Bert Williams, longtime football coach at Georgia Military College and a graduate of Westside High School, will be posthumously inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in February.
Williams joins former University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt and Atlanta Braves standout Andruw Jones as part of this year’s class of honorees.
MORE: Art exhibitions on tap for February
Williams, an Augusta native whose parents Pete and Cathy Williams still live in the area, was a four-year letterman at Davidson College in North Carolina from 1986-1990. After graduating, he coached at the University of Georgia from 1990-1994. He then spent three years as the offensive coordinator at Union College in Kentucky.
“He came to GMC in the spring of 1997 and has played an integral role at the institution ever since,” said a press release from the college, which announced his retirement on Nov. 3, 2020. He died of cancer in August 2021.
At Georgia Military College, he achieved a record of 156-58 during his 20 years as head coach. He led the team to 10 bowl games, a national championship in 2001, national championship game appearances in 2002 and 2013. He was named national coach of the year in 2001, 2002 and 2013. He was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2010 and was the first active coach to be honored in that way, the release said.
He also served as the college’s athletic director, where he “led the growth of the GMC Athletic Department from one to nine very successful athletic programs over the course of his tenure,” the news release continued.
MORE: Rock concerts help raise money
The 67th annual induction will be the weekend of Feb. 24 and 25 with events such as a golf classic on Feb. 24 and fan autograph sessions Feb. 25. The induction ceremony will be at the Macon City Auditorium Feb. 25.
For tickets and additional information, visit the website here.
Williams is part of this year’s “legends” highlighting the accomplishments of four people with ties to Georgia sports who have died in recent years. Other legends include Jack Stallings, who coached college baseball for 39 years at institutions such as Wake Forest, Florida State University and Georgia Southern University; Demaryius Thomas, a Georgia Tech standout, who played professional football for teams such as the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; and Steve Webber “the winningest baseball coach in Georgia Bulldog history,” according to a press release from the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Subscribe to the Augusta Good News newsletter here. Follow Augusta Good News on facebook here.
How does one share news about someone from Augusta that is doing something on a national scale but is/has not been recognized for those efforts by the Augusta press( if one stills exists)??