![]() ![]() He transferred again to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, where he graduated in 1995, before returning to Texas A&M. He initially transferred to Texas A&M University in 1994, but failed the math portion of a junior-college exit exam and was ruled ineligible for the 1994 season. ![]() Williams also played for the Minnesota Vikings, with whom he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.Īfter graduating from Wossman High School in Monroe, Louisiana, Williams attended Navarro College, where he was a two-time junior college All-American in 19. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football for Texas A&M Aggies football. (born October 24, 1972) is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons. Which brings us to the manner in which he concludes every voicemail greeting - by saying, "Make it a great day." Safe to say Pat Williams has long endeavored to do just that, for himself and everybody else.Patrick Williams Sr. “A lot of people just give up,” he told me in 2012. ![]() And while marathons were out of the question at that point, he continued with his writing and speaking engagements. A year later, that mission was accomplished. When he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2011, he held a news conference during which he unveiled a T-shirt emblazoned with a slogan: The Mission Is Remission (which, naturally, gave rise to another book). It became a punchline as the team continued to fail in the postseason (until ‘82-83), and over the years Pat has sheepishly allowed that if nothing else, that slogan sure had staying power.īeyond the zaniness lies a man of considerable depth, not to mention toughness. Williams is also known for greenlighting the ad campaign referenced in the book title - We Owe You One - after the Sixers lost to Portland in the 1977 Finals. (As Williams wrote with Bill Lyon in the 1983 book, We Owed You One , he later received a hotel bill from Little Arlene showing that she had also consumed a steak dinner before downing 23 hot dogs, 22 slices of pizza and 16 Cokes during that contest.) Eating contests, one of which was won by a petite woman named Little Arlene. He returned to the Sixers as general manager in 1974, and soon after the winning began. Still later, he served as GM in Atlanta, where he - ouch - traded Pistol Pete Maravich. A year later, Williams was hired as the GM in Chicago, where he created the mascot, Benny the Bull. ![]() The Sixers made him their business manager in 1968. Williams started out as an executive for the Miami Marlins, then a minor league team, before becoming GM of the Phillies’ affiliate in Spartanburg, S.C. He manned that position at Wake Forest and as mentioned landed in the Phillies’ farm system, only to learn that a scout named Wes Livengood had a blunt, if accurate, assessment of his abilities: “Has a future in the front office.” I asked him how my tie looked and he deadpanned, “Gordie, you look elegant.”Ī native Philadelphian, his dream growing up in Delaware was to become a major league catcher. And be back soon.’ ”Īnother time he and I were about to appear on a Philadelphia-area TV show to promote our book, Pat Williams’ Tales from the Philadelphia 76ers. All he has to say is, ‘Now stay to the left. His voicemail greetings always include quotes designed to either motivate or amuse, one being this: “I was thinking that a track coach has the easiest job of all. The Skinny: Know this about Pat: He’s never out of character. Diagnosed in 2011 with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that forms in the white blood cells, but has been in remission for several years. Moreover, he is a coveted motivational speaker. He also ran 58 marathons between 19, including Boston 13 times. After their marriage ended in divorce in 1995 he saw his second wife, Ruth, add another child to the family. He and his first wife Jill raised 18 children, four of them biological and 14 others adopted from four countries. Now 79, he has called himself an “extremist,” because of his propensity for pushing things to the nth degree, something evident not only in his publishing exploits but in several other ways. What he did: Following his time with the Sixers, Williams co-founded the Orlando Magic and served as a team executive for 33 years ( retiring in April). Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE/Getty Images served as the team's general manager from 1974-86. Pat Williams, shown dedicating a marker to Harvey Pollack, the Sixers' late statistician, in 2016. ![]()
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