James Earl "J.D." Williams (born March 30, 1967 in Osceola, Arkansas

Osceola, Arkansas

-Notable natives & residents:* Bill Alexander, U.S. Representative from First Congressional District, 1969–1993* David Barrett, New York Jets cornerback* Maurice Carthon, former NFL and USFL player and NFL assistant coach...

) is a former professional American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player who was selected by the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft

1990 NFL Draft

The 1990 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990...

. A 5'10", 185-lb. defensive back

Defensive back

In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...

 from Fresno State University, Williams played in 6 NFL seasons from 1990 to 1994 and 1996 for the Bills, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, and San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

.

Williams was most notable for being the first player on the Buffalo Bills squad to don the number 31, which had been "retired" to represent the spirit of the franchise. Since Williams donned the number, the Bills have allowed anyone to wear the 31 jersey; it was later worn by Dwayne Wright

Dwayne Wright

-Buffalo Bills:Wright was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was signed to a contract on July 25. He was waived on August 30, 2008.He worked out for the Detroit Lions on September 17, but was not signed.-New York Giants:...

, who coincidentally like Williams, went to Fresno State. Jairus Byrd

Jairus Byrd

-2009 season:Byrd was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. After spending the first couple of games as a backup Byrd started his first career game at free safety against the Miami Dolphins due to injuries to both the Bills starting safeties Donte Whitner and...

 currently wears the number; ironically, Byrd had to change to 31 because his college number, 32, was unofficially retired because of O. J. Simpson

O. J. Simpson

Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American collegiate and professional football player, football broadcaster, and actor...

.