SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A Bay Area university athletic director and former NFL player died Thursday while working out on campus, officials said. He was 62.
San Francisco University officials say Larry Williams was [working out at the War Memorial Gym](https://www.usfca.edu/news/larry-williams-death) on campus when he died. No information about what caused his death was available.
Williams was born in Orange County and graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he played football.
He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns out of Notre Dame and played eight years in the NFL. During his time in the NFL, he had stints with the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots, according to university officials.
While in the NFL, Williams earned a law degree from the University of San Diego. He went on to practice law following his NFL career, before returning to Notre Dame to work on licensing and product marketing, university officials said.
He first became an athletic director in 2004, when he joined the University of Portland's program. In 2022, the University of San Francisco hired him as an athletic director.
At the time, Williams said the University of San Francisco represented everything he cherished in life, including having a Catholic identity and a deep education mission, officials said.
"Our prayers go out to Larry’s wife, Laura, their children, Kristin, Sean, Scott, Eric, and Louis, their families, and his grandchildren,” the University of San Francisco President Salvador D. Aceves said in a statement Friday. "My thoughts and prayers also go to the university’s 250 student-athletes and all of the coaches and staff under Larry’s skillful watch."
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