Heidelberg University Athletics

Before graduating in 1960 Joel E. Williams left his mark at Heidelberg College in athletics.
He lettered three years in football and basketball while earning four letters in track, a sport he feels was his best while wearing the colors of Heidelberg College.

Williams set school records his first year and proceeded to break all of them several times during the following three years before graduation.

In 1960 he was the Ohio Athletic Conference champion in the shot put and discus, setting new conference marks of 167 -1/2 in the discus and 54-1 3/4 in the shot. He was also the All-Ohio champion in both events and established a new Heidelberg mark in the shot put of 55-8 before moving on to become the NCAA Midwest champion in the shot put and discus.

Having met the NCAA qualifying distances for the national meet, his coach, Marv Frye, entered him in a meet at the University of California where he placed seventh in the country in the discus, just one place away from making the Olympic Trials.

His success in the shot put began by accident while waiting for a school bus in high school. He was tossing the shot put with the boys on the team and he out tossed them. It wasn't long until he was the league champion in the shot while placing in the discus and running the 440.

He passed up an opportunity to play professional football in the hopes of entering the Olympics in 1964, but the United States Army canceled those plans and he soon found himself with another championship in the shot and discus in 1963 with the 7th Army.

As he was preparing to graduate from high school in 1955, the track and football coach, Norm McElheny, a 1948 graduate of Heidelberg College, asked him to return to school and play football for him since he had a half year of eligibility left. He agreed and was quickly successful. So successful that the coaches felt he could play on the collegiate level.

Williams could have gone to Ohio State University, Bowling Green or Ohio University, but McElheny insisted he visit Heidelberg College with his sister and that resulted in two admissions to Heidelberg College.

Now in the construction business in Lexington, Kentucky, he also became a standout in basketball from an odd incident. His 6-4, 190-pound frame drew the attention of the Hilliard High School coach while Williams was practicing his rebounding skills in the gym. He lettered three years and was all-league. 
 
(This profile appeared in the 1995 Hall of Fame Banquet program.  Mr. Williams passed away in 2016.)