Lynn’s Williams will be on sideline at Yankee Stadium

Harris Williams will not receive any television time during Boston College?s game against Penn State tomorrow in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. In fact, the 23-year-old from Lynn won?t even be playing ? but he has made an impact for the Eagles every day this season.
Williams broke his right leg and dislocated his ankle in the season opener back in August against UMass. He’s spent the remainder of the year rehabbing his injuries, but just received clearance to play next season for his final year of eligibility.
?This is my third leg injury,” said Williams. “And I remember thinking that was going to be it. My foot was planted in the ground, someone landed on it, and it twisted out of the joint. But this injury has given me a great opportunity to step back from the everyday grind and watch the coaches interact with the players, see the structure and dynamic of a team, and how I can be a better fit into this puzzle.”
No stranger to adversity, the 6-foot-3-inch, 299-pound Williams first committed to Stanford during his junior year in high school at Proctor Academy. A broken ankle severely limited his playing ability during his campus visit, and Stanford took away his scholarship. He turned a negative into a positive when he found an even better home with Boston College.
?When I first arrived at BC, Anthony Castonzo, who is now the starting left tackle for the Indianapolis Colts, was a biology major and in the running for Rhodes Scholar,” he said. “I tried to follow his footsteps.”
Williams paved his own path of success beyond the football field. Crediting his parents for his work ethic, he earned the “Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award” this past year at BC, and is currently enrolled in the Carroll School of Management?s MBA program, seeking his master?s degree in business administration.
?After my football career, I want to do something that integrates the human brain with computer science,” he said. “I?ve always been intrigued with the human mind, and I?m really good at computer science. I?m better at computer science than I am at football.”
Williams? excellence on the gridiron is also noteworthy. He started all 12 games last season at right guard, anchoring an offensive line that helped produce a rushing attack that averaged 212.5 yards per game, good enough for 20th among all college teams in the nation. His injury left a gaping hole on the line that the Eagles needed to fill to protect standout quarterback Tyler Murphy. Of course, Williams himself was part of the solution.
?I?ve been trying to instill the message of winning over self-glory,” said Williams, who admitted the most challenging part of his daily routine is rehabbing instead of practicing. “From the sidelines at practice and games, I?ve noticed how some players take coaches? criticism as mean, but it?s really not. You cannot be deterred by hostility, and the coaches have to communicate their message. Coach (Steve) Addazio (BC?s head coach) is all about winning.
?Winning is the ultimate goal. It?s not about recognition, it?s about winning games. Regardless if anyone knows my name or our names on the offensive line, it?s all about the team name in Boston College.”
Williams is excited to be part of the bowl-game experience in New York City. Some of the events the team had planned included dinner at Yankee Stadium on Christmas Eve, watched the Radio City Rockettes on Christmas night, and a tour of Ground Zero on Christmas morning in addition to preparing for the Nittany Lions.
?Penn State is a very strong team, so we need to play the brand of physical football that we?re capable of playing,” said Williams. “I really hope the guys out there have fun. It?s very hard to win when you?re not having fun, and winning is a lot of fun.”