Born in West Point, Georgia, Williams attended Auburn University, where he played on the football team as a halfback from 1894 to 1896.

[3] He graduated with a bachelor's of science degree in 1896, and was an assistant instructor of English and Mathematics during the 1896–97 school year while he completed a master's degree.

[1] Williams served as the head football coach of the Clemson Tigers in 1897, leading the team to a 2–2 record; his Auburn teammate Walter Riggs was an engineering professor at Clemson, and had been the coach the previous season.

[4] Williams attended Harvard Law School from 1899 to 1901.

This biographical article relating to a college football coach first appointed in the 1890s is a stub.