Lee Williams attended Cortland from 1936 to 1940, winning four varsity letters in baseball and three in basketball. In baseball, he was a starter all four years. He was primarily a pitcher but played the outfield when he wasn’t on the mound. He was a guard in basketball, specializing in bringing the ball up the court. He played professional baseball in the old PONY League in 1940 as a pitcher.
Among his personal highlights were a fine day at the plate against Springfield in 1940 when his extra-base hit late in the game won for the Dragons, his scoring five consecutive shots against Oswego in his first varsity basketball start as a sophomore (he started every game after that for three years), and when his two free throws against Brockport in 1940, after time had run out and Cortland was down one point, gave the Dragons a come-from-behind win.
Athletics have meant a lot to Lee. “Everything I am, that I have done, that I have believed, that I have aspired to, everything that guides my life, has come from the wonderful privilege of athletic participation,” he says.
Raised in Owego and attending Owego Free Academy, Mr. Willliams graduated from Cortland with a B.S. in physical education. He received his M.A. in administrative education from Teachers College Columbia University in 1947.
Organizations and affiliations to which Lee has belonged include being a life member, since 1948, of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, including holding the presidency in 1963-64; being a member of the National Invitational Basketball Tournament’s Selection Committee in 1964 and 1965; serving as a member of the U.S. Olympic’s Men’s Basketball Committee in 1960 and 1964; being president of the New England Basketball Coaches Association in 1950; serving as secretary-treasurer of the same group from 1951-65; being president of the Maine Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1955, 1959 and 1963; an 18-year radio commentary for “Spotlight on Sports” in Waterville; a former editor of the National Association of Basketball Coaches publication and contributing author to a number of athletic publications; and membership in Springfield’s Rotary Club and Joint Civic Agencies of Greater Springfield.
He was the recipient of the Walter A. Brown Memorial Award in 1968, for “Greatest Contribution to New England Basketball,” and of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ 1967 Merit Award.
Lee and wife, Ruth, are the parents of a son, Greg and a daughter, Mary Jo.
UPDATE: Williams passed away on March 10, 1998 (date not confirmed).
