Bob Williams
Williams pictured in The Bugle 1908, Virginia Tech yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1877-08-01)August 1, 1877
Bland, Virginia, U.S.
DiedOctober 17, 1957(1957-10-17) (aged 80)
DeLand, Florida, U.S.
Playing career
1901Virginia
Position(s)End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1902–1903South Carolina
1904–1905Davidson
1906Clemson
1907VPI
1908Virginia (assistant)
1909Clemson
1913–1915Clemson
1926Clemson
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1913–1915Clemson
Head coaching record
Overall51–29–7

Charles Robert Williams (August 1, 1877 – October 17, 1957) was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. Williams coached at South Carolina, Davidson, Clemson, and Virginia Tech.

Early years

Williams was born on August 1, 1877, in Bland, Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia, where he was an end on the football team.

Coaching career

South Carolina

Graduating in 1902, Williams served as the Gamecocks' mentor for two seasons, 1902 and 1903, achieving 6–1 and 8–2 records. In 1902, he oversaw an upset of the rival Clemson Tigers, who were coached by John Heisman. This was the only game lost by the Tigers that year.

Davidson

From 1904 to 1905 he coached at Davidson, where he compiled a 9–5–1 record.

Clemson

Williams came to Clemson in 1906. The Tigers went undefeated with a 4–0–3 record, with wins over Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, and the John Heisman-coached Georgia Tech team. Clemson's first forward pass took place on November 29, 1906, during the game with Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Left End Powell Lykes, dropped back to kick, but lobbed a 30-yard pass to George Warren instead. Clemson won, 10–0.

VPI

Williams left for VPI for the 1907 season, leading them to a 7–2 record.

Returns to Clemson

Williams then returned to Clemson in 1909. The 1909 season was notable for the resumption of the Clemson-Carolina rivalry after a five-year gap, caused by a near riot in October 1902. The Tigers enjoyed a 6–3 season under Williams' guidance and defeated the Gamecocks, 6–0, in Columbia on November 4.

Williams was replaced by Frank Dobson in 1910 who had a three-year run at the school, the first coach to actually have a signed contract. With Dobson's departure after the 1912 season, Williams returned for the second time to the Clemson head coaching position. He, too, served for three years, from 1913 to 1915. The Tigers produced records of 4–4 in 1913, 5–3–1 in 1914, and 2–4–2 in 1915. In the 41 games that Williams coached in five seasons, he went 21–14–6, for a .585 winning percentage.

Between the years of 1915 and 1926, Williams practiced law in Roanoke, Virginia, and was the city's mayor. He returned to coach Clemson for the final five games of the 1926 season.

Death

Williams died after a stroke in DeLand, Florida, in 1957.[1][2]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
South Carolina Gamecocks (Independent) (1902–1903)
1902 South Carolina 6–1
1903 South Carolina 8–2
South Carolina: 14–3
Davidson (Independent) (1904–1905)
1904 Davidson 6–1–1
1905 Davidson 3–4
Davidson: 9–5–1
Clemson Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1906)
1906 Clemson 4–0–34–0–2T–1st
VPI (Independent) (1907)
1907 VPI 7–2
VPI: 7–2
Clemson Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1909)
1909 Clemson 6–32–2
Clemson Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1913–1915)
1913 Clemson 4–42–4
1914 Clemson 5–3–13–2
1915 Clemson 2–4–21–0–1
Clemson Tigers (Southern Conference) (1926)
1926 Clemson 0–5[n 1]0–2[n 1]18th[n 1]
Clemson: 21–19–6
Total:51–29–7
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Bud Saunders coached the first four games of the season, during which Clemson had a 2–2 record overall and a 1–1 conference mark, before resigning. Clemson finished with an overall record of 2–7 and a conference mark of 1–3, placing 18th in the Southern Conference.

References

  1. ↑ University of Virginia Deceased Alumni Files
  2. ↑ "Grid Coach Dies; Charles R. Williams". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Associated Press. October 10, 1957. p. 30. Retrieved July 23, 2018 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.

Additional sources

  • Bourret, Tim. "2010 Clemson Football Media Guide" (PDF). Clemson University. pp. 171, 198, 203. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  • Gaillard, Luther, "Clemson Handbook", The Wichita Eagle and Beacon Publishing Co., Wichita, Kansas, 1996, pages 9–10, ISBN 1-880652-84-6.
  • Sahadi, Lou, "The Clemson Tigers - From 1896 to Glory", William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, 1983, page 17, ISBN 0-688-02164-6.
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