‘Being a sports dad’ is top priority for former Gamecock WR Troy Williamson
Friday nights look a little different for Troy Williamson these days.
More than 20 years ago, Williamson was a key player in helping Silver Bluff High School to back-to-back state championships. He then went on to star at South Carolina before becoming a first-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings.
These days, Williamson spends a lot of his time rooting for his children. His sons Royal and Royce play for the Gray Collegiate Academy football team.
The former Gamecock was in the stadium about an hour before kickoff of the War Eagles’ first round Class 4A playoff game Nov. 7 against Brookland-Cayce. This night, Williamson was sporting a jersey with his son Royal’s face on it and his son’s No. 6 on the back of it. He spent some of the pregame talking to people including his son Royal, who missed the game while recovering from a concussion.
During the game, he sits with his wife, Charity, cheering on the War Eagles. Against the Bearcats, Royce, who starts on offense and defense, scored a pair of touchdowns in Gray’s 63-7 win over B-C. The War Eagles host Hartsville in the second round this week.
In addition to Royce and Royal, his daughter Sadie Williamson also attends Gray and is a standout volleyball player for the War Eagles, who advanced to the 4A state semifinals for the first time in school history. Sadie, a freshman, was second on Gray’s team in kills with 205 and tops on the team in blocks.
“It is crazy. I enjoy coming out here and watching them prepare,” Williamson said before last week’s game against Brookland-Cayce. “I don’t do a lot of talking. I love to put my kids around good coaches so I can relax and chill. … I am a sports dad who loves to watch his kids play.
“I really do enjoy it. I always said once I had kids that I would have the free time to make all the games and be able to enjoy it.”
Gamecock days
Royce and Royal Williamson have heard the stories. Whether it’s from their teachers at Gray Collegiate or when out in public, they are told about their dad’s prowess with the Gamecocks.
The two brothers have seen some clips on YouTube of their dad, but Troy admits he hasn’t broken out old videos of his playing days, “but I should.”
Williamson played three years at USC and was an Associated Press first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a junior in 2004 when he caught 43 passes for 835 yards (fourth most in school history at the time). He set a USC record with a 99-yard touchdown catch against Virginia in 2003.
“He was one of a kind. I try to be like him,” Royal Williamson said.
At the 2005 NFL Combine, Williamson made his mark by running a 4.32 in 40-yard dash, second-fastest for a receiver at that year’s combine behind Jerome Mathis.
That was enough for the Minnesota Vikings to take him with the seventh-overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Vikings were looking to replace future Hall-of-Fame receiver Randy Moss, who had left to play with the Raiders.
Williamson played three seasons with the Vikings before being traded to the Jaguars, where he played two years before retiring. He finished his NFL career with 87 catches for 1,131 yards, four touchdowns and gained close to 1,000 yards on special teams.
“Now that I look back, I can say that I wasn’t ready mentally to be drafted at No. 7. And then trying to come in to replace a guy like a Randy Moss, I knew I wasn’t ready mentally to be put in that position to put in the work that I needed to do to be able to do that,” Williamson said on the Viking Age podcast in 2021. “I didn’t know what it took to be able to take over that position. I wanted to be drafted high, but I don’t know if I wanted to actually come in and try to replace a guy like Randy Moss. I wasn’t mentally ready to be put in that position.”
After football, Williamson has been involved in a variety of things. He opened a sandwich shop in Aiken (which later closed). He started a podcast “Listen and Shutup,” does some motivational speaking and also stays in good shape with his early-morning CrossFit workouts.
Williamson stays plugged into the South Carolina football program and goes to games, and he played in the Birdies with Beamer golf tournament back in the summer. The Gamecocks recently had him record a message about “Legacy” that was posted on the team’s social media pages.
But it is family life that comes first for him and his wife, who is studying for her master’s degree in psychology.
Reuniting with a friend
Troy Williamson kept his sons from playing tackle football until their middle school days, opting instead for flag football. Royal started playing first in the seventh grade and then Royce said he began when was in eighth grade.
The Williamson boys started their high school career at Blythewood High School but transferred to Gray Collegiate after D’Angelo Bryant was named new head coach in February 2024. Troy said he got a little pushback about his sons transferring but couldn’t pass up the opportunity for his kids to play for Bryant, a former high school teammate of Troy’s who went on to play at Wake Forest.
Troy called it “a no-brainer” to have his kids play for Bryant.
“It has come around full circle,” Bryant said. “Just to think 20-plus years ago, Troy and I shared a backfield together and were there together for two to three years of our high school career.
“Now to be able to coach his boys, you see a little bit of Troy in them. It is remarkable to see. I know he is proud as a dad and I certainly would be. I am proud as a coach.”
Because the family didn’t make a physical move to Gray’s designated attendance zone, the Williamson boys couldn’t play varsity football at first, according to S.C. High School League rules. The boys were relegated to playing junior varsity football last season. That didn’t sit well with Royal, but he learned to handle it.
“It was a major setback and demoralizing,” Royal said. “First year playing varsity. I felt I missed out on a lot, but I got past that and focused on this year.”
Both Williamsons are making their impact for Gray, with Royce playing receiver and defensive back and Royal playing DB. Royal has missed four games with the concussion but should be back this week.
Royce is the second-leading receiver for Gray with 32 catches for 557 yards and 11 total touchdowns. On defense, he has 35 tackles and a team-high eight interceptions.
Royce is starting to get plenty of college interest, and they have visited North Carolina State and with trips planned for Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
“He works hard and is very athletic,” Troy said of Royce. “Should I say that he is way ahead of me at this time? He is more polished than I was as a junior.”
Royce doesn’t disagree with his father’s statement.
“I personally think I got my dad beat, but that is my opinion,” Royce said with a smile. “But my dad, with the experience he had, always gives me teaching points so it is fun. … I am blessed to be in this position.”
