Top-ranked running back Landen Williams-Callis donates to the youth football league where he started

RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) — Before Landen Williams-Callis was a Lion at Randle High School, he was an oilman.

One of the top high school running backs in the country, Williams-Callis is giving back to the youth football league where it all started for him.

“I remember playing in the early morning, just balling,” Williams-Callis said. “It feels good to be here again and see all the little kids, because this is where I was so little and so young.”

He was a lucky number 7 at the time and played on both sides of the ball all over the field, and he loved to play defense.

“I played quarterback, running back and safety,” he said. “I used to hit. I’ll tell you, I tried to get Coach Randle to let me play defense this year, but he said he’d be the dumbest coach in the world if he did allow me (play defense) and I got hurt.”

The Oilers were his foundation, like so many young people before and after him.

“To make sure we can be at the forefront of preparing these kids for the next level, that’s what it’s all about,” Richmond Oilers president Matt Jackson said.

Williams-Callis ran for more than 3,500 yards and 59 touchdowns last year and was named a Gatorade Player of the Year finalist, prompting him to come back to George Park in Richmond.

Surrounded by current and former Oilers, cheerleaders, parents and coaches, he presented a $1,000 check to league president Matt Jackson.

‘It means a lot. I mean, I don’t know if you’re seeing our field right, we’re in the country,” Jackson said. “We are limited in funds and limited in resources.”

For the nationally ranked running back, who is already a top prospect at more than 60 colleges, being able to give back was the best feeling.

“It made me feel good because they’re the same coaches that were here when I was here,” Williams-Callis said.

The money came from Gatorade through the Player of the Year award. Williams-Callis chose a social impact partner that helps the next generation of athletes benefit from sports, and he kept it close to home.

“I lived here with my grandmother, down the street, so it means a lot to come back and give back to where I came from,” Williams-Callis said.

The money is desperately needed. Jackson said they will purchase new equipment and improve their game day field, which is being torn up by feral hogs and gophers.

“You see those sand piles, a lot of people think they’re ants, but they’re from ground squirrels,” Jackson said. “Any time on a Saturday you’ll see one pop up and say ‘hello, peek-a-boo,’ and then they’ll go back.”

Landen has worked hard to get the Randle Lions back to state for the third year in a row.

“There will probably never be another Landen,” Jackson said. ‘But I’m sure that all those children there want to live up to Landen and look up to Landen.’