Weber State University Athletics
Hall of Fame - Richard "Dick" Williams
3/10/2015 8:06:00 PM | Wildcat Club
Richard “Dick” Williams
Football and Baseball Coach (1946-1974)
Inducted February 2005
Richard “Dick” Williams starred at Weber Junior College both as a player and a coach. His legacy stretched throughout the decades where he ultimately would serve as a professor in the Health and Physical Education Department at Weber State University.
A graduate of Ogden High School, Williams lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. He was named an All-State halfback during his junior and senior seasons with the OHS Tigers.
Williams spent one year at Utah State University, competing on the freshman football and baseball squads, before being called into service with the U.S. Army. He served four years during World War II.
In 1946, Dick enrolled at Weber JC and played football for Coach Milt Meacham, and competed in track and field under Coach Ferron Losee. Following his sophomore season he won the Standard-Examiner Gold Watch Award, given to the top sophomore athlete at Weber.
Williams enrolled at the University of Utah, earning a bachelor's degree in 1951. From 1947 to 1955, Williams worked as the head groundskeeper and John Affleck Park which was home to the Ogden Reds baseball team in the Pioneer League.
After graduating from Utah, he entered the coaching profession working as the backfield coach on Weber's football squad, and at Central Junior High School in Ogden as the football, baseball and track coach. Williams returned to Weber JC to coach football under Wally Nalder in 1961, and was on the staff when the Wildcats attained NCAA four-year status in 1962.
From 1961 to 1968, Williams served as the head baseball coach for the Wildcats where he compiled a 128-90 record during his career. In 1968, Weber State played for the first time in the NCAA Region 7 District playoffs in Denver, Colorado. After dropping their opening game, the Wildcats came back to win three straight over Denver University and Colorado State University. He was named Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year for his efforts.
Williams left the coaching ranks and dedicated the rest of his career to the students of Weber State, working as the men's intramural director and physical education instructor. The Associated Students of Weber State honored him with the distinction of being named Professor of the Year in 1968.
Williams continued to teach in the physical education department until retiring from full-time duties in 1994. He stayed on with WSU for several years as an adjunct faculty member.
Dick resides in Ogden and has four children: Jeff Williams, Debra Wangsgard, Tony Lamph and Shelly Jolley.