Hall of Fame
To say that Dick Williams took to sports like a duck to water would be a lie. Williams would put the duck to shame--and more than a few species of fish as well. He joined the swimming team his freshman year-1952--and helped Vic Gustafson's squad take the MIAC championship. While the team fell to second place in the conference the following two seasons, Williams continued his own improvement. He splashed to a first-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly event in the 1953 MIAC meet, and hit the line first in the 120-yard individual medley event the following year. Those were warmups, however, for his senior year, in which Williams was captain of the conference champion Gustie swimmers. This time, Williams won conference titles in both the 200-yard breaststroke and the 120-yard individual medley, setting MIAC records in both events. For good measure, he also won the 100-yard butterfly event.
And while he was at his best off terra firma, Williams kept his feet on the ground long enough to play on the golf team three years. Since he left Gustavus, Williams has earned a doctorate from the University of Minnesota and accepted a faculty appointment at UCLA, where he is currently a professor of education and director of the university's laboratory elementary school. His wife Michele works as an assistant principal in the Oxnard elementary school system. They have three children: Heather, 22; Christopher, 20; and Marne, 19.
