Charean Williams has done what no other female sports reporter has ever done.

Williams recently became the first woman to receive the Dick McCann award and will also be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 3.

To commemorate the honor, newly retired Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten called Williams “a pro’s pro” in a tweet.

Williams reflected on her career during a recent conversation with TCU students. “I have known since second grade that is what I wanted to do,” she said.

Williams recently started working at digital site ProFootballTalk after 23 years covering the NFL, 17 at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and six with the Orlando Sentinel. A native of Beaumont and a 1986 graduate of Texas A&M, Williams also previously worked at the Orange (Texas) Leader and the Bryan-College Station (Texas) Eagle.

“If you have the desire, the heart, and the work-ethic you can do and be what you want to be,” Williams said.

Williams credits her grandmother for her success.

“Every Sunday we would talk about the games and dissect it,” she said. “She got me inspired me more than anyone else.”

Her history-making career has also come with challenges, including players who have tried to make her uncomfortable with their nudity while conducting interviews. “They do it to test you, to see how you are going to handle it,” Williams said.  

She also remembered a time where she requested an interview with then-Arkansas quarterback Quinn Grovey. But because she was a woman and wasn’t allowed in the male locker room, Grovey left and she never got her interview.

Her latest challenge came when she was laid off by the Star-Telegram in May 2017. But she quickly bounced back, getting a job with ProFootballTalk.