Galt resident now part of Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame
SACRAMENTO — John Williams helped create the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Hall of Fame.
Eight years later, the Galt resident has become part of the elite group.
On Sunday night, Williams was one of 12 people who were inducted into the hall of fame at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. He was the section’s assistant commissioner from 2001 until his retirement in 2015. He’s currently in his second tenure as the Sierra Valley Conference commissioner; his first tenure was from 1996 until he joined the section.
“A lot of people did a lot of good things,” Williams said. “I’m just coming along for the ride.”
In addition to his commissioner duties, Williams is one of the assistant coaches of the Liberty Ranch High boys basketball team, coached by Josh Williams, John’s son.
During the 2000s, Williams and the section office saw a major growth of high schools in the section that stretches from Yuba City to Merced. That led to the expansion of the playoffs, most notable football. He developed the section’s history and record books that can be viewed on the section’s website — cifsjs.org.
Williams talked about small cities that were growing, which led to building second, and in some cases, third high schools in those cities and towns.
“We were adding school after school after school,” Williams said.
In 2006, the section expanded its football playoffs from four to seven divisions. There were nearly a half-
dozen new leagues established during that time.
“That was an exciting time,” Williams said. “I think that set the table for what we are at today.”
In 2010, Williams and Pete Saco, who was the section’s commissioner at the time, wanted to honor the section’s best student-athletes, coaches, administrators and game officials. That led to establishing the hall of fame, which is held every two years in even-numbered years.
Part of Williams’ entourage at the ceremony was wife Shirley and son Josh; Gordon Williams, John’s father and Liberty Ranch High Principal Joe Saramago. Gordon, 91, has been one of John’s biggest supporters going back to when the younger Williams was a kid.
John Williams has been involved in high school athletics for 54 years that started as a ball boy for the Galt High boys basketball team before starting high school and ultimately played on the school’s boys basketball and baseball teams.
“He (Gordon) tells stories from the 1930s,” said John Williams of his father. “When I started growing up, we would go to all of the Galt (High) football games.”
Williams has a combined 23 years working in high school athletic administration, counting his tenures as the SVC commissioner and section office.
After he graduated from Sacramento State with degrees in Journalism and mathematics in the late 1970s, Williams, 62, worked as sports editor and production manager at The Galt Herald during two different tenures. He also worked as a sports writer for the Turlock Journal and Manteca Bulletin.
UC Davis football assistant head coach Mark Speckman, one of the other 12 people who were inducted into the hall of fame, gave the acceptance speech. Speckman, considered the mastermind behind the Fly Offense, was the Livingston, Merced and Golden Valley of Merced football head coach from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s. His most notable success was his Merced teams winning six consecutive Central California Conference titles from 1988 through 1993.
“This is a unique hall of fame,” Speckman told an estimated crowd of 200 people.
One of the many jokes he shared on the night was that he has worked with good and bad high school administrators.
“The good ones are better,” said Speckman as the crowd roared in laughter.
Joe Davidson, sports writer at The Sacramento Bee who has worked there since 1988, served as emcee at the ceremony.