Tennessee football standout turned entrepreneur will bring his professional sports experience and Tennessee Crush Water Ice to Jackson as a Celebrity Golfer on September 8.
JACKSON, TENN. — Avery Williamson knows what it means to arrive in Tennessee with something to prove. In 2014, the Milan, Tennessee, native went from Kentucky to the NFL when the Tennessee Titans selected him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, 151st overall. Williamson returns to Jackson, Tennessee in a different role, bringing the experience of a professional football career and a growing business venture to Jackson as a Celebrity Golfer in the Legacy Chamber of West Tennessee’s 15th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament.
Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Avery Williamson on the field during his NFL career. Williamson will join the Legacy Chamber of West Tennessee’s 15th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament as a Celebrity Golfer.
Williamson will join the tournament’s celebrity field on September 8 at Bent Tree Golf Course, adding another name with a genuine Tennessee connection to an event that brings together business owners, entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare professionals, corporate partners and community leaders. His appearance also brings an entrepreneurial dimension to this year’s tournament, as Williamson is now building Tennessee Crush Water Ice, a consumer brand he leads as CEO.
A Tennessee Football Career That Extended Beyond Nashville
Williamson arrived in the NFL after a productive career at the University of Kentucky, and the Titans quickly found a role for the young linebacker. He played all 16 games as a rookie in 2014, starting 12 and recording 107 tackles, a total that ranked third on the team and represented the highest tackle total by a rookie during the Titans era at the time. He followed that season with two more 100-tackle campaigns, including a 2016 season in which he led Tennessee in tackles.
Avery Williamson during his playing days at the University of Kentucky before beginning his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans.
Williamson spent his first four NFL seasons with the Titans before continuing his career with the New York Jets. His 2018 season in New York was one of the strongest statistical years of his career, producing 120 tackles, three sacks, six passes defended and an interception. In 2020, he played for both the Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers after being traded to Pittsburgh during the season. He ultimately returned to Tennessee in 2021, bringing his NFL career full circle. NFL records credit Williamson with 96 regular-season games and 608 total tackles across his career.
That history gives Williamson a connection to three NFL markets, but Tennessee remains an important part of his story. He was drafted by the Titans, established himself as a professional linebacker in Nashville and eventually returned to the organization before moving into the next chapter of his career.
The Next Chapter Is Business
Williamson’s work today extends beyond football. He is the CEO of Tennessee Crush Water Ice, a Tennessee-based consumer brand that he has been actively introducing to customers and communities. The business has recently received attention for Williamson’s hands-on approach to promoting the product, including a recent appearance showing viewers how Tennessee Crush Water Ice is made and introducing the brand to a wider audience.
Avery Williamson at The Corner Cafe & Coffee as Tennessee Crush Water Ice expands its local business partnerships in Tennessee.
That transition is one of the reasons his appearance at the Legacy Chamber tournament carries more weight than a traditional celebrity appearance. Williamson is not coming to Jackson simply because he once wore a professional football uniform. He is coming as someone who has moved from one demanding professional environment into another, where success depends on building a product, developing relationships and earning customers.
Tennessee Crush Water Ice topped with colorful gummy worms for a fun, sweet twist.
Tennessee Crush Water Ice will be available for purchase at the tournament, giving attendees an opportunity to experience Williamson’s business while he participates in the celebrity field. The presence of the brand also gives local business owners and entrepreneurs another reason to connect with him beyond the golf course.
For a Chamber event, that matters. The most valuable part of a gathering like this is often what happens between the scheduled activities: the introduction between two business owners, the conversation that leads to a new relationship or the discovery that two people working in completely different industries have a reason to work together.
A Celebrity Golfer With a Business Story to Tell
Williamson joins a tournament field that already includes Ed “Too Tall” Jones, the Jackson-born Dallas Cowboys legend who returns as Celebrity Headliner, along with DJ Von and participants and contributors connected to Jackson-Madison County Schools, Jackson State Community College, West Tennessee Healthcare and the broader West Tennessee business community.
The collection of people surrounding the tournament is intentional. The Legacy Chamber’s work is centered on strengthening relationships among businesses and institutions, and the tournament creates a setting where those relationships can develop in a less formal environment. Professional athletes, executives, educators, entrepreneurs and community leaders may have very different professional backgrounds, but they share an interest in the direction of the region.
Williamson fits naturally into that environment. His career gives him an understanding of professional competition, while his work with Tennessee Crush Water Ice places him squarely in the world of entrepreneurship. Those two experiences give him a perspective that can resonate with both the sports audience and the business community.
A Direct Connection to Follow Me Into Business
The tournament’s proceeds will benefit Follow Me Into Business, the Legacy Chamber initiative focused on exposing young people to entrepreneurship, STEM and business opportunities. That purpose gives Williamson’s participation another important layer.
Young people frequently encounter successful athletes as finished products. They see the professional uniform, the stadium and the recognition that comes with reaching the highest level of a sport. The business chapter can be less visible. Williamson’s current work offers another example of what a professional career can become after the playing years and demonstrates that the skills required to compete at one level can be carried into an entirely different field.
For Follow Me Into Business, that kind of exposure is valuable. Entrepreneurship becomes easier to understand when young people can meet people who have actually built companies, sold products, developed relationships and dealt with the realities of running a business. Williamson’s participation places one more entrepreneur in front of an audience that includes people interested in helping the next generation understand what ownership can look like.
“Avery Williamson brings a powerful combination to this year’s tournament. People know him because of what he accomplished on the football field, but he is also building a business and creating another chapter for himself as an entrepreneur,” said Deswick Bonds Jr., incoming Executive Director of the Legacy Chamber of West Tennessee. “That is exactly the kind of story we want connected to Follow Me Into Business. Young people need to see that their first career, first idea or first opportunity does not have to define the limits of what they can build.”
JEA Leads the Tournament as Title Sponsor
The Legacy Chamber’s 15th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament is supported by Jackson Energy Authority as Title Sponsor, continuing JEA’s involvement in initiatives that bring Jackson’s business and community leaders together.
Jackson Energy Authority is the Title Sponsor of the Legacy Chamber of West Tennessee’s 15th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament.
JEA occupies a distinctive place in the region because its role extends well beyond traditional utility services. The organization provides essential services to the community while also operating EPlus Broadband, giving JEA a direct connection to both the physical infrastructure businesses depend upon and the digital connectivity increasingly required to operate in a modern economy.
Its sponsorship places an established Jackson institution behind a tournament whose proceeds are directed toward Follow Me Into Business and the next generation of entrepreneurs. Williamson’s presence adds the perspective of a former professional athlete who has taken that next step into business ownership, creating a fitting connection between the event’s celebrity component and its larger purpose.
The 15th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament will take place September 8, 2026, at Bent Tree Golf Course in Jackson, Tennessee.
For Jackson and West Tennessee, Williamson’s appearance brings together several parts of a distinctly Tennessee story: a professional football career that began with the Titans, continued with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, and eventually brought him back to Tennessee; a new chapter as a consumer-brand entrepreneur; and an invitation to participate in an event designed to put business relationships and young people at the center of the conversation.
The Legacy Chamber’s 15th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament is where those stories will meet on September 8, with Williamson joining the field not simply as a former NFL player, but as a Tennessee businessman building what comes next.
