S.C. Hall of Fame | The Name Game

One does not have to look far to find the impact left by S.C. Hall of Fame inductee Carl Williams

By BOB GILLESPIE - bgillespie@thestate.com

Carl Williams is on the phone again. Earlier, he had called with the name of one of his former players from a high school coaching career spanning nearly 40 years, 503 victories and four state championships. Now he wants to add to that list again.

“John Smith, Wichita State,” he said. “Anton Hall, UMass. Austin Coleman, USC Upstate. James Darby played with X (Xavier McDaniel, his most famous player), Arkansas State. Al Taylor, Wright State ...”

The names tumble out in a memory stream from Williams, who on May 19 will join six others in the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008.

Three names on Williams’ list are automatic. A.C. Flora’s McDaniel led the NCAA in scoring and rebounding at Wichita State and had a stellar NBA career. McDaniel’s teammate Tyrone Corbin went to DePaul and the NBA. Leon Benbow led Booker T. Washington High to the last Class 4A state title of the segregation era in 1970 and later played for the Chicago Bulls.

But Williams goes on: Robbie Brannon, James Hildebrand, Anthony Snooks, Tony Ashford, Chris Brown, Rod Shiver, Derrick Earle, Rodney Spain — all played college ball. Even Richland Northeast’s Nicky Davis, whose 1994 robbery arrest was one of Williams’ most bitter disappointments, used a second chance to play at Arkansas and later as a professional in Japan.

Asking Williams for “a few of the top guys” is no simple matter. Nor is summing up his career.

Williams is the only S.C. prep coach to win state titles at three schools. His A.C. Flora teams won 3A championships in 1981 and 1986, and Lower Richland won the 1999 4A crown.

Williams also was the “godfather” for a generation of Columbia coaches — George Glymph, Ben Trapp and others — who forged character as well as winners.

“We all treated (basketball) as a chance to develop young men into productive citizens,” said Glymph, former coach at Eau Claire High and now a New York Knicks assistant. “With Carl, it was about making kids believe in the team concept.”

Williams learned perseverance the hard way. BTW’s title-winning coach later worked six seasons as an A.C. Flora assistant and JV coach to Cy Szakacsi. “When your school no longer exists (after 1974), you have to wait until something opens up,” he said.

Once in charge, though, Williams ruled with a firm hand.

“Coach treated us all the same, no superstars,” Corbin said. “If one of us screwed up, the team had to pay for it. He taught you to take responsibility for your teammates and yourself.”

“Having him as my coach was the best thing that happened to me,” McDaniel said.

Years later, McDaniel kidded Williams about “getting soft” with Lower Richland players Rolando Howell and Edward Scott. “Coach would tell me, ‘Today’s kids are different,’ ” McDaniel said. “He knew he had to change with the times.”

But on some things, Williams never wavered. “You go to class, show a certain character,” he said. “That I always insisted on.”

Retired since 2002, Williams works out at a fitness center and attends most USC home games. An avid traveler, he is planning a trip to the Holy Land.

Figures, Glymph said.

“Carl was one of the most organized guys I ever met,” he said. “He’d have schedules for practice, even scrimmages, who would sub for whom at what time. I had never seen anything like that.

“One thing you learned working for Carl was to pay attention to detail.” Including, obviously, former players’ names.

Reach senior writer Gillespie at (803) 771-8304.