Williams Completes Huskers? South Dakota Trifecta

Williams Begins Journey as Husker Head Coach

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

It was no coincidence that Tim Miles and Mark Manning were beaming Tuesday when Amy Williams was introduced as Nebraska’s new women’s head basketball coach.  “We now have the Trifecta – Manning, Miles and Gusso Williams,” quipped Tim Miles, the Husker men’s head basketball coach.

“Sounds like a law firm, doesn’t it?” Miles asked.

Yes, it does, but in reality, this trifecta defines three Nebraska Athletics head coaches who were born and bred in South Dakota – Manning, the Huskers’ wrestling coach from Vermillion, S.D.; Miles, who grew up in the tiny town of Dolan, S.D. (birthplace of Hubert H. Humphrey); and now Williams, who hails from Spearfish, S.D.

“I know one thing – I don’t want to play basketball against either one of those two coaches,” Manning said after Williams finished her press conference at the Hendricks Training Complex. “Looking at Amy’s resume, nothing’s been given to her. She’s had to earn everything, coming up through the ranks, including starting her own program at Rogers (in Oklahoma).

“Like Coach Miles, Amy comes from very humble beginnings,” Manning said. “Both kind of started from scratch and coached at a lot of small schools before earning their way to the big time. I love it. That’s a journey and a good quality to have here at Nebraska.”

The same thought applies to Williams’ playing career at Nebraska, where she walked on. Even though her name and picture weren’t included in the ’95 Nebraska press guide, Williams ended up playing in 13 games and scored three points to letter as a freshman, then went on to add three more letters in ’96, ’97 and ’98.

Despite Suffering an ACL Injury Her Junior Year, Williams Finished Strong

Perseverance isn’t the only virtue she showed while playing two years in the Big Eight Conference and two years in the Big 12. She’s also certified tough and a proven fighter, especially when the odds become greater.

As a junior, Williams played 14 games before tearing her ACL. The Huskers were 14-1 when she was sidelined and then went 5-8, missing the NCAA Tournament. Returning for her senior season, she played in 24 games on a 23-10 team that finished third in the Big 12 and won the Huskers’ second-ever NCAA Tournament game against New Mexico in Norfolk, Va.

After graduating with Nebraska degrees in biology and mathematics, Williams made six resume enhancing stops before landing in Lincoln – Kearney (Neb.), San Antonio (Texas), Stillwater (Okla.), Tulsa (Okla.), Claremore (Okla.) and Vermillion (S.D.).

Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst (above, presenting a special No. 5 jersey) was able to squeeze a quick story into Williams’ Tuesday morning introduction. When he asked Williams to look back on her playing days, she told him she was a part of the 30/30 club.

“I thought wow, she must’ve been one heck of a player,” Eichorst said, asking Williams to “tell me more about that.”

Definition of 30/30 Club: Up 30 Points or Down 30 Means Possible Playing Time

Williams’ descriptive response was pure gold. “If we were up by 30 or down by 30 I might get about 30 seconds of playing time,” Williams told Eichorst, who looks forward to multiple opportunities for Nebraskans to welcome Williams and her family in the coming months. “We all hope that you get to know her,” he said. “She’s a wonderful person, a special lady and a great addition to the Husker family.”

Walking on as an out-of-state student-athlete is no picnic. “I scratched and clawed and fought and gave everything I had inside of me,” Williams said when asked what she learned most as a player at Nebraska that she can apply to her coaching.

“Eventually, I earned a scholarship and eventually, I worked my way out of that 30/30 club,” she said, drawing laughter. “It’s something that has been instilled in me…that blue collar, bring your lunch pail to work every day and find a way to just outwork people. That’s something that I definitely feel like was instilled in me at the University of Nebraska and something that still remains there today.”

Williams, 41, is married and has two daughters (pictured above between her and her husband). She describes coming back to Nebraska as a dream come true.

“The pride I felt as a student-athlete has never left,” she said. “I’ve watched this program with pride and a very vested interest my entire coaching career. I’ve been excited through the championships and excited through all the highs that the program has experienced. I could not be any more excited to return for the journey.”  

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