Jan. 6, 2010

MEMPHIS, Tennessee - Former Tiger running back DeAngelo Williams has been invited to participate in the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl on January 31 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kickoff of this year's game will be at 7:30 p.m. EDT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

It will be the first Pro Bowl held on the United States mainland since 1979; Honolulu's Aloha Stadium hosted 30 consecutive Pro Bowls beginning on Jan. 27, 1980.

Williams is one of three backs invited for the NFC offense, joining Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, who is listed as a starter, and Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams. Injuries have hobbled Williams this year, as he's missed two full contests and parts of two others with an ankle injury that he suffered Nov. 30 against the New York Jets and aggravated three weeks later against the Minnesota Vikings.

In the 11 games he started and finished this season, Williams ran for 1,064 yards -- an average of 96.7 per game -- and averaged 5.5 yards per carry, adding seven touchdowns. He had four 100-yard games, including two in which he surpassed the 150-yard milestone. He has averaged 5.2 yards per carry this season despite the injury, the most among NFC running backs with at least 1,000 yards this season and third among NFL 1,000-yarders behind Tennessee's Chris Johnson and Baltimore's Ray Rice.

This is the second-straight season that Memphis has had a player in the Pro Bowl as kicker Stephen Gostkowski represented the New England Patriots on the 2009 AFC team.