[1] A 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) guard, Williams played at Kansas State University from 1972 to 1976 for head coach Jack Hartman.

He helped lead the Wildcats to an 82–30 (.732) record, including two NCAA Elite Eight appearances and the 1973 Big Eight regular-season championship.

Ironically, he spanned the years between his fellow retirees and was a teammate of both Mike Evans and Lon Kruger.

The following year, Williams guided the squad to its second consecutive 20-win season en route to earning second team All-America honors from The Sporting News, Converse Yearbook and Basketball Weekly.

Williams became just the second player in school history to be selected in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft when he was picked 15th by the Cleveland Cavaliers.