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Former Bishop Dunne football safety Brian Williams died on Sunday morning at the age of 24. His older brother, Rawleigh Williams III, told The Dallas Morning News that Brian died from a severe heat stroke after running a half marathon in Irving the previous day.
The Irving Marathon Running Series later confirmed that Williams had participated in the Fiesta de Mayo half marathon on Saturday.
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Williams was a highly decorated high school athlete. In 2017, he was named USA Today High School Sports Texas Defensive Player of the Year and earned First Team safety honors.
The former four-star prospect also received first-team all-state recognition and set a school record with 23 career interceptions, four of which he returned for touchdowns. As a sophomore and junior, he had eight and five interceptions, respectively, and was chosen for the Under Armour All-America Game.
Walter Johnson, Dean of Students at Bishop Dunne, expressed his disbelief upon learning of Williams' death.
“I just couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it,” Johnson said, according to NBC 5. “It wasn’t until I was able to contact [my brother] and say, ‘Who are you talking about?’ that I really understood that it was our Brian Williams, the Brian Williams that was on the track, the Brian Williams that was in my choir.”
Michael Alfers, the assistant principal at Bishop Dunne and Williams' eighth-grade teacher, shared his condolences.
“Everybody looked up to him not only because of his accomplishments on the field but also from the way he carried himself and the way he treated others,” Alfers said, according to Daily Mail.
Williams graduated in 2019. According to the On3 Industry Rankings, he was the No. 8 safety in the 2019 class, the No. 13 recruit in Texas and the No. 78 prospect in the nation. 247Sports ranked Williams the No. 1 safety in the cycle.
As a recruit, Williams earned offers from big schools like Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Texas and LSU. He later committed to the Aggies in 2018 under Jimbo Fisher.
Texas A&M issues statement following Brian Williams' death
Brian Williams spent three seasons with Texas A&M, participating in 10 games as a freshman in 2019. That year, he received the Freshman Strength Award at the team banquet. He played 10 games as a sophomore, finishing his career with seven tackles and one sack.
The Texas A&M Football program shared its grief over Williams' unexpected death.
“The Texas A&M Football Family is heartbroken by the sudden passing of Brian Williams. Brian was a beloved son, brother, teammate, and Aggie. He was an outstanding young man, on and off the field, and will be missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Williams family.”
Leon O’Neal Jr., a former Aggie teammate now playing for the Houston Roughnecks in the United Football League, expressed his sorrow on X.
"Rest easy brother B Will 😔🤞🏾🖤," O’Neal wrote.
After graduating in 2024 with an engineering degree from Texas A&M, Williams had been working in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
