Who is Kevon Williams: Ten things you should know about the USA sevens back

Kevon Williams is among USA’s most experienced sevens players.

A threat both at halfback and on the wing, the former wide receiver found his calling with a different oval ball.

Ten things you should know about Kevon Williams

1. Kevon Williams was born on 7 June 1991. He is originally from Houston and attended New Mexico Highlands University.

2. He played American Football for his university as a wide receiver, but was ineligible to continue playing after changing his academic major. After impressing for New Mexico Highlands’ club rugby side, he joined the Denver Barbarians in 2013.

3. In a contrast to American Football, Williams values rugby’s all-round aspect. “The first thing I liked about rugby is that you can do everything,” he told Texas Sports Nation in 2021.

“You can play offence. You can play defence. Everyone needs to be able to pass the ball. Everyone has to run. Everyone has to be fit. Minus kicking, everybody has to be able to do essentially the same thing.”

4. He made his World Rugby Sevens Series debut in Dubai during the 2016/17 campaign and scored his first try later that season against Fiji in Cape Town.

5. Williams featured for USA in the 2018 Sevens World Cup, where the Eagles finished sixth.

6. He was part of the USA men’s sevens team that also finished sixth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

7. Prior to turning professional in 2016, Williams worked as a laboratory technician at New Mexico Highlands and as a Subway assistant store manager.

Williams carries against Scotland at the 2018 Sevens World Cup (Getty Images)

8. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a master’s in Finance.

9. Williams was named USA sevens captain after the Tokyo Olympics. He led his country to a silver medal in his first major tournament as skipper in Dubai.

10. The halfback was on the wrong end of one of rugby’s most bizarre moments at the 2022 Singapore Sevens. Attempting to kick the ball dead to end the first half against Canada, Williams’ punt ricocheted off the post and into the path of Anton Ngongo, who scored for the Canucks.

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