June 4, 2010

Easton, Pa. - Former Tiger football player Jeremy Williams has been named by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) as a National High School Coach of the Year for 2010.

A standout safety at the University of Memphis from 1990-93, Williams has coached at Greenville High School in Georgia, a school in a town of fewer than 1,000 people playing in small-school Class A, for the past eight seasons. He has led his teams to a 47-37 record and three state playoff appearances. Williams coached his squad to a perfect 10-0 regular-season record last fall - they were eliminated by the eventual state champion in the second round of the playoffs to finish 11-1 - after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Riding to practices in a golf cart, sometimes having to lean on his players as he coached, he still inspired Greenville to heights the program hadn't seen since its last unbeaten season in 1992. The ABC television series, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, rebuilt Williams' house to accommodate his health issues and those of his 6-year-old son, Jacob, who was born with spina bifida and is confined to a wheelchair, as well as the Greenville High School field house. Williams was named the Atlanta Falcons' High School Coach of the Week for Nov. 23, and his was voted Sports Story of the Year for 2009 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Williams returned to his alma mater for the 2010 Blue-Gray Game in April, and was an honorary defensive coordinator for the game. He is the namesake of an award established this spring by head coach Larry Porter, who was a teammate of Williams. The Jeremy Williams Award will be presented every year to the spring's Most Valuable Player who, through his actions on the field, demonstrates determination, courage and leadership every day in the same way Williams did while starting every game of his career and amassing the current record of most tackles by a defensive back. The inaugural award, which was presented by Williams, was given to senior safety Marcus Ball.

It is the 11th year the NHSCA has honored these achievers in the high school coaching community nationwide. This year's recipients, selected in a total of 20 boys and girls sports, are from 17 different states. While these coaches represent a multitude of different backgrounds, they exhibit a common theme: a strong dedication to supporting and developing high school student-athletes.

"The coaches we are honoring are outstanding examples for successful high school coaches in their sports," NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro Jr. said. "They place a high value on the teamwork skills their players learn for success in the classroom and on the field, and we are proud to be honoring them."

Founded in 1989, the National High School Coaches Association is a not-for-profit 501c3 service organization providing support and leadership programs for the nation's 500,000 high school coaches and 10 million high school athletes. For more information, please go to: www.nhsca.com.