Charlie Williams†
Inducted 1988
Hometown: Refugio
High School: Refugio High School
College: Hardin-Simmons University, Southwest Texas State University
Best Known for: Coach-Football
(Feb. 23, 2014-Dec. 29, 1930)
Williams was a winner who succeeded at every stop along his coaching line, taking three Valley football teams to the playoffs and earning induction into the Texas Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1994.
Williams was a 1948 graduate of Refugio High School, where he was a four-sport letterman. He played college football and was a pole vaulter at Hardin-Simmons University. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War.
An early dream came true when he received a contract to play pro football for the Los Angeles Rams in 1953. Two months later he tore his ACL while playing for Scott Air Force Base, ending his dreams of playing professionally, but redirecting him down a path to become one of the most beloved and successful coaches in Texas.
Williams received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Educational Administration at Southwest Texas State University. He began his coaching career at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School in 1959. After getting the head job in 1962, he led the Bears to the state finals in Class 3A in 1962 and 1963, compiling a 76-24-5 record at the school from 1962 to 1971.
He took the head coaching position at McAllen High School and led the Bulldogs to the state quarterfinals in 1975, winning 52 of 68 games with the Bulldogs from 1974 to 1979. Next, Williams was head coach at Harlingen High School and was 17-3-1 with them, for an all-time record of 188-57-11, for a 76-percent winning clip.
