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John M. Williams photo
John M. Williams photo
John M. Williams
Hometown: Hermanville, MS
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Coach John Williams was a championship football coach at East Tallahatchie, Magee, Wingfield, Biloxi, and Mississippi College. Born in Hermanville, Coach Williams excelled in all sports and was named Mr. Port Gibson at Port Gibson High. John played football and baseball at Copiah-Lincoln Community College and lettered in football at Mississippi College. He obtained his degree from MC along with Southern Miss. Coach Williams began his 37-year coaching career at East Tallahatchie in Charleston as an assistant from 1957 to 1959. After serving as head coach from 1960 to 1961, he arrived at Magee High where he paced the Trojans to perfect seasons in 1962 and 1963 along with the Little Dixie Conference Championship. John then moved to the Coast where he led the Biloxi Indians for 8 seasons and had another undefeated season in 1968 with a record of 11-0 claiming the Big Eight Championship. In 1972, he arrived at Mississippi College where he served as athletic director and head football coach until 1990. At MC, John guided the Choctaws football program to a record of 122 wins, 81 losses, and 3 ties including three Gulf South Conference titles in 1979, 1988, and 1990 and the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1989. Coach Williams was a two-time Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year in 1979 and 1990 and was the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year in 1989. John returned to the high school ranks coaching at Wingfield in Jackson in 1991 and then back to Biloxi High in 1992 where he finished his coaching career in 1997. Coach Williams led his high school teams to an overall record of 141 wins, 59 losses, and 6 ties that included three undefeated seasons. In addition to MAC induction, John is a member of the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Athletic Hall of Fame, the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame, the Gulf South Hall of Fame, and the Mississippi College Athletic Hall of Fame. Coach Williams passed away on September 2, 2021.