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Chicago's Kevin Williamson Is Clemson's Own Version of 'Rudy'

By Justin Breen | December 22, 2014 5:31am
 Chicago native Kevin Williamson is a walk-on senior cornerback at Clemson.
Kevin Williamson
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CHICAGO — Kevin Williamson's road to Clemson's football program has taken many twists and turns.

The Chicago native made pit stops in California, Texas and Kentucky before finally arriving in South Carolina, where the senior is a walk-on defensive back for the No. 18 Tigers, who face Oklahoma in Dec. 29's Russell Athletic Bowl.

Williamson doesn't even play on game day for the Tigers — he plays only for the scout team in practices — but his mission to join one of college football's best clubs was about much more than seeing the field.

"There's a bigger picture for everything," Williamson said. "I'm building a foundation for what I want to have in the future. To be here is a great accomplishment for myself because it gives me the opportunity for me to be a role model for young men."

 Chicago native Kevin Williamson is shown with his dad, Kevin Sr., during a game at Morehead State. Williamson is a walk-on cornerback at Clemson.
Chicago native Kevin Williamson is shown with his dad, Kevin Sr., during a game at Morehead State. Williamson is a walk-on cornerback at Clemson.
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Kevin Williamson Sr.

Williamson lived in Roseland on Chicago's Far South Side and attended Lincoln Elementary until he was a 13. His childhood football memories included full-tackle games in the snow.

Entering high school, he decided to join his father, Kevin Sr., an actor who was moving to California. He competed for a school in Burbank for three years before they moved to Dallas to attend and play at Parish Episcopal School, which Williamson discovered through friends' recommendations.

After earning his high school diploma, Williamson suited up for two seasons at Morehead State in Kentucky. He then transferred to Mount San Antonio College, a junior college in Walnut, Calif., for two more seasons, before being accepted at Clemson over the summer. At Mount San Antonio, he missed almost all of his second season after breaking his right wrist in the team's opening game.

He chose the ACC power because an uncle of one of his best friends was a professor there, and it offered his major: health science. After flying cross-country to Clemson in July, one of his first tasks was figuring out how to make its football team. He appeared at the squad's walk-on tryouts in August and impressed coaches enough to earn a scout team spot.

“Kevin is a fine young man who has been a good representative of our program," Clemson defensive backs coach Mike Reed said. "He has worked hard in practice every day. People like him make the rest of the defensive backs better, and that type of positive attitude is one of the reasons we have done so well defensively this year."

Williamson's father, who starred in a national Walmart commercial, said he wasn't surprised his son can handle his own with some of America's top athletes.

"I know he's a competitor, and I know he's overwhelmed to be living his dream, even if he's not playing," said Williamson Sr., a Corliss High School and Columbia College Chicago graduate. "You see a movie like 'Rudy,' he does something like that. It's an inspiration."

Williamson, 23, said his seemingly endless journey has paid dividends. He's made numerous contacts and he's seen how a top football program operates.

One of Williamson's options next season is to serve as a graduate assistant, with a long-term goal of becoming a strength and conditioning coach at the Division I level.

"Football has made me a man," Williamson said. "It's taught me how to be prompt and accountable. I've put in the work, and I want to be involved at a bigger level."

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