Williams had been coaching at Hermiston High School since 2012, taking the Bulldogs to three consecutive Oregon Class 5A championships from 2013-15. Citing family and job reasons, Williams turned in his resignation Thursday, and will be making his new home in Spokane, Wash. where he will coach and serve as a special education teacher at Central Valley High.
The former Duck wrestler told The Oregonian that a major factor in making the move is to be closer to his 11-year-old son, who lives with his mother in Spokane.
"(My son) has a great support system up there, and I want to be a part of what he does," Williams said. "I weighed my options of do I stay or do I go, but in the end I've got to go up there and be closer to him."
It's a homecoming of sorts for Williams. Although a native of South Africa, Williams launched his collegiate mat career at North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho which is about 30 miles east of Spokane. Earlier in his coaching career he served as an assistant at Central Valley.
Williams had an impressive on-the-mat career. He won a NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) title at North Idaho, then came to Oregon, where he was a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2001 and 2002 at 125 pounds. In 2002, Williams, the No. 8 seed, reached the round of 12, where he lost to eventual champ Stephen Abas of Fresno State. Beyond college, Williams wrestled freestyle for his native South Africa, placing 11th at the 2003 World Championships, and competing at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
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