By EDDIE DANIELS
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA – Long before former Tampa Bay Buccaneer receiver Karl Williams fixed his mind to slip into a Tampa Bay Storm uniform, he was being schooled on the game of arena football.

In 1999, Williams took over the In the Locker Room television show, a year after it debuted with Derrick Brooks. In that time, Williams saw co-hosts come and co-hosts go. As a matter of fact, the joke inside the Bucs locker room was if you co-hosted the TV show with Williams, your time with the team was likely short.

“I couldn’t keep a co-host,” Williams said laughing. “Every year they’d get cut or get released.”

A short time later Tampa Bay Storm coach Tim Marcum was added as a co-host. As tradition had it, someone had to go. And with Marcum being the head coach and general manager of a team in another league, while Williams was still a player, that meant it was Williams’ turn.

“I get Marcum and then I get released,” Williams said, finding the humor in the situation.

Williams spent nine seasons in the NFL – 1996 to 2003 with the Bucs, winning a super Bowl title in 2003 and 2004 with the Cardinals. He also garnered at least three seasons of being tutored in the intricacies of the AFL off camera with Marcum.

Tonight, he’ll put both lessons to use as he prepares to play his first Arena Football League game against the Georgia Force.

“It was great because of course the show was pretty much about the NFL, but off the set, we used to always talk about arena football and things that the Storm were going through,” Williams said . “I asked a lot of questions because I was really interested in knowing more about the game. I knew a lot of the guys who played for him.”

Marcum continued to pitch the AFL to the receiver, to no avail, and in reality, Marcum never expected to have him suited up in the Storm’s midnight blue and metallic gold.

“Probably not. He’s a nine year vet,” Marcum said. “Karl is a class act. He’s a professional and does everything you ask him to do.”

The transition for Williams may not be that difficult, according to Storm quarterback John Kaleo. The two have formed a fast friendship, which began in 2001. Last season, after Williams participated in passing sessions with Kaleo and other AFL receivers, Kaleo tried to convince Williams to join him with the Columbus Destroyers, but it never materialized.

“I think he can be a tremendous receiver in this game. Unfortunately he’s starting too late in his career, but I think what he brings to the table is just his experience from the outdoor game to here,” Kaleo admitted. “He runs great routes, man. He was always that third receiver with the Bucs or with the Cardinals, so he’s used to working in those confinements, working with the nickel back or with the dime back and learning how to work man beaters and getting open right away. That’s all the arena football game is.”

On offense, the AFL rookie will line up as the “wing” receiver. But it’s even more obvious what his other duties will be - as a return man. Here’s why: In 1996 as a Bucs rookie, Williams set records with the longest punt return (88 yards), highest punt return average (21.1) and highest kickoff return average (27.6). The following season he set records for the most punt return yards in a season (597).

He also set Bucs records for punt return yards in a game (120), career punt return yards (2,279) and career punt return touchdowns (5).

After accomplishing such feats, it took Williams, 35, the last 1 ½ years to come to the realization that his NFL career was likely over. He sold his house in Tampa and bought another in Dallas to return to his home state.

Once the finality of it hit him, he began to think about the next phase of his life – coaching, although playing remained in his heart.

“A lot of the things that I miss about playing was the camaraderie with the guys and being on the field and doing battle and being dead tired with those guys and looking into each other’s eyes and trying to get that energy from each other,” he admitted. “A lot of that is what I really missed.”

Had it not been for him making the Storm roster, Williams likely would be honing his coaching skills in NFL Europe.

“It’s hard, its frustrating, but as a player you know that some day you’re going to have to face it. Everybody can’t be like Jerry [Rice] and play 20 years,” Williams said.

Kaleo is convinced there’s something more to Williams than his route running or his ability to catch a pass or whether his transition from the big field will be seamless. Kaleo is convinced, regardless of the records Williams holds with the Bucs or the Super Bowl ring he won with that franchise in 2003, he’s more than a high profile pass catcher.

“Here’s the truth about Karl Williams,” Kaleo said, “Karl Williams is a millionaire, but Karl Williams will take a job at UPS and that sums up Karl Williams right now. Karl Williams is common folk. It doesn’t matter what type of money he makes, he’s very approachable and you can’t say that too much about today’s professional athlete.”

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.