Who he is: Head Coach for the
Maryland Terps basketball team
Hometown: Collingswood,
NJ
Birth date: March 4, 1945
Alma Mater: Maryland (1968)
Win percentage:
Overall: 469-270 (63%)
At Maryland: 262-142 (65%)
After playing for Maryland as a point guard in the '60s, Gary Williams served as an assistant coach for Maryland for a year, and then went on to get a business degree. After that, he then coached for his own high school in Camden, NJ. After just one yer, he took over as head coach and led the team to a 27-0 record and a state title.
Williams only got better, as he advanced to head coaching at NCAA teams beginning with American (1979-82), Boston College (1983-86), an Ohio State (1987-89).
Williams then began his illustrious career at Maryland in June of 1989. He inheirited a program that was at an all-time low. After the drug-related death of ACC Player of the Year Len Bias, the NCAA had levied tough sanctions on the Maryland program, including a two-year television ban, a two-year ban on the NCAA tournament, and the loss of two scholarships. This also led to the resignation of coach Lefty Driesell. And the year before Williams was hired, Maryland had finished last place in the ACC.
Williams quickly showed his skills the first year as the Terps won 19 games, and advanced into the NIT, a rarity for first-year coaches.
Over the years, the Terps and their coach haven gotten better and better. Williams can boast he leads one of the 9 teams that has made 8 straight NCAA tournament appearances, culminating in a Final Four appearance in 2001.
Gary Williams was inducted into the University of Maryland Hall of Fame in 1999 and was named 2001 Coach of the Year by Playboy. He continues to serve as the head coach for the highly-ranked Terps, who are consitently ranked in the top 10 nowadays.
Coaching Record at Maryland:
Year Overall / Conf. Postseason Participation
1989-90 19-14 / 6-8 (T5th) NIT Second Round (1-1)
1990-91 16-12 / 5-9 (7th)
1991-92 14-15 / 5-11 (8th)
1992-93 12-16 / 2-14 (8th)
1993-94 18-12 / 8-8 (T4th) NCAA Midwest Region Semifinals (2-1)
1994-95 26-8 / 12-4 (T1st) NCAA West Region Semifinals (2-1)
1995-96 17-13 / 8-8 (T4th) NCAA West Region First Round (0-1)
1996-97 21-11 / 9-7 (T4th) NCAA Southeast Region First Round (0-1)
1997-98 21-11 / 10-6 (3rd) NCAA West Region Semifinals (2-1)
1998-99 28-6 / 13-3 (2nd) NCAA South Region Semifinals (2-1)
1999-00 25-10 / 11-5 (2nd) NCAA Midwest Region Second Round (1-1)
2000-01 25-11 / 10-6 (3rd) NCAA Final Four, West Region Champions (4-1)
Gary's official site is at
http://www.coachgarywilliams.com
More Maryland sports at
http://www.umterps.com
Ed. Note/Update: Williams coached the Terps to a national championship in 2002.