Today is former running back Ricky Williams’ birthday. He’s 36, and it seems forever ago when the Saints traded their entire draft for the right to take Williams with the No. 5 overall pick in 1999.

Probably not a great move, considering the Saints finished with a winning record only three times in the next 10 seasons.

By then, Williams was gone to the Dolphins, and though he won’t ever be seen historically as one of the league’s top running backs, he still managed to lead the league with 1,815 rushing yards in 2002.

Williams finished with more than 10,000 career yards (about 2,200 less than Edgerrin James, who was selected by the Colts with the No. 4 pick that season), but he was never the same player after he turned 26. Williams lasted in the league, by the way, until he was 34.

Either way, here’s a cool photo of Williams, taken during the 2005 season.

Ricky Williams loses his helmet during a 2005 contest. (Getty Images)



Couple things:

1. Williams’ beard looks fantastic. That, my friends, is some All-Pro facial hair.

2. Williams’ all-out effort that day went for naught. The Dolphins lost 27-13 to the Buccaneers, and Williams was irrelevant, carrying the ball five times for eight yards. Which was better than his six-carry, (minus) 1-yard performance the next week.

3. Interestingly, Wes Welker, then a Miami receiver, caught three passes for 97 yards that game -- the most yardage he ever had with the Dolphins.