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35 Championships Later, George Williams Stays At St. Augustine's

George Williams
St. Augustine's University

George Williams coaches one of the most successful track and field programs in the country. 

He has served as the coach at St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh for 38 years. And this spring, he won his 35th Division II national championship.  

He’s also been a coach and an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s team in three Olympic Games. His runners include former world record holder Michael Johnson and Bershawn “Batman” Jackson.

But such success comes from a long history of leadership. Williams helped integrate his city track team in Miami, and was one of the first to push for integration in Cary's public schools. 

"Everybody sees the glory, but they don't know the story. And the story is pretty big." - George Williams on integration in his hometown of Miami and in North Carolina

Host Frank Stasio talks with SAU athletic director and track coach George Williams.

Williams coached Michael Johnson during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Johnson set world records in multiple events that year.

http://youtu.be/6FEh7hDpGp0

Will Michaels is WUNC's Weekend Host and Reporter.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.