University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Two Golden Eagles Selected In NFL Draft
4/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Two Golden Eagles Selected In NFL Draft
Hattiesburg, Miss. -Southern Miss defensive back Chad Williams and quarterback Jeff Kelly were selected in the 2002 NFL Amateur Draft on Sunday, April 21. Williams was selected as 38th pick of the sixth round, 208th pick overall, and Kelly was picked as the 21st pick in the seventh round and 232nd pick overall in the draft.
Since Jeff Bower became head coach at Southern Miss in 1991, the Golden Eagles have had 18 players drafted. Currently, there are 20 former Golden Eagles that appear on NFL rosters.
Williams, a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter, was the fifth-leading tackler for the Golden Eagles in 2001 with 63 tackles, 46 unassisted and 17 assisted, after being moved from free safety to the rover position. He also finished with four tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks, one interception, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. As a junior, Williams led the Golden Eagles with 114 tackles, 78 unassisted and 36 assisted. He also finished with 11 tackles for loss, eight quarterback sacks, five pass breakups, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He finished as the school's single season and career forced fumble leader. Williams graduated in December with a bachelor's degree in coaching and sport administration.
As a three-year starter at quarterback for the Golden Eagles, Kelly has led Southern Miss to a 23-12 record and two bowl victories (1999 Liberty Bowl and 2000 GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl). In 2001, he completed 214-of-362 passes for 2,613 yards and threw 15 touchdowns. He was named the 1999 Liberty Bowl Most Valuable Offensive Player.
He currently is Southern Miss' all-time leader for passing percentage (.586) and touchdown's responsible for (59). He is second in completions (571), attempts (975), yardage (7,095), total offense (7,114) and third in touchdown passes (51). Most of these catagories are led by Brett Favre, a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player, the only one in NFL history.
Kelly, who graduated with a 4.0 grade point average with his master's degree in business administration in December, was named as the Woody Hayes National Division I-A Male Scholar Athlete in February, a National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete in December and was selected to the prestigious Verizon Academic All-American second team in 2000, as well as being a two-time Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year honoree.
