Purdue Safety Torri Williams Ready For 6th Year

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Torri Williams suffered a season-ending injury in 2005.

And another in 2006.

Then, one more in 2007.

In fact, 2008 was the first year since George W. Bush's first term that the Purdue safety made it through a season unscathed.

Now a sixth-year senior, Williams feels fortunate to still be playing football. If he can stay in one piece, he'll start when the Boilermakers open the season at home Sept. 5 against Toledo.

"Most people who go through one or two injuries, they might say it's not for me," Williams said, "but God blessed me with a special talent, and I'm honored to have it and honored to play for Purdue University."

Williams broke his right fibula in the spring of 2005, then had surgery before missing the entire season.

The next season, he got his right foot caught in the new Bermuda grass at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium during the season opener against Indiana State. The resulting dislocated knee put him out for the season.

In 2007, he appeared in seven games. He had 17 tackles and two interceptions, but he ruptured his Achilles tendon at Michigan on Oct. 13 and was sidelined for rest of the year.

He came back strong last season with 83 tackles and two interceptions. The NCAA granted him an additional year of eligibility.

Williams will be 23 when the season begins, but the youngsters clearly have taken to the old man. In the ultimate show of respect, Williams' teammates named him a captain during the spring.

He nearly choked up when talking about the designation.

"Words can't even express how excited I am," he said. "I have an opportunity to be a leader on this team and hopefully lead this team to a great season. I'm just honored to have that responsibility."

Williams said he's healed from his various injuries.

"Knock on wood, I'm as healthy as I've been since I came to Purdue," he said. "And that's a good thing."

Purdue coach Danny Hope, who left his assistant coaching position at Purdue after the 2002 season to become the head coach at Eastern Kentucky, joked about Williams' longevity.

"He was here since I was a coach here last time almost," Hope said. "We just barely missed each other."

Jokes aside, Hope said Williams' presence has been important for his teammates.

"We had a lot of freshmen here this summer for summer school, a lot of young guys who are going to have to play," Hope said, "and Torri and some of these older guys did a great job of taking some of these younger guys under their wings."

Williams is a headliner in a secondary that returns a great deal of experience. Cornerbacks Brandon King and David Pender started all 12 games last season and safety Dwight Mclean started six.

Williams expects the experience to be an asset.

"It's good for us because we've been around each other for a long time," he said. "We're all comfortable with the system. Our whole unit is able to communicate with each other."

Hope said Williams works well with the coaches, too.

"He does a great job of communicating with the right intentions in mind," Hope said. "He's got great input. My door is always open, and he'll come in often with some ideas, looking for ways he can help."

Williams said the experiences have made him stronger.

"It just makes you grateful for life, that you've been able to have so many injuries and go through so much adversity, and you can still fight through it and become a captain and become a starter on a Division I football team."