Big Man (Back) on Campus

By Stephen Ball

Photography by Stephene Ball

Mike Williams, all 6 feet 6 inches of him, had just completed the first of his twice-daily workouts, sweat still seeping from his brow.

“So. This is what 450 pounds looks like,” I thought to myself.

Truth be told, Williams is not 450 pounds. At least, not anymore.

In his prime, Williams’ weight hovered around 375 pounds.

But after parting ways with the NFL three years ago, Williams’ activity level plummeted. And hours in the weight room were soon replaced by oblivious snacking while parked behind a desk.

“My frame is meant to carry massive weight,” Williams said. “[But] once you start with the special scales, you know you’re in trouble.”

After completing a weight-loss regimen at the Duke University Diet & Fitness Center, Williams and his wife Enisha moved to Northern Virginia to help best friend and newly-signed Redskins lineman Derrick Dockery and his wife with their newborn baby.

Teammates at the University of Texas, Dockery and Williams resumed daily training together. Since signing with the Redskins in April, Williams has stuck to his diet with little deviance.

He tracks caloric intake with a Body Bugg (burning between 5,000 and 6,000 calories a day), has sworn off alcohol and juice drinks and is exploring the health benefits of trading bison for beef (less fat; more iron, protein and minerals).

Now, the only vices he’ll indulge are the occasional handful of Goldfish crackers and the smoked salmon at Sterling’s Sweetwater Tavern—though he admits Sweetwater’s Aussie rolls tempt him every now and again.

But with training camp—and lineman Randy Thomas’ annual barbecue—just around the corner, Williams remains committed to reaching his goal weight of 345 pounds.

“I got to get right so I can break bread with my line,” he says.

(September 2009)