Curtis Williams, 24; Huskies Football Player Paralyzed in 2000 Game

Curtis Williams, 24, paralyzed from the neck down while playing football for the University of Washington in October 2000, died Monday at his brother’s home in Fresno, Washington athletic department spokesman Jim Daves said. He gave no additional details about any cause of death.

Williams, who played safety, was injured in a helmet-to-helmet hit in a game against Stanford. He had spinal cord surgery and was left with no voluntary muscle movement.

The Washington Huskies dedicated their victory over Purdue in the Rose Bowl in January 2001 to Williams, wearing his initials on their jerseys. He attended the game.

Williams returned to the school last month to watch the Huskies’ annual spring game, his first trip back since the injury.

He was six classes short of earning his degree from Washington in American Ethnic Studies. He had hoped to take correspondence courses and complete the work in about a year.