C O A C H E S E X P A N D
2012 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Coaching Staff George Williams Athletic Director/Head Men's and Women's Track and Field/Cross Country Coach Phone: (919) 516-4236 Email:
[email protected]
George Williams has built a national track & field power at Saint Augustine’s University and an international reputation as a head coach during his illustrious 41-year coaching career at his alma mater. Under Williams’ brilliant guidance, Saint Augustine’s University has won 39 NCAA Division II national track and field championships including the last five men’s outdoor track and field titles. The latest victory occurred during the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Bradenton, Fla., on May 25-27, 2017. Heading into the last event behind by two points, the Falcons won the 4x400 relay to win the title. The Falcons scored 58 points to beat Lincoln University (52 points), Ashland University (50 points) and Tiffin University (50 points). Over his outstanding coaching career which began in 1976, Williams has won the most NCAA track & field championships as a coach, regardless of division, the most NCAA track & field championships at one school as a coach and the most NCAA Division II track & field championships as a coach. He is third in the NCAA with the most championships regardless of the sport. Williams has coached over 40 Olympians, including three gold medalists. He has been the recipient of more than 150 track & field coach of the year honors, including the 2017 NCAA Division II National Outdoor Men’s Coach of the Year Award, 2016 NCAA Division II National Outdoor Men’s Coach of the Year Award, the 2015 NCAA Division II National Outdoor Men’s Coach of the Year Award, the 2014 NCAA Division II National Indoor and Outdoor Men’s Coach of the Year Awards and the 2013 NCAA Division II National Indoor and Outdoor Men’s Coach of the Year Awards by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Williams was honored in January 2018 when he was named one of the 10 most influential sports figures in the Triangle area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.) by The News & Observer daily newspaper. The legendary coach was also selected the 2014 CaptainU Indoor Track & Field Winter Coach of the Year. The legendary coach has also won numerous CIAA coaching awards, the latest being the 2016 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year award. He was also named 2014 CIAA Athletic Director of the Year. Under his leadership, the Falcons have amassed over 150 CIAA track and field and cross country conference championships. Additionally, his scholarship student-athletes have a 95 percent graduation rate. Williams was the head coach of the 2004 U.S. Men’s Olympic Track and Field Team in Athens, Greece, and he also served as assistant coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team in Atlanta, Ga., where each athlete he was responsible for won a gold medal. He was the U.S. men’s head coach at the 1999 World Outdoor Championships in Seville, Spain, the 1993 World Indoor Championships in Toronto, Canada, and the 1992 IAAF World Cup in Havana, Cuba. Williams coached Saint Augustine’s University graduate Bershawn “Batman” Jackson to a 2005 world title, five U.S. championships and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Four former Saint Augustine’s University student-athletes including Jackson competed at the Beijing Olympics.
Williams was recognized for his lofty 2016 achievements which included winning the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Title and coaching five Olympians in the Rio Summer Games. He was a special guest on the nationally-syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show" and was quoted prominently in an ESPN.com article about participants from historically black colleges and universities in the Rio Olympics. In August 2016, an exhibit honoring Williams was displayed at the City of Raleigh (N.C.) Museum. In addition to being the track and field and cross country head coach, Williams is also the athletic director at Saint Augustine’s University. A faithful Falcon, Williams has served his alma mater (graduated 1965) in a variety of roles since 1968 including director of alumni affairs, admissions counselor, director of student activities and head basketball coach. Williams was named men’s and women’s track and field and cross country coach in 1976 and named athletic director in 1997. In his one season as men’s basketball coach, Williams led the Falcons to a division title in 1998. Before he became a coaching legend, Williams made his name on the basketball court for the Falcons. One of the best players to ever suit up in a Falcon uniform, Williams was an All-CIAA standout during his career. Williams is a member of eight Hall of Fames: the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the Florida Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Saint Augustine’s University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Booker T. Washington High School (Miami, Fla.) Hall of Fame, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame, the Raleigh (N.C.) Hall of Fame and the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame. Williams and his famed track & field program were recognized during a halftime ceremony at an NCAA Division I Tournament First-Round Game in Raleigh, N.C. for their success in 2016 and 2014. He was also named the starter of the famed Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon series in Raleigh, N.C. The race, billed as the “World Largest Running Series” was held April 13, 2014. In 2012, Williams was selected 13th among the CIAA 100 Greatest Athletes and Coaches during the year of the conference’s 100th anniversary. On February 16, 2012, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Raleigh (N.C.) Sports Council. In March 2009, Williams was selected an honoree in the “Living Legends” Orange & Black Scholarship Gala Awards Ceremony by the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association. The Gala honors outstanding alumni of Booker T. Washington Senior High School. On June 20, 2008, Williams received the Bighouse Gaines Unsung Hero Award from the Winston-Salem State University Alumni Association. In November 2003, Williams arranged for Saint Augustine’s University to become the first historically black college to host the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. In November 2010, Saint Augustine’s University hosted the Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships. After returning from the 2004 Summer Games, the city of Elizabeth City, N.C., honored Williams in September 2004 with a key to the city. The city of Raleigh, N.C., honored the longtime Saint Augustine’s University coach with a Proclamation, naming November 16, 2004, as George Williams Day for his outstanding contributions in track and field. The Newark YMCA Sports Legends honored Williams in November 2004, and the city of Miami, Fla., honored Coach Williams with a Proclamation naming February 7, 2004, as George Williams Day. Additionally, Williams has received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award three times - from Governor Jim Martin, Governor James Hunt in 1996 and Governor Michael Easley in 2004. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award is the highest civilian honor presented by the Governor of North Carolina. Coach Williams received this honor because of his career achievements and his extraordinary service to the state and the community. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Phi Fraternity and is a member of the Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church here in Raleigh, N.C. Coach Williams is married to the former Olivia Hardy, and they have one daughter Dr. Crystal Harrell, a son-in-law Steve Harrell, and twin granddaughters Haley and Grace.
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