Williams to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Part of the fun of being a sports fan is following the careers of your peers, your friends, your family members, your former teammates… who may go on to success at higher levels in the sports world. Seeing them in “big games” is a thrill.
That being said, the family, friends and peers of Bruce Williams have had a lifetime of thrills.
The Hatfield resident has probably participated in more “big games” than anyone, throughout his long career.
In 44 years as a football official, Williams worked himself up through the ranks… then maintained a position at the height of his profession until finally calling it quits last year.
For that incredible run — the last 28 years as an NCAA official — Williams will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame. The award will be presented as part of the gala induction banquet on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Presidential Caterers in East Norriton.
A native of Springfield
(Montco), and a former offensive lineman at Springfield High, Williams entered the officiating circle at the entry levels. From peewee football, through junior high, through high school he showed proficiency and climbed the officiating ladder.
In the late 1980s he broke into the college ranks. His demeanor on the field quickly caught the eye of those assigning college games. In 2002 he became a regular official in the Atlantic 10 Conference. In 2003 he moved to the highpowered Big East Conference and continued until the league was disbanded in 2013. From that point, until the end of last season, we worked as a side judge in the American Athletic Conference.
At the end of each regular season Williams was selected to do bowl games and some of the biggest college football matchups. In 2005 he worked his first
bowl game, the Houston Bowl. Other bowl games followed – the R & L Carriers Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, the Camellia Bowl, the Heart of Dallas Bowl and the Cactus Bowl.
In 2010 he reached the pinnacle of his profession, working the BCS National Championship Game in the Rose Bowl.
Not only did Williams get to see the entire country in his travels, he also got to see the world. In 2014 he worked the University of Central Florida-Penn State game in Dublin, Ireland.
Williams will be the first to admit that one of his greatest thrills was working the 2010 Army-Navy game. In a fitting sendoff, he was called back to work the Army-Navy game again last December – his final game as a football official.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was created by the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame to honor those who have distinguished themselves in the world of sports — but may not
fit the criteria for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Two individuals who received the award also are members of the Hall of Fame. Tommy Lasorda and Geno Auriemma each received the award after leading their U.S. team to an Olympic gold medal.
The award is not presented every year… only when there is a very deserving recipient. This year’s recipient, Bruce Williams, certainly fits the bill.
This year’s Hall of Fame induction class includes North Penn High football coach Dick Beck, former Plymouth Whitemarsh High wrestling coach Bob Lorence, Jenkintown High girls’ basketball coach Jim Romano and North Penn High track coach Richard Swanker.
The four members of the new induction class, along with the yet-to-beannounced members of the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame Honor Roll (for volunteer coaches) will be inducted at the Nov. 20 banquet.
Tickets for the banquet are available for purchase by contacting any member of the Hall of Fame Advisory Board. Additional information can be obtained by going to the website — www.mcchof.com or by calling the banquet management office at (610) 2799220.