Ronnie Williams (April 29, 1962 – November 7, 2021) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

. Williams played professionally in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) and

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

(USBL).

Early life

Williams attended St. John's Military Academy in

Delafield, Wisconsin Delafield is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Bark River. The population was 7,185 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The city of Delafield is a separate municipality from the Tow ...

College career

Williams was recruited by

assistant coach

Monte Towe Monte Corwin Towe (born September 27, 1953) is an American basketball coach and retired basketball player. He was a starting point guard on the 1973-74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team, 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack ...

, who noticed Williams at a summer league tournament in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

during the late-1970s. Williams was a four-time All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) selection and led the Gators in scoring each season he played. Williams holds the Gators' records in points, field goals made, free throws made and free throws attempted.

Suspension

Williams was suspended along with three teammates for the first month of the 1982–83 season due to a telephone fraud case. Williams, Vernon Delancy, Tony Rogers and Rodney Williams of the Florida Gators basketball team, along with Gators football player Lorenzo Hampton and sprinter Roger Dixon, were charged with making more than $1,600 in illegal telephone calls and placing them on the University Athletic Association's bill. The suspended players were required to repay the telephone company and maintain good behavior for one year.

Professional career

Williams was selected by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

as the 47th overall pick in the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally ...

but never played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played in the

for the

Tampa Bay Thrillers The Tampa Bay Thrillers were a franchise in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1984–1987. They won back-to-back championships in 1984–85 and 1985–86. At the end of the 1986–87 CBA regular season the team relocated to Rapi ...

, the

Pensacola Tornados The Pensacola Tornados was a basketball team that played in Pensacola, Florida in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1985–1991. 1985–1986 season Ted Stepien bought a CBA franchise for Toronto in 1983 after threatening to mo ...

and the

Mississippi Jets The La Crosse Bobcats were a Continental Basketball Association (CBA) basketball team located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from 1996 to the league's bankruptcy in February 2001. The Bobcats were the second CBA team located in La Crosse; previously, th ...

. After his first season in the CBA he was back with the Boston Celtics for the 1985–86 preseason, but was cut in early October 1985 by Celtics coach K. C. Jones. Williams played with the

Palm Beach Stingrays The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

of the

(USBL) in 1987 and in 1988. He was released after one month with the team on June 22, 1988. Williams retired from playing basketball in 1988.

Personal life

After his playing career, Williams worked at a juvenile detention center in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

for over 20 years. He had six children.

Death

Williams died on November 7, 2021, in New York City after a two-year struggle with brain cancer.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1980–81 , style="text-align:left;",

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, 28 , , – , , 35.3 , , .575 , , – , , .610 , , 9.0 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 19.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1981–82 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , – , , 36.8 , , .597 , , – , , .728 , , 8.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 21.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1982–83 , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , 27 , , 35.9 , , .580 , , – , , .723 , , 8.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 18.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1983–84 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 27 , , 34.9 , , .586 , , – , , .716 , , 8.7 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 16.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 110 , , 54 , , 35.7 , , .585 , , – , , .696 , , 8.7 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .8 , , 19.0

References

External links

College statisticsCBA statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ronnie 1962 births 2021 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Queens, New York Boston Celtics draft picks Deaths from brain cancer in New York (state) Florida Gators men's basketball players Jacksonville Jets (CBA) players Mississippi Jets players Pensacola Tornados (1985–86) players Power forwards Tampa Bay Thrillers players