Caleb Williams entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick to the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft. After a successful career with USC that included winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy, Williams declared for the draft, quickly making himself the top quarterback available.
But the No. 1 selection didn’t make it this far on his own — both of his parents were also collegiate athletes. Let’s get to know Williams’ parents.
Caleb Williams’ Mom and Dad Were Athletes in Their Own Right
An only child, Williams was born on Nov. 18, 2001, to Carl Williams and Danye Price.
The elder Williams married Price in 2000, and the two welcomed Caleb into the world one year later. The young family raised their son in Washington, D.C., where his football career would later get started. His parents have some impressive athletic abilities themselves.
Getting To Know Williams’ Father
Carl was a college football player at Oklahoma State. During Caleb’s Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, he explained the pivotal role that his father had played throughout his career and life.
“Thank you for showing me the way,” Williams said in his acceptance speech. “You instilled a work ethic in me at a young age that I can’t thank you enough for.”
Ironically, before Williams starred for the Trojans, he originally suited up for the in-state rival school of Oklahoma State — the University of Oklahoma. Once Lincoln Riley left OU to accept the USC job in Nov. 2021, Williams eventually joined him in L.A.
Carl is the co-owner of Athletic Republic Capitol Region, a top-notch training facility in Maryland. His passion for sports and business helped nurture his son’s football career and allowed him to achieve great things during his run in college.
During his Heisman speech, Caleb also thanked his father for opening that facility so he could train with his teammates and friends whenever they needed.
Getting To Know Williams’ Mother
Price played college basketball and volleyball at the University of Maryland. Caleb said that his mother is the most important person in his life. She’s always been a mom first and the woman behind the scenes who inspires him in many ways.
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Of course, Price was a part of the infamous viral moment after USC’s loss to Washington. Immediately following the game, Williams found his parents in the stands and jumped up into his mother’s arms. This moment was captured on the broadcast and heavily covered in the days and weeks following that game.
“Raw emotion, being human, being myself,” Williams said of that moment. “The emotions after the game is what it’s been ever since I lost my first game as a little kid.”
Williams continued to explain how his mother’s care for him was part of his emotion during that moment.
“You’re all good, you’re holding it in, being the man, and then you get around your mom, and it just all started flowing out,” Williams said.
Price also has a unique way of giving Williams a rare gameday look: By Williams revealing to Good Morning America in Feb. 2022 that his mom helps paint her son’s nails.
“My mom was my inspiration,” Caleb shared to GMA. “She’s been doing nails since I could remember. … I [would play] my game or mess with my mom and kind of just sitting there [and] she’d always do my nails.”
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Except the art designs on Williams’ fingers were more for sending a message to opponents and addressing social issues. For the latter, Williams helped spread suicide prevention awareness before his ’22 game against Washington State by having “988” on his nails on World Mental Health Day — which is the Suicide and Crisis lifeline.
Now, Williams is the son of new Bears parents. They’ll likely have the cameras fixated on them as the top pick goes through his first regular season in the pros. With three currently scheduled prime-time games, America’s eyes will get a chance to watch Carl and Danye’s son showcase his talent.