Fred "The Hammer" Williamson
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson
Cornerback

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson

"I think Fred was a great actor. Don't tell him that." - Bobby Bell

Fred Williamson, a 3-time Pro Bowl cornerback in the 1960s who played mostly for the Raiders and the Chiefs, was a ferocious tackler and big hitter nicknamed “The Hammer.” A tall, cocky player who claims to be the first to wear white shoes on the field, Williamson was a true showman. “When I walked out on the field, 20,000 people gave me a reaction: 10,000 booed, 10,000 cheered,” he once said, with a grin. “That’s okay. I mean, they were watching me.” Williamson, who intercepted eight passes in 1962 and six in each season between 1963 and 1965, was also known for his cheap shots, many of which, while ethically questionable, were not penalties at that time. Sometimes, he clothes-lined offensive players, forcing fumbles; on other occasions, he used his helmet as a missile, launching it into defenseless receivers. “Shoot, I wouldn’t last two minutes out there with the rules today,” he said in 2016. After his football career, the Gary, Indiana native became an action movie star, appearing in such countless films such as “Black Caesar,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” and “Starsky and Hutch.”