Saturday, February 15, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Even now, more than a half-century later, Steve Williams downplays his place in University of Florida basketball history. A standout guard who helped guide Pensacola Washington to the 1970 Class 2A state championship, Williams signed to play with the Gators that same year.
He did not sign up to be a trailblazer.
"My dream in life was to graduate from college and be the basketball coach at my high school in Pensacola," Williams recalled this week. "My intentions were not to start anything or make myself into something or try to change society. I was just trying to take advantage of an opportunity."
But in becoming the first African-American basketball player at UF, the accompanying recognition was a given. There can only be one first. Williams, now 72, will be honored for his place in Florida hoops history with an on-court salute Saturday night when the third-ranked Gators (21-3, 8-3) take on South Carolina (10-14, 0-11) in their sold-out Southeastern Conference game at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Steve Williams
For Williams, it will be his second time back to the O'Dome this season. He was here for the Virginia game on Dec. 4 as part of the program's new effort to reconnect with its past. This season, at the behest of Associate Athletic Director Dave Werner in his first-year role with administrative oversight of men's basketball, the Gators invite a "distinguished letterman" (sometimes two) to home games and roll out the orange-and-blue carpet. The alums attend the shoot-around, dine with the team at the pregame meal, then and take in the game.
It's a way to connect the present to the past.
"It means a lot to meet and talk to the guys that paved the way for us," senior guard Will Richard said. "It's inspiring to see them come back and support us, so we want to honor them by making them proud with the way we play." Dave Werner
So far the list of dignitaries has included Mike Rollyson from the 1960s, Tony Miller from the '70s, Clifford Lett and Brian Hogan from the '80s, and Dametri Hill and Andrew DeClercq from the '90s. Saturday's featured player will be Gene Shy, who for two years was a teammate alongside Williams.
"Some of these former players we all recognize and some of them played a long time ago but had a tremendous impact on our program," Werner said. "It's important for our [current] players to know their stories."
Williams definitely has a story.
On the court, Williams scored 595 points, grabbed 382 rebounds and handed out 248 assists in his 74 games over three seasons (1971-74) under two coaches (Tommy Bartlett and John Lotz). In the first varsity game of his career, the Gators upset ninth-ranked Louisville, which reached the Final Four that season. He scored 27 points in a win over Army at Madison Square Garden. He was part of teams that upset eventual NIT champion (a big deal, back then) Virginia Tech. He beat Kentucky twice. Williams was voted a team captain as a senior, had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in a victory over Auburn and helped lead the Gators to their first winning season in five years.
Steve Williams (33) to the rack on an Auburn defender in 1974l.
"Amazing memories," Williams said. "There were a couple negative things that happened along the way, but the positive things way overshadowed everything else. It was an excellent experience for me."
Regarding those "negative things." Early '70s. The South. The fallout of the Civil Rights Movement. Integration. Williams didn't just have a front-row seat for it all, he had a starring role.
"You definitely heard things said, especially on the road," recalled then UF Hall-of-Fame forward Chip Williams, no relation.
Steve Williams doesn't speak of those low points often. He won't even acknowledge in which SEC towns they took place.
Like the time he went into a restaurant with a white teammate and found himself surrounded by local patrons and being told to leave … or else.
"I was 18, so a lot of thoughts went through my head," Williams recalled. "I remember thinking, 'If I stay, there are too many of them. If I leave, I may end up with cement on my feet.' It was a situation I'll never forget, but it's not one I think about a lot. Things have changed. And it was never like that with my team."
The Gators, Chip Williams said, never thought of Steve Williams as a "Black teammate." Just a teammate, a great guy and a really good basketball player who went by (and still does) the nickname "Grump."
"A class act," Chip Williams said.
Steve Williams graduated in 1974 with a Physical Education/Health & Recreation degree and went to work for one year at nearby Newberry High. A year later – per his goal in life -- Williams was back teaching and coaching basketball at Washington High, where he won a bunch of games and fell a Stevie Edwards (who played Kentucky) bucket short of playing for a state championship. Eventually, Williams took his coaching and teaching to Middleton and Steinbrenner high schools in Tampa, where he lives now, but the people in the town where he grew up never forgot what Williams did for them. In 2024, Washington High put his name on their gymnasium floor.
Steve Williams and gymnasium floor named in his honor.
Because of the person, the teacher and coach Williams was.
"He never talked about it, but we all knew," Derrick Brooks said this week. "Pensacola is a small town, and we had parents who told us about him."
Yes, that Derrick Brooks.
Brooks is one of the most decorated and revered athletes – college and professional – in the history of the state of Florida. First-team All American and national champion at Florida State. First-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Seven-time All-Pro. Eleven-time Pro-Bowler. NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Super Bowl champion. Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. First-ballot Pro Football Hall-of-Famer. Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Derrick Brooks
Brooks played basketball for Williams at Washington before launching into his two decades of athletic superstardom. He carried Williams' influence with him, on and off the field, on his path to greatness.
"On the very first day of practice, he did not mess around," recalled Brooks, now 51. "He told us we were going to be respectful; we were going to be disciplined; we were going to be accountable."
Williams laid out four guidelines his players would follow. They were non-negotiable.
Give maximum effort
Embrace accountability
Bring the right attitude every day
Enjoy the process
"It all aligned with everything – academics, athletics, my faith and character – that I was trying to be about at the time," Brooks said. "That was Coach."
That was Williams. That was "Grump." As humble, as dignified and as understated an icon ever to wear a uniform for the Gators.
Come Saturday night, more than 10,000 will show their appreciation.
"I love to hear that the University of Florida is recognizing him at this stage of his life," Brooks said. "I'm going to celebrate it."
Steve Williams and wife Annette at a UF football game.
Brooks will do so from afar, but a handful of teammates from Williams' early to mid-'70s era will be in town for a get-together hosted by Chip Williams, a first-team All-SEC player in his day and still the No. 32 scorer in Florida history. They'll reminisce, tell stories and revel in each other's company.
Welcome back, "Grump."
"My Florida experience was an excellent experience," said Williams, married for 29 years, with four children and 10 grandchildren. "The negatives over the years I have pushed to the background and kept them from having influence on how I feel about the University of Florida. I love the University of Florida. If I had a choice, I would do it all over again."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
