Bob Williams (coach)
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.
 Williams pictured in The Bugle 1908, Virginia Tech yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1, 1877 Bland, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | October 17, 1957 (aged 80) DeLand, Florida, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1901 | Virginia |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1902–1903 | South Carolina |
| 1904–1905 | Davidson |
| 1906 | Clemson |
| 1907 | VPI |
| 1908 | Virginia (assistant) |
| 1909 | Clemson |
| 1913–1915 | Clemson |
| 1926 | Clemson |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1913–1915 | Clemson |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 51–29–7 |
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, would serve for three years, 1913–1915. 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 | Conference | Standing | 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 | 4–0–3 | 4–0–2 | T–1st | |||||
| VPI (Independent) (1907) | |||||||||
| 1907 | VPI | 7–2 | |||||||
| VPI: | 7–2 | ||||||||
| Clemson Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1909) | |||||||||
| 1909 | Clemson | 6–3 | 2–2 | ||||||
| Clemson Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1913–1915) | |||||||||
| 1913 | Clemson | 4–4 | 2–4 | ||||||
| 1914 | Clemson | 5–3–1 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 1915 | Clemson | 2–4–2 | 1–0–1 | ||||||
| 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
- 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
- University of Virginia Deceased Alumni Files
- "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
.
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.