Joe Williams

Joe Williams (1934 – March 26, 2022) was an American men's college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Jacksonville University from 1964 to 1970, Furman University from 1970 to 1978, and Florida State University from 1978 to 1986.

Williams notably led Artis Gilmore and the Dolphins of Jacksonville University to the final game of the 1970 NCAA tournament, where they lost 80–69 to Sidney Wicks and the UCLA Bruins, coached by John Wooden. Williams elected to leave the program after the loss for a more lucrative deal with Furman.

During his eight-year tenure (1970-1978) at Furman, the Paladins made it to the NCAA Tournament five times (1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1977–78); won the Southern Conference Tournament five times (1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1977–78) and the regular-season SoCon title three times (1973–74, 1974–75 and 1976–77).

During his lifetime, Williams was one of only 25 head coaches to have led three different teams to the NCAA tournament. He is a 1994 inductee of the Jacksonville University athletic hall of fame, and a 1996 inductee of the Furman University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Williams' son, Blake, was an assistant basketball coach at Furman University in 2010. A nephew, Brian Johnson, was an MLB pitcher. Williams died on March 26, 2022, from cancer at the age of 88.