Roy Williams headed to Dallas

For years, every time Permian graduate Roy Williams came back to Odessa, he heard the same thing from the community.

Come back to Texas and play for the Cowboys.

Today a city gets its wish.

The Cowboys traded their first, third and sixth-round 2009 picks to the Detroit Lions on Tuesday and received Williams and the Lions' seventh-rounder in return at the NFL's trade deadline.

"Everybody wants to get back close to home," Williams told the Odessa American in a June interview. "Playing for the Cowboys would be great."

No NFL franchise is closer to Odessa than Dallas. Both of Williams' brothers - Lloyd and Tracy Hill - live in the Dallas area.

And Williams has always loved playing in Texas Stadium.

Three years ago he had five catches and 72 yards in a game against the Cowboys.

"He wasn't really allowed to talk about these things, but I know he's always wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys," Permian offensive coordinator Brandon Faircloth said. "It was a lifelong dream of his."

Williams has been adamant about his desire to help the Lions win. He felt responsible to the team that drafted him after a stellar career at Texas.

But as his career progressed with the Lions, his role decreased and the team continued to languish at the bottom of the standings.

"He wanted to be able to make a difference with Detroit," said Chris Hill, Williams' mother. "But they've been using him as a decoy, he's not used to losing, and he was frustrated. This is a new beginning."

According to The Associated Press, Williams will step into the Cowboys' No. 2 slot at wide receiver behind Terrell Owens, and try to help bolster a passing game that lost quarterback Tony Romo to a broken pinkie Sunday.

For Williams, his role in the offense wasn't as important as playing for a winning team.

"I talked to him for a little while today, and he was happy," Lloyd Hill said. "He can't wait to come down and help the team win."

Williams started calling his family members as soon as he got the news Tuesday.

Chris found out first. Then his brother found out before Williams boarded a plane for Dallas.

His mom made sure the rest of Odessa found out fast.

"Everybody in the neighborhood could hear me screaming," Hill said. "We're so excited."

Most of the Permian football team has met Williams, who helped coach the Panthers' 7-on-7 team last summer.

The Panthers were in meetings when the Cowboys completed the trade.

Faircloth broke the news to the team.

"A lot of them already have Dallas Cowboys stuff," Faircloth said. "This gives them one more reason to wear their gear, now that one of their 7-on-7 coaches is playing for the Cowboys."

Permian head boys basketball coach Danny Wright knows Williams from his days as the director of the Odessa Boys and Girls Club. Most of Williams' friends still live in Odessa.

And when the news broke that their hometown hero had been traded to the Cowboys, Wright's cell phone wouldn't stop ringing.

"He's a heck of a football player, and he's such a genuine kid," Wright said. "There are a lot of Cowboys fans here, but he just brought a whole lot of new Cowboy fans to Odessa."

To cheer for a native son who has been brought back home.