William Martin Williams (September 12, 1877 â March 30, 1932) was an American football coach and attorney.
Born in West Point, Georgia, Williams attended Auburn University, where he played on the football team as a halfback from 1894 to 1896. In 1915, John Heisman selected his 30 best Southern football players, and mentioned Williams second.
The Auburn football team executed a "hidden ball trick" in the game against Vanderbilt, as Auburn seemed to run a revolving wedge. Vanderbilt still won however, 9 to 6; the first time in the history of southern football that a field goal decided a game. Williams recalled:
Quarterback Reynolds Tichenor described the nature of the play as follows:
He graduated with a bachelor's of science degree in 1896, and was an assistant instructor of English and Mathematics during the 1896âÂÂ97 school year while he completed a master's degree.
Williams returned to Auburn in 1901 to coach the football team after being unanimously selected by members of the board.
Williams served as the head football coach of the Clemson Tigers in 1897, leading the team to a 2âÂÂ2 record; his Auburn teammate Walter Riggs was an engineering professor at Clemson, and had been the coach the previous season.
Williams attended Harvard Law School from 1899 to 1901. He died in Baltimore, Maryland in 1932.