Roy Williams: Stayed at KU to fulfill promise to Nick Collison

Legendary NCAA basketball coach Roy Williams looks back on two of the hardest decisions he’s ever made: opting to remain coach of the Kansas Jayhawks in 2000 and eventually leaving to coach at the University of North Carolina in 2003. He departed KU after posting a record of 418-101 over 15 seasons.
Plus, Coach Williams says he’s been recruited by at least 14 NBA franchises to coach at the professional level and imparts advice to viewers to find people in their lives who are with them regardless of the circumstances, whom Coach refers to fondly as “foxhole buddies.”
#Jayhawks #Kansas #NorthCarolina
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[@toddwinters5402]

In the early '90s, I was a KU Ambassador who gave campus tours. One day Coach Williams saw me leading a group of visiting high school students + parents around Allen Fieldhouse. He walked over, introduced himself to the group, explained that KU was a very special place, pointed to me and then said "this fine young man will show you why". But that's not the story. Six months later, I was running across the AFH parking lot carrying a large box of SUA t-shirts. Thinking more about my excuse for being late to a campus meeting than my feet, I tripped over a curb sending t-shirts flying like the falling confetti that rains down before KU player introductions during a game. I laid there, face down on the sidewalk, quietly praying to God that no one saw me. "Son, are you okay?" Weird, I thought. God sounds a lot like Coach Williams. He was in the parking lot, saw me fall and ran over to see if I was alright. Embarrassed and a little bloodied, I told him I was fine. He helped me to my feet and asked where the fire was. "Nowhere, Coach. I'm just running late for a meeting up the hill." He volunteered to drive me across campus but I politely declined. As he helped me gather up the t-shirts, he asked how school was going and if I was pulling my weight in class. We talked for just a few minutes before he shook my hand, wished me luck and gave me one piece of advice. "If you're giving tours today, you might want to change your shirt. Yours has a little blood on it and that may give parents the wrong idea about this place." He remembered me, and that's just one small reason why I'll never forget him. Helluva coach. Better person. And he'll always be part of the KU family.

[@utubeisCensorred]

Beautiful story! Thank you.

[@kcook8023]

KU will always love you Roy. We are happy for you and are fortunate to say you were once a coach of the Jayhawks. A great coach!

[@michaelgartner6663]

Dyed in the wool KU fan here. I loved, and still love, coach Williams. He is a great coach and mentor of young men. No matter where he coached, a good person is a good person, period.

[@odomodometer]

Coach Williams is a class act

[@michellelocke5408]

I still respect him for his decision. He deserves everything. I hated to see him leave but I also love his replacement Bill Self. KU has had amazing coaches and we have been truly blessed

[@Robsay01]

Wow. What a change of heart!! Nice

[@timjohnson2186]

I love coach. A wonderful person.

[@melissaroscher1080]

A Kansas state fan here, but still respect for Roy.

[@Robsay01]

This all worked out for all in the end! Great news. There was bitterness for a time but it’s over.

[@ElurJ923]

I grew up in KCK, during Roy's heyday. He was the reason why I loved KU basketball. I ended up moving to Lawrence in 2002 however I still worked in Lenexa. I can still to this day remember driving back into Lawrence the day after he decided to take the UNC job and my God that town died. It took awhile for fans of KU basketball to get over him taking that job. For me I watched probably the first 7 years or so of Bill Self's KU teams and eventually what I found out is I wasn't much of a fan of Bill's style compared to Williams. Can't wait to watch the whole interview.

[@kcook8023]

I loved the fast breaks! Hinrich and boschee are forever my boys!!!

[@timjohnson2186]

nailed it

[@timjohnson2186]

@@kcook8023 Captain kirk

[@joejoe-on9fg]

But defense wins championships, just ask Hakim Warrick. Bill's style also beat Roy's style twice

[@kcook8023]

@@joejoe-on9fg ouch 😆

[@sassysls1851]

I was at KU in the early-mid 90s and loved Roy. Never understood why people thought they owned his life decisions. I was amazed he stayed the first time and sad when he did leave, but wished him well. So happy that he finally got his Championships with UNC. I think KU is due for another one soon - not to jinx anything!

[@MrBmick79]

was the 90's a pretty sweet time there? i hear 95-03 were the Golden years to live in Lawrence. I was only there one year. from 2013-2014, but it was a great year. one of the best of my adulthood.

[@kuryanthomas1438]

happy roy got his 3 at unc and kansas has gotten 2 since he left (esp beating unc both times on the way to winning the 2 chips).

