Sam Williams†
Inducted 1988
Born: Daingerfield
Best Known for: Coaching – Basketball
(June 29, 1924-Oct. 15, 2012)
Williams is known as the “Father of Broncs Basketball” for putting Pan American College on the national map by leading the Broncs to the NAIA basketball championship in 1963 and posted four 20-win campaigns in 15 years at the helm.
He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps before moving to the Valley to accept a teaching/coaching position in Donna. He then served as McAllen High School as assistant principal and led McHi to district championships in 1956 and 1957. HIs success drew the attention of Pan American College, and Williams took over as coach in 1958.
The court in The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Field House bears the name of Sam Williams, the winningest coach in program history, who came to the Valley in 1959 and led the way until 1973. Williams guided the Broncs to 11 winning seasons, including the NAIA National Champion team in 1963 and the 1964 team that advanced to the national championship game.
The man who won 244 lifetime games at Pan Am was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1963 and established the Broncs as a national power, with 79 wins from 1961 to 1964.
In 2010 he returned to the Field House for a reunion of the 1963 champs, as the crowd cheered for the “Father of Broncs Basketball” once again.