CFL’S ALL-TIME LEADER IN PUNT RETURNS (1,003), PUNT-RETURN YARDAGE (11, 177 YARDS), KICKOFF RETURNS (335) AND KICKOFF-RETURN YARDAGE (7, 354). HE AMASSED 23, 927 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS IN HIS CAREER.

WILLIAMS MADE 14 POSTSEASON APPEARANCES, PLAYING IN 22 PLAYOFF GAMES AND FIVE GREY CUP GAMES. IN THE 1987 GREY CUP GAME HE SET A RECORD BY RETURNING A MISSED FIELD GOAL 115 YARDS FOR A TOUCHDOWN. IN 2002, HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE NORTH WEST MISSISSIPPI JUNIOR COLLEGE HALL OF FAME AND BECAME A MEMBER OF THE ESKIMOS WALL OF HONOR THAT SAME YEAR.

INDUCTED 2006 - PLAYER

Class of 2006 Matt Dunigan, Bobby Jurasin, Allen Pitts, Victor Spencer