[@peoplearestupid4276]

Have a Nick collision signed jersey on my wall to this day next to my pierce jersey 💪

[@mamba24kc]

Was I a bit hurt when he left I was but I respected his decision...he gave damn good years to KU & I was grateful for it....and we got a damn good coach who replaced him in Bill Self....I never could understand why fans were calling him traitor or any of that other malarkey...because at the end of the day people are allowed to change jobs

[@scioli700]

Mr. THUNDER 🙏

[@jerryboese8820]

Nick was a great KU player

[@carsonc29]

Roy leaving KU for UNC was such a punch to the nuts..it was the 2nd time KU had gotten burned by UNC..1st, KU alum and Kansas native Dean Smith refused to leave UNC to come back home to KU, then UNC stole Roy from KU....I think getting Self, and him keeping KU highly competitive helped KU fans heal from Roy leaving..that and KU whooping UNC in the FF in 2008 to en route to a NC...I think the only way KU wouldn have been torn by Roy leaving was if he had won a NC or 2 while at KU....

[@Robsay01]

Roy’s from NC. He played in the program (role player).

[@carsonc29]

@@Robsay01 well Dean Smith played at KU and was from KS...so whats your point

[@Robsay01]

@@carsonc29 well okay mr. Snippy. Fine. Dean didn’t want to come back and Roy did. Who wouldn’t. Ocean on one side a beauty of small mountains on the other. How that? Who u gonna blame?? Flat Kansas wheat fields?

[@carsonc29]

@@Robsay01 I promise you a states geography isnt what attacts a coach to stay or to leave..you literally provided the stupidest counter argument...Dean was a FOOL to no come back home

[@Robsay01]

@@carsonc29 you started all of this with the “come back home to KU” and “stole Roy” so I continued. Look idiot. Here this. Everything still worked. KU got self from Illinois (yeah their fans were mad all the same) and they doubled their NT count. The same with UNC. Take that and go relax. Jeez.

[@tb.7040]

Nick collison’s brother is my basketball coach. Nick used to play at my high school.

[@utubeisCensorred]

If you read up on Coach's Kansas stint they did him dirty. He came into a situation where the program was under fire for some bad things and then they tried to shame him for coming home. I never looked at Kansas the same after that... as much as they kiss his butt now. Love the fans and the kids but the program irks me.

[@derekmathews1557]

Seriously? The man was at Kansas for 15 years? You don’t think that people were going to feel some kind of way about this? Kansas never tried to shame him for going home. But it was a big blow at the time that’s all. And I’m amazed you didn’t say anything about the way Carolina got Williams? They recruited him in the middle of a final four run, don’t you think that irked Kansas fans and coaches?

[@jc0257]

POSTY POSTY

[@keithhoss4990]

Jayhawks representing! I’m sure there are some UNC’ers around but I know how difficult it is for them to read and write. Rock Chalk!

[@frankcollins4325]

Hey 👋 we would love to have Bill Self at UNC.😎😭🤏✌🤞

[@RonBand01]

@@frankcollins4325 No we would not. Self is going to get banned from College basketball. It might take another year... just wait. The other shoe is about to drop at Kansas.

[@cmc2480]

Roy should've stay at KU, instead of going back to UNC, and created his own legacy, because when you think of UNC you think of Dean Smith not Roy Williams.

[@zakzbac]

Not the UNC fans I know, including this one. Coach Smith is the father of the Carolina Way and Coach Williams is the son that carried it on.

[@rrpostalagain]

@@zakzbac I think you just confirmed the OP’s point. You think of him second. That was what I always thought as well, why be relegated to always be the replacement guy. Roy was always super nice, no problem with the man personally. We shopped the same grocery store for a while. I’ve grown to like Self more. Of course it helps he just win them another NC. I live in Tempe now, so it’s funny he did it with an ASU transfer. Self is good at getting help from transfer kids.

[@brianc6787]

Said no one at Kentucky, Michigan State, Villanova, or Indiana…🙄 Lol… “legacy”. 900 wins 3 titles Nine final fours… I think his legacy is going to be OK.

[@rockchalk9078]

Kansas fan here. When people from here think of the Kansas program in men's basketball they don't ONLY think "Bill Self". Kansas has a great basketball heritage and coaching legacy, in which, we think of the richness of all of the coaches that came before Self but including Self.

[@27copperwood]

Roy Williams legacy is very secure at UNC Dean Smith or Not...both great...But when I think of UNC I think of Roy

[@SuperJcclark]

He is so full of it…

[@ninthplanet3040]

Always resented Dean Smith after he guilted Roy into leaving KU. Still do, no respect for that man. But he did make me appreciate and respect coach K as a result. A KU alum who will always say Duke forever, UNC never.

[@jcgcarolina1984]

You sound childish and ridiculous.

[@viviandarkbloom100]

WTF are you even talking about? You have no clue about the situation. Stop showing your ignorance.

[@Robsay01]

Wow. Ur still angry about this???

[@jayceewriter7826]

Get some help dude

[@kentadams4589]

If UNC is no longer in the tournament, I usually root for KU because of the shared history. My mother's side of the family is from North Carolina and my father's side of the family is from Kansas.