Saint Ignatius senior Eric Williams, whose outstanding play at quarterback helped lead the Wildcats to a record 11th Division I state football championship in early December, will be furthering his education and football career at Yale.

In what was a first for this seasoned reporter, Eric sent the message on his commitment to me via text-to-landline on Thursday. And I truly appreciate the effort on a promise he made to me, as I was attending the wake for my nephew, James (Jamie) Dwyer, who passed away at the age of 40 on Monday after a courageous battle with cancer. Obviously I was not available to accept Eric's call and he turned to a clever audible.

In deciding on Yale, Eric is following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Sean and Scott. Scott was a junior linebacker for the Bulldogs this past season.

Before committing to Yale, Eric considered Harvard, Cincinnati, Toledo and Eastern Michigan. Iowa and Illinois had also shown interest.

A player with exceptional physical skills and mental toughness (just ask the Wildcats' playoff opponents), Eric passed for 2,133 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushed for 230 yards and a touchdown as Saint Ignatius finished 13-2, was ranked No. 1 in The Plain Dealer Top 25 seven-county poll, sixth in the Associated Press big-school state poll and 15th in the nation by MaxPreps. Eric is also a key contributor to the Wildcats' varsity basketball team, which is 8-2 and ranked among the area's top 10 teams.

Eric's dad, Larry, was a two-time All-American and captain for the University of Notre Dame and played in the NFL as an offensive lineman, including a stint with the Browns. Larry Williams was recently named the new Athletics Director at Marquette.

Congratulations to Eric and his family and a sincere thank you to his family and the Saint Ignatius administration for having the privilege to cover and report on such an outstanding young man.