'Brook's Williams guided Raiders in 1993
Prior the 1993 high school football season and even before the arrival of Greg Williams, Bolingbrook had been good and experienced some success. The Raiders had been in the playoffs five times.
But the '93 season helped solidify the Raiders on the football map.
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One of the major cogs to the 'Brook's success was quarterback/defensive back standout Greg Williams, who would go on to become a two-year starter in the defensive backfield at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
"Greg was surely an outstanding player for us," former Bolingbrook coach Phil Acton said. "No. 1, he was just a superb athlete -- a three-sport athlete who played football, basketball and ran track.
"Secondly, he was such a great leader. Our players really rallied around Greg. You could see it every time that he walked onto the field. He was a leader from the word go. He led by example and everything he did, either on or off the field, was of a positive nature."
In '93, Williams was ultra-instrumental in the most successful football season in Raiders' history. Bolingbrook finished 13-1, won a conference championship and advanced to the Class 5A state championship game -- its only title game appearance.
"We had a great run in 1993," said Williams, who started for two years as a defensive back for the Chicago Rush in the Arena Football League. "It's something I will never, ever forget. How can you when you have so many things to remember for the rest of your life?
"My junior year, I think we lost in the first round of the playoffs to St. Charles. Robert Farmer was our running back that season. In my heart, I thought we could have won a state championship that year. We were that good with so many outstanding players."
Farmer, an all-stater, would go on and play at Notre Dame.
Day and Williams finished 1-2, respectively, among Joliet-area rushers in '93. Day, who later started for two years at Illinois State University, rushed for 1,950 yards and scored 138 points. The 6-foot, 175-pound Williams burned and mystified opposing defenses to the tune of 1,560 rushing yards. He also scored 122 points.
How versatile was Williams? Just ask Acton, who won 166 games against 81 losses in 24 seasons at Bolingbrook.
"Then when Corey got hurt, we put Greg at tailback for a game. He rushed for something like 150-160 yards with a couple of touchdown runs. He had tremendous speed and could cut on a dime which would fool the defense.
"That's how good Greg Williams was. What an athlete he was ... one of the best I ever coached."
A 7-0 Class 5A state title game loss to Belvidere could not blemish a fantastic '93 season for the Raiders and Williams.
The Raiders began their postseason run with a 27-25 win over Joliet Catholic Academy at Memorial Stadium. They followed that up with victories over Providence (27-7), Richards (33-0) and De La Salle (12-6).
"Greg had a tremendous touchdown run against JCA," Acton said. "It was fourth down and eight yards to go for a first down. We needed to keep possession. We usually went with a play we called 54, a counter trey, but I told Greg, 'Don't run the 54. Just keep it and take off.'"
And take off for a touchdown, one of the game's key plays, is exactly what the fleet-footed Williams did against the Hilltoppers.
"We had some unbelievable players on that '93 team," said Williams, now an assistant defensive coach (linebackers) for Dave Wannstedt at Pittsburgh. "We had players like Anthony Smith, Corey Day, Kenny Augustus, Paul Thomas, Marcus Smith and Darian Benton, and many more. Corey could really run the heck out of the football.
"We had some offensive firepower, both in '92 and '93. We could score some points, and that was against any team. We all got along and enjoyed playing for coach Acton."
Williams, a three-year varsity regular, earned all-state accolades as a senior. He was being recruited by many Big Ten schools and other major schools.
He settled on North Carolina and then-coach Mack Brown, now the successful coach at the University of Texas. Williams was a two-year regular at strong safety for the Tar Heels.
"I loved it," Williams said, referring to his four years at North Carolina where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology. "I loved every minute of it. The campus is beautiful. When I made my visit to Chapel Hill, I had never seen a place so beautiful. It was nothing like Chicago.
"What a way to go out. I could not have picked a better place to attend college."
The Tar Heels experienced two very strong seasons Williams' final years at UNC. As a junior, Williams and the Heels were 10-2 before going 11-1 his senior season.
"North Carolina went to the Gator Bowl back-to-back seasons my final two years," Williams said. "We beat West Virginia in the Gator Bowl my junior year, and then we defeated Virginia Tech. What is there to complain about when you accomplish that?"
Before hooking up with Wannstedt at Pittsburgh, Williams coached two years at the College of DuPage and two seasons at Arkansas Tech.
But his thoughts are many times on the Silver Fox -- a.k.a. Phil Acton -- his beloved high school coach.
"He's the best," Williams said. "All the guys we played with stay in contact with coach. He kind of raised us. We give him so much credit.
"There are times when I'm coaching today that I say to myself, 'Heck, that's what coach Acton would have done or said in a particular situation. It's uncanny. I can tell you this much. There's a lot of Phil Acton in me. I respect the man so much."
Acton knew that Williams was a very special, gifted player.
"Greg was so versatile that he could do most anything he wanted to on a football field," Acton said. "He always believed that something good was going to happen for Bolingbrook.
"I remember once he was playing defensive back. The opposing team ran a screen to their fullback, and it looked like the play was going all the way for a touchdown. Greg slipped, got up quickly, ran the guy down and tackled him.
"That's just the type of player he was. He never gave up."
