Reggie Williams, a 2007 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who starred at Dartmouth from 1973-75, has penned a new book: "Resilient By Nature: Reflections from a Life of Winning On and Off the Football Field."

In so many ways, Reggie Williams has had the type of life that people dream of: he starred as an athlete, excelled with an Ivy League education, built a sports empire as part of an iconic corporate brand, achieved global impact as a public servant, and won major honors for his community work. Along the way, Williams glowed on the biggest stages alongside celebrities, business leaders, and social icons.

Yet Williams's life has also presented a nightmare—and a determined mission to score another victory—with the battle to save his right leg from amputation. The residual effects of a fourteen-year career as an NFL linebacker has challenged Williams—who has undergone twenty-eight surgeries for football injuries, including multiple knee replacement operations—to draw on the resilience that has been at the foundation of his rise from the beginning.

In Resilient by Nature , Williams provides an intimate account of his remarkable journey while also sharing his unique perspectives on a wide variety of issues.

"During all the years we played together, I was so impressed with Reggie's work ethic and dedication to being the best at whatever he did. He was all out. I'm also not surprised that he has fought challenges after football with everything he has. You hate to see him go through it, but if anyone can endure the type of obstacles and adversity he's faced, he's the one," said Anthony Muñoz, who played with Williams for the Cincinnati Bengals and is a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

Born in Flint, Michigan, Williams first had to overcome a hearing disability as a child. When he became a high school all-league fullback, Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler rejected him as too small. When Dartmouth College became interested in Williams due to his academic abilities, a high school counselor told him that he was not equipped to pursue an Ivy League education. Confident in his abilities Williams would go on to confound all of his detractors. He preserved, being named a team co-captain his senior year and earning First Team All-American honors as the last Ivy League player to ever gain major college All-America status.

Williams played 14 NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and appeared in two Super Bowls. He received the Byron "Whizzer" White Award for Humanitarian Service in 1985, and he was honored as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his community service in 1986. While playing for the Bengals he served on the Cincinnati City Council.

After his NFL career, he entered the business world, and in the 1990s as the director of sports development for Disney he led the effort to develop and open Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, a state-of-the-art 220-acre multi-sport facility in Florida, which annually hosts more than 180 athletic events. He was subsequently promoted to vice president of Disney Sports Attractions, overseeing several additional venues, including the Sports Complex, the Walt Disney World Speedway, and Walt Disney World Golf. He also had stints as GM for the New York/New Jersey Knights of the World League of American Football and as an NFL executive who established the first NFL Youth Education Town.
 
Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth head football coach and former teammate
"Reggie Williams epitomizes the Renaissance Man. Intellectual. Athletically gifted. Passionate. Competitive. He raised the bar for everyone around him on the field and in the classroom. He made Dartmouth a better place, which is why we have a leadership award named in his honor. He is the best that we present and develop. It is no wonder that he's had an impact in every endeavor he's taken over the course of his life."

David Neal, Fox Sports executive vice president 
"There are not many people who will positively impact your life just by knowing them as Reggie does. One thing I love about him: he's not someone who climbed over people to advance. He brought people along with him."

Andrea Kremer, Emmy Award-winning sports reporter
"Reggie was always more than just a 'football player,' evident by serving on the Cincinnati City Council during his NFL career. He was true to who he was: the antithesis of every stereotype about a jock. Then again, how many NFL players are there from Dartmouth?"