Aeneas Williams
A shutdown cornerback who went from a small college draft afterthought to a Hall of Famer known for his ball-hawking brilliance.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American football player·Birthday: January 29·Generation X
Biography
Aeneas Williams's path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame was anything but assured. Not recruited out of high school, he walked on at Southern University, where he played wide receiver before switching to defense. Drafted in the third round by the Phoenix Cardinals, he immediately announced himself as a playmaker, leading the NFL in interceptions as a rookie. For 14 seasons, his name meant trouble for quarterbacks; he had a predator's instinct for the ball, returning nine of his 55 career interceptions for touchdowns. His intelligence and technique made him effective well into his thirties, culminating in a Super Bowl XXXVI appearance with the St. Louis Rams. Williams was the rare defensive back whose presence alone could dictate an offensive game plan.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Aeneas was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aeneas Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Aeneas's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Intercepted 55 passes in his career, returning 9 for touchdowns, and recorded 23 fumble recoveries.
- Selected to eight Pro Bowls and named a First-Team All-Pro three times (1995, 1997, 2001).
- Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, his first year of eligibility.
- Led the NFL in interceptions in his rookie 1991 season with 6.
Did You Know?
He was ordained as a minister in 1996 and has served as pastor of The Spirit Church in St. Louis.
He majored in accounting at Southern University and earned his MBA while playing in the NFL.
His first name is pronounced "uh-NEE-us" and is taken from a Trojan hero in Virgil's 'Aeneid.'
He and his brother, former NFL safety Da'Mon Cromwell, own and operate a charter school in St. Louis.
“My thing was, if the ball was in the air, I felt it belonged to me.”
