[4] Williams finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, behind Earl Campbell, Terry Miller, and Ken MacAfee.

[6] Despite the success that he enjoyed on the field, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs was the only NFL coach who visited Williams to work him out and scout him.

Gibbs spent two days with the 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), 220 lb (100 kg) quarterback, reviewing play books, film, and going through passing drills.

[9] His first preseason pass, a 75-yard incompletion that sailed 10 yards past receiver Isaac Hagins, drew a standing ovation from the Tampa Stadium crowd.

[12] Williams was the only starting African-American quarterback in the NFL at that time, and dealt with racism from the fans, and even his own coaching staff.

Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse refused to budge from his initial offer of $400,000 despite protests from coach John McKay.

It would be one of three times in 1987 that Williams substituted for Schroeder and led the team to victory (the other two were November 15 against Detroit and December 26 at Minnesota).

While both starts were losses, at the end of the season, when the Redskins had qualified for the playoffs, Williams, with his 94.0 passer rating, was chosen as the starter.

[21][22][23] On the day before Super Bowl XXII, Williams had a six-hour root canal surgery performed to repair a dental bridge abscess.

[31][32] Williams suffered from injuries the following season and was outplayed by Mark Rypien, who eventually won the starting job.

[9] The Redskins were able to sign former New York Giants quarterback Jeff Rutledge for the backup role for substantially less money, making Williams expendable.

[9] Williams received scant attention from other teams following his waiver by the Redskins – a situation which he flatly attributed to racism.

[9] Despite enjoying the change of pace, Williams longed to return to football and when a high school head coaching position opened up in 1991 at the new Pointe Coupee Central High School in the unincorporated Labarre area of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, Williams applied for the job and was hired for the position.

[9] Williams led the 35-player team to a 5–5 record in the season, including an upset of the second-ranked school in the state.

[9] Playing its home games on a field bearing his name, Williams was able to lead the team to an undefeated regular season, finally falling in the state semi-finals.

[9] During the 1993 Louisiana HS playoffs, his team notably knocked out Isidore Newman High School, then led by senior quarterback Peyton Manning.

He was named the head football coach at Grambling State University in 1998, succeeding the legendary Eddie Robinson.

He led the Tigers to three consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference titles from 2000 to 2002, before leaving to rejoin the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a personnel executive.

[38] Williams was subsequently hired as general manager of the Norfolk expansion franchise in the United Football League, now known as the Virginia Destroyers.

On February 21, 2011, Williams resigned from the Destroyers to begin his second stint as the head football coach at Grambling State University.

[41][42] In 2020, following a front office restructure after the hiring of Ron Rivera as head coach, Williams was named the team's senior vice president of player development.

[9] Williams and his third wife, Raunda, have eight children: Laura, Lee, Ashley, Adrian, Doug Jr., Jasmine, Temessia, and Carmaleta.

[47] In 2009, Williams and fellow Grambling State alumnus James Harris co-founded the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

Each year, several notable football players from historically black colleges and universities are entered in its hall of fame at an induction ceremony in Atlanta.