He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 and 1967 and managed the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Houston Astros.

Williams was born in Santa Maria, California, and briefly appeared in two MLB seasons as a second baseman and shortstop for the Cardinals.

[2] Williams, a former infielder who threw and batted right-handed, graduated from Arroyo Grande High School in Arroyo Grande, California, and California State University, Fresno, where he played college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs.

[1] Williams signed originally with the Boston Red Sox and was taken in the 1965 Rule 5 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Williams soon reached the Triple-A level and was appointed the third base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1980.

[6] He was the Blue Jays' manager until the 1989 season, when he was fired May 14 and replaced by Cito Gaston after the team got off to a 12–24 start.

Under Gaston, the Blue Jays went 77–49 for the rest of the season and won the American League East title.

[2] During the 1992 National League Championship Series, he waved home Sid Bream after seeing Barry Bonds having to make a difficult throw on a single while the game was tied in the ninth inning.

While with the Braves, Williams developed a reputation as an outstanding teaching coach, especially adept at working with infielders.

[10] On November 19, 1996, the Boston Red Sox hired Williams as their new manager; the team had fired Kevin Kennedy immediately after the season ended, and Williams was hired by general manager Dan Duquette after a lengthy search that saw many names considered (such as Grady Little and Whitey Herzog).

[13] The Sox reached the American League Championship Series after beating the Indians in an ALDS rematch, but lost to their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees in five games.

He made it clear to owner Drayton McLane that he was not particularly interested in playing ball with the media, which in turn led to a perception of him being distant, although it was said that Williams was quite friendly when talking about baseball rather than off-the-field issues.

However, expectations were raised in the offseason when ownership signed pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.

Williams was assigned to serve as a National League coach at the 2004 All-Star Game, held in Houston.

When he was announced to the crowd at Houston's Minute Maid Park, he was greeted with jeers; the next morning, general manager Gerry Hunsicker fired him, citing the past week as a turning point.

[8] Williams described his tenure as one where he felt bad about not making the playoffs while stating, "We just couldn't hit a lick that season.

He died after a short illness at age 80, on January 26, 2024, at AdventHealth North Pinellas in Tarpon Springs, Florida.