The Washington Redskins announced Monday that they named Doug Williams as personnel executive.
The hiring marks a homecoming for Williams, who led the Redskins to a title in Super Bowl XXII in 1988. He was the first African-American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 340 yards with four touchdowns to earn Super Bowl MVP honors as the Redskins routed the Denver Broncos 42-10.
Williams, 58, played for the Redskins from 1986-89.
“It’s great to be home again,” Williams said in a statement. “It also is great to be affiliated with a GM and coach who are so focused and dedicated to winning. I have only one mission: to help this team obtain the talent it needs so the fans can experience the Super Bowl they deserve.”
Williams has spent 17 years in the NFL, including nine as a player and eight in scouting/personnel roles. He spent five seasons as personnel executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004-08) and was the team’s director of pro personnel in 2009.
“We are focused on finding people with genuine football insight and a passion for winning,” executive vice president/general manager Bruce Allen said in a statement. “As a player, coach and scout, Doug has seen it all and done it all, and we believe he has an incredible talent for identifying the type of players we want with the Redskins.”
Williams also had two stints as head coach at his alma mater, Grambling State, from 1998-2003 and 2011-13. He went 61-34 (.642) at Grambling, leading the Tigers to four Southwestern Athletic Conference championships, three Black College National Championships from 2000-02 and three 10-win seasons in his nine years.
Williams, a first-round draft pick of the Buccaneers in 1978, played there until 1982. He spent two seasons in the USFL with the Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws (1984-85) before going to the Redskins.
Williams played collegiately at Grambling from 1974-77. He passed for more than 8,000 yards with 93 touchdowns, leading the Tigers to three Black College National Championships and two SWAC titles. He was 36-7 as a starter and finished fourth in voting for the 1977 Heisman Trophy.