Dave Williams (golf coach)

Dave Williams
Biographical details
Born	October 14, 1918; Randolph, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 16, 1998 (aged 80); Wharton, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	East Texas State Teachers College
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1952–1987	Houston
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	16 NCAA Division I Golf Championship (1956–1960, 1962, 1964–1967, 1969, 1970, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1985); 5 MVC (1956–1960); 9 SWC (1974–1980, 1984, 1985)
Awards
	GCAA Hall of Fame (1980); Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1983); Texas Golf Hall of Fame (1982)

David Glenwood Williams (October 14, 1918 – December 16, 1998) was an American college golf coach.[1] He is known as "The Father of College Golf" due to how he revolutionized the sport in the United States.[2] As head coach of the Houston Cougars men's golf program, he won 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team national championships and coached eight individual national champions.

Life

Williams was born in Randolph, Texas. Before becoming head coach at Houston, he was a professor in the engineering department at the university, having earned degrees from East Texas State Teachers College and the United States Naval Academy. After he began to beat then-UH athletic director Harry Fouke at golf on a regular basis, Fouke made him the head golf coach.[3] He served in that position from 1952 to 1987.

In addition to winning 16 team national championships and eight individual ones, Williams' teams won 14 conference championships and 340 tournaments overall. Several of his players would go on to have professional golf careers, including Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Nick Faldo, Butch Harmon, Bruce Lietzke, John Mahaffey, Dave Marr, Phil Rodgers, Bill Rogers and Fuzzy Zoeller.[4] Future broadcaster Jim Nantz also played under him.

Williams' contributions to the sport lives on to this day, as the scoring system he devised is used at the high school level all the way up to Division I. He was also the first coach to start outfitting his teams in the same uniforms featuring the school colors.[5]

Williams died in Wharton, Texas in 1998. The Dave Williams Golf Academy at the Golf Club of Houston is named after him.[6]

References

Underwood, John (June 19, 1967). "Dauntless Dave". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
Brown, Clifton (December 19, 1998). "Dave Williams, 80, Influential Golf Coach". The New York Times.
Maisel, Ivan (June 4, 1984). "He's now the proud father of 15". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
"Dave Williams". Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
"Coaching Legend Williams Dies". CBS News. December 17, 1998. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
Bailey, Mike (June 22, 2011). "New golf academy to honor legend, serve UH's future". Houston Chronicle.

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[1] Underwood, John (June 19, 1967). "Dauntless Dave". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 22, 2023.

[2] Brown, Clifton (December 19, 1998). "Dave Williams, 80, Influential Golf Coach". The New York Times.

[3] Maisel, Ivan (June 4, 1984). "He's now the proud father of 15". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 25, 2023.

[4] "Dave Williams". Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 26, 2023.

[5] "Coaching Legend Williams Dies". CBS News. December 17, 1998. Retrieved April 25, 2023.

[6] Bailey, Mike (June 22, 2011). "New golf academy to honor legend, serve UH's future". Houston Chronicle.