Williams Not A Self-Server
By DAN PATTISON

Williams and his wife, Julie, were married June 6, 1990. And that's one of the major reasons and of course, the other is that it's his son's (Matt) birthday, too.

And for Williams to forget that date, he would suffer serious consequensions.

"I would be very difficult for me to forget," chuckles Williams.

But get this, Rob and Julie spent their honeymoon in Clearwater, Florida. A great honeymoon spot, right? Only the Williams were there for a fastpitch softball tournament.

"My wife started out being a friend of the other wives on the team even before we were married," explained Williams. "So, for them to be there with on our honeymoon was a lot of fun. Our team (Dolan & Murphy) played six games that weekend against the Clearwater Bombers and the Tampa Bay Merchants. She has been very supportive of my fastpitch softball activities."

And that's simply great.

"I believe athletics and sports helped me with my everyday life growing up," Williams pointed out. "Growing up as an only child from a divorced family, sports and athletics gave up something to do and people to do it with. Luckily, I found that athletics kept me busy in all seasons. I always had older guys helping me and pushing me to play sports, and be involved in all sports activities. I was fortunate because I had people around me, who really cared about me.

Williams, who played football and wrestled at Gibson High, he was also involved as a player on the college level, where he was a two-year all-conference defensive tackle at North Central College, a Division III school in Illinois. And his senior year, his teammates knew they had a leader by voting him the team captain.

"You know, I am sure that my family has missed a few things all the way, because we're so active with fastpitch softball. But, if it wasn't fastpitch softball, it would be another sport that we would spend time with," said Williams'. "I am sure we could've spent time with our non-softball friends. But we wouldn't change a thing. It's been that important for our family to be involved."

That's a huge reason why Williams takes his commissionership very serious. "This is my fourth year of being a commissioner," he pointed out. "It's been hard to separate being a player and a commissioner. But it's not a bad situation, however. Any decisions I make are for the improvement of the game, and not a selfish decision based on my ego. I try to leave my ego at the door when I attend the meetings. I think people let their own egos takeover and they are not looking out for the game. We should be trying to make it stronger so that it will be there forever. If we don't, the game will not survive."

You have to respect Williams and seek to listen to him.

This June, Williams will be away and miss a tournament for the first time in 19 years. He, Julie, Matt, and daughter, Taylor (1 1/2) are going to see Julie's brother in Pittsburgh. That my friends is dedication to the game.