A native of New Orleans, Aeneas Williams arrived at Southern University after turning down an Ivy League scholarship to Dartmouth College. He joined the SU football program during his junior year and tied for the NCAA record in interceptions. Despite playing only two years in college, his numbers impressed the then-Phoenix Cardinals enough that they selected him in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Within his first six seasons, he was named to the NFL Pro Bowl four times and led the NFL in interceptions with nine in 1994. In 2001, he made his second postseason appearance with the St. Louis Rams and helped lead the Rams to Super Bowl XXXVI in his hometown of New Orleans.