Former Illinois wide receiver David Williams was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night as part of the 48th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner.

Williams holds every Illinois receiving record. He is one of 13 former consensus All-Americans inducted in the ceremony. He was chosen for the award on May 18 and was honored earlier this season when Illinois played San Jose State at Memorial Stadium.

“He was an awesome athlete,” said Steve Nelson, a former Illini defensive tackle who played with Williams. “He was an exceptional receiver.”

Williams played for the Illini in 1983-85. In 1984 he had 101 receptions, a Big Ten and National record at the time. At the end of his college career, Williams was the second-leading receiver in NCAA history, with 245 receptions and 3,195 receiving yards in 33 games.

After leading the Illini to their first Big Ten title in two decades, Williams twice earned First Team All-Conference honors and was voted team MVP.

“He stretched out the defense by being a deep threat,” Nelson said. “It gave our running game an opportunity to flourish.”

Williams was Illinois’ Athlete of the Year in 1986, when he also participated in the Japan Bowl. When Illinois played in the 1985 Peach Bowl, Williams caught seven passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. The season before, in the 1984 Rose Bowl, Williams caught 10 passes for 88 yards. That year the Illini defeated every team in the Big Ten, finishing Mike White’s fourth season as head coach with a 10-2 record and Big Ten title.

“We had a pretty good attitude that year,” Nelson said. “We went into each game thinking we were going to win.”

Other inductees at Tuesday’s event were Cornelius Bennett (Alabama), Tom Curtis (Michigan), Anthony Davis (USC), Keith Dorney (Penn State), Jim Houston (Ohio State), John Huarte (Notre Dame), Roosevelt Leaks (Texas), Mark May (Pittsburgh), Joe Washington (Oklahoma), Paul Wiggin (Stanford) and coaches Pat Dye (East Carolina, Wyoming, Auburn) and Don Nehlen (Bowling Green, West Virginia).

Williams, who holds every Illinois receiving record, went on to play in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Raiders and in the Canadian Football League.