The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2022 rookie class has played an essential role this season in the team’s first-place standing in the AFC West. Each player’s impact has helped lead to victories on the field, while others have also inspired change off the field.
Darrell Armstrong played 14 seasons in the NBA and has served as an assistant coach for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks since 2009, winning the championship in the 2010–11 season. He first made a name for himself as a star athlete at renowned HBCU Fayetteville State University, playing both football and basketball.
As an FSU Broncos Hall of Famer, Armstrong has remained in tune with the school’s athletic program. He’s been keeping a close eye on the progress of Chiefs rookie cornerback Joshua Williams, who also played at Fayetteville State.
Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently sat down with Armstrong to discuss the growth of HBCU Football while he greeted fans at the Glamour Under the Stars event in New York City. Armstrong offered up some advice for the Chiefs’ rookie.
“Just be yourself. Take on every challenge,” said Armstrong. “Head on and not only represent yourself, you’re representing a lot of other Black college players who are looking at you and saying when they get the opportunity to do the same thing. He came from a D-2 Black college, so you know, it can happen. For him, just keep pushing the best thing. I kind of followed him a little bit, and I really didn’t know him at that time, and people kept hitting me in the summertime. ‘We have a guy from FSU that’s gonna get drafted, and I saw him this past summer at the combine, and look at him now; he’s on the field almost every Sunday now. Whether it’s special teams or a guy got hurt, and they put him in the mix, he got his first interception against the San Francisco 49ers, and it was fun to see him and the players run down there (celebrating).”
Armstrong was the kicker while on the FSU Broncos football team at one point holding the team record for the longest field goal. After going undrafted in 1991, he chose basketball professionally and worked his way through minor and international basketball leagues before catching on with the Orlando Magic in 1995. He earned awards for NBA’s Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year in 1999, solidifying his place among the best in the league.
“Like I said, at the end of the day, you know people are watching to see what he’s doing,” Armstrong said. “He’s already done some good things, and he’s going to do more good things.”
Williams was one of four HBCU players selected in the 2022 NFL draft. He has seen more time on the field lately, proving to be a reliable option against bigger receivers due to his size. While the rookie has been a little hard on himself in light of the recent loss to the Bengals, his future in the league is as bright as can be.
