The Madison College Athletic Department is saddened by the passing of Fred Williams, a pioneer of athletics and the "father" of three programs. During his 31 years of coaching the then-Trojans baseball, cross country, and track & field teams, Williams was inducted into the Madison College Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 1998. Williams died on Tuesday, January 24 and was 85 years old. (Obituary)

"Fred Williams certainly meant a lot to Madison College Athletics and to the many student-athletes he worked with over his time at the college. He will be sorely missed," commented Interim Director of Athletics Jason Verhelst. "I had the opportunity to work with him during our annual Turkey Trot and he truly had a passion for everything he was involved in. He loved supporting and encouraging athletes to do their very best."
 

Williams' tenure at MATC began in 1971 as the first-ever head coach of the newly-formed baseball team. Despite just four wins in that first season, Williams eventually racked up a 108-137-1 record over 11 seasons, ranking him third all-time in wins in program history. His teams claimed five Wisconsin Technical College Conference (WTCC) championships and three Wisconsin Junior College Athletic Association (WJCAA) titles.

In 1972, Williams took over the men's cross country programs, a position he held for the next 20 years. Four years later, he helped welcome in the women's cross country team and served as head coach of both until 1992. The Trojans enjoyed great team and individual success under Williams, including three WTCC championships, one WJCAA title, and a Region 13 banner. The three-time WJCAA Coach of the Year and the 1989 Region 13 Coach of the Year guided one NJCAA All-American (Charlotte Rittmeyer, '89), 18 individual NJCAA national qualifiers, and two teams that qualified for the NJCAA National Championships. Williams also served as the cross country coordinator for four seasons, and then continued as an assistant coach from 1997 to 2003.

The "father" wasn't done, as in 1987 he created and coached the first MATC men's and women's track & field team as a club sport. As it debuted as an officially sponsored Trojans program one year later, Williams took an assistant coaching role behind Tom Bennet and Willis Goedel, and then took on the track & field coordinator job from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, Williams served one more season as the head coach before returning to an assistant coaching post for the program's final five years.

Williams was an integral part to the start of the Madison College Turkey Trot, which started as a cross country race in 1986. It later transitioned to a fundraising 5K & 5M run/walk and kids race to help Thursday's Child and the Madison College Foundation. The final running of the Turkey Trot was in 2020, and Williams was there as the honorary starter to mark it's 33rd year.

His impact at MATC went beyond athletics, as Williams also served as a longtime teacher in the Psychology and Human Relations Department.

Services are set for Wednesday, February 1 at Cress Funeral Home (3610 Speedway Road, Madison, WI 53705). The visitation will run from 9:00-11:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Committal is set for 1:45 p.m. at Forest Hill Cemetary. A live stream of the service is available here.