GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The hundreds of student-athletes Tom Williams has helped guide through the University of Florida no doubt would disagree, but one of the longest-tenured and treasured employees in the University Athletic Association swears he’s never been one of the smarter guys around. Williams admits to getting average grades during his high school days in Dunedin, Florida, and took the junior college route on the way to graduating from UF. 
 
“The irony of it all is that I worked in an academic office for 40 years,” Williams said. 
 

The actual number is 41 years. Williams, 68, started at Florida in 1984 and more than four decades – and dozens upon dozens upon dozens – of academic success stories later is retiring. Williams’ final day in his office on the second floor of the Hawkins Center that is oft-visited by both current and past UF athletes will be June 30. 
 
They came to be advised, of course, but Williams’ wisdom and insight paired beautifully with his low-key demeanor, affable personality and biting-dry sense of humor to establish relationships that in many cases have lasted a lifetime. 
 
“Tom is the best. He may have gotten older, but the kids have stayed the same, and he’s stayed connected with them. Same with coaching staffs. They may change, but he hasn’t,” said UF senior associate athletic director Jeff Guin, the top administrator at Hawkins Center. “With what we do, you have to be a great listener, great communicator and have an ability to connect; not just with athletes, but coaches, professors, people in all the different departments across campus. You’re the wheel everything runs on.”
 
Williams took a philosophical approach to the job. 
 
“My thoughts of life in general are that we should all be custodians. Custodians who want to help keep a clean, non-judgmental, healthy area where we can all grow together. Help others help themselves,” he said. “After many years on this job, I have found that every young person who comes in the office has a story. It may not have anything to do with grades, but each wants a chance to be heard and understood.”

Williams spent the overwhelming majority of his four-plus decades working with the men’s basketball and women’s tennis programs. The numbers speak to his impact on the UAA and its core mission for academic excellence.

• Academic All-America honors: 18
• Southeastern Conference Scholar Athletes of the Year: 8 
• Post-graduate scholarships: 5
• ITA All Academic Teams (cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher): 17, including 12 consecutive seasons from 2011-22.
• SEC Honor Roll members: 348 

Oh, and national championships: 9 (six in tennis, three in basketball).
 
But there may be no greater testament to Williams’ lasting influence than the parade of former student-athletes who make their way to Hawkins Center whenever they return to campus to check in with their one-time, longtime mentor. 
 
“Tom Williams has been a steady and trusted presence in the lives of Gator student-athletes. His unwavering dedication, loyalty, and belief in the power of education have left an indelible mark on this program,” UF athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “His commitment went far beyond academics – he championed athletes as students, as people, and as Gators. We’re deeply grateful for his service and wish him the very best in a well-earned retirement.”
 
A send-off reception to celebrate Williams’ career will be held at Hawkins Center on Tuesday, but in advance of the event a bevy of past students and colleagues checked in with calls, texts, emails and some moving tributes via a digital message board. 
 
Here was one powerful example of the former from UF’s Class of ’22: 
 
Dear Tom

    It’s hard to put into words just how much your support has meant to me over the years. Hearing about your retirement brought a mix of joy for all you’ve accomplished, and a deep sense of gratitude for the role you played in my life.

    You weren’t just my academic advisor — you were a steady presence through some of the most formative years of my life. You believed in me when I doubted

myself, guided me when I felt lost, and encouraged me to keep pushing forward even when the path wasn’t clear.

    So much of who I am today — as a student, a professional, and a person — is thanks to your influence. I’ll never forget the conversations we had, the wisdom you shared, and the calm, kind way you helped me find direction.

    As you enter this next chapter, I hope you feel the full weight of the impact you’ve made — not just on me, but on so many others. You’ve helped shape futures, opened minds, and left a legacy that can’t be measured.

    Wishing you all the peace, joy, and fulfillment in retirement that you so richly deserve.
– Keyontae Johnson 
 
Williams came to UF in 1984 with a master’s degree from Mercer. At the time, the UAA’s academic advising arm was called the Office of Student Life and was housed in the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The first several years, Williams worked with mostly football players before being shifted to men’s basketball in 1989. He later took on women’s tennis in 1996. 
 
Along the way, with the landscape shifts in academics and athletics, came many changes. For Williams, though, one important element of his job never changed. 
 
“The students,” he said. “I have so many great memories, but also some great challenges. That’s what’s made it all so rewarding.” 
 

Take Brent Wright, for example. He was one of Billy Donovan’s first recruits, arriving in the fall of 1997, and with a transcript coming from Miami Senior High that was, yes, one of those challenges. Wright qualified by the skin of his teeth and became a regular in Williams’ office. 
 
Wright graduated with honors in 2001, and after a lengthy professional basketball career overseas returned to Miami and founded the B. Wright Leadership Academy, a K-through-8 school for inner-city kids that preps them for secondary education. 
 
“Tom was always supportive and was going to tell you what’s right, but he was also going to tell you if you’re wrong,” Wright said. “I owe him so much. If it wasn’t for Tom, I never would have graduated on time. To this day, he’s still a person I can call and talk to about anything.”
 
Matt Bonner was a teammate of Wright’s, but he took a different path to Florida by way of New Hampshire. Bonner was an elite student when he got to UF and remained so on his way to becoming an Academic All American (one of eight in program history), doing so three times. But Bonner needed Williams, also. 
 

In 1999, the team was playing in the Maui Invitational. Bonner was a freshman taking pre-med classes and had a chemistry exam scheduled during the tournament. Williams told Bonner he could arrange to take the test early, with a confidentiality agreement, but Bonner opted instead to take the test remotely during the trip. It would be fine, Bonner assured. 
 
“It wasn’t fine,” Bonner recalled. “We were in Maui, staying in a resort on the beach with a room overlooking the crashing waves and a game against Georgetown the next day – and I have to take a chemistry exam!”
 
Bonner got a C on the test. From then on, Williams arranged for the exams to be taken early, when necessary. He also had a serious conversation with Bonner about his pre-med track, reminding the player that calculus, physics, biology and all the labs attached to those classes were on the horizon. 
 
Bonner switched his major to business. 
 
“Tom talked me through that,” said Bonner, who went on to a 12-year NBA career, including two championship seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. “The algorithms he had to juggle for guys, I don’t know how he did that?” 
 
Far, far more often than not, Williams made it work. 
 

“He knew exactly how to balance my courses and took into account which subjects I enjoyed more than others,” said Lauren Embree, the former All American who helped guide the Gators to back-to-back NCAA tennis championships in 2011 and ’12. “His door was always open, whether I needed to vent about a class, just say hello, or stop by to give him a hard time. He always brightened my day. He played a big role in my academic success, and I know the Gators will miss him dearly.”

In 1993, Guin came to UF student as a student and basketball manager for Lon Kruger, one of the five hoops coaches Williams has worked with. He saw Williams in action then and 20 years later even interviewed with Williams when applying for his current UAA post eight years ago.

 

It was like going back in time, Guin said. In a good way. 

“Again, he doesn’t change,” Guin said. 

 

There was no internet or cell phones or grade book access via laptops back in those days. Relationships were built on communication, connection and trust. Williams, though, navigated the transition to the present-day circumstances and managed even to excel in the transfer portal era.

 

On that front, Williams tosses a ton of credit in the direction of Coach Todd Golden, who has brought in some rock-solid student-athletes to the basketball program via the portal, with fifth-year players Tyrese Samuel, Zyon Pullin and Alijah Martin each completing their grad-certificate work, and Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard both graduating this spring amid their NCAA championship run. 

 

Clearly, Williams’ departure is a significant one. 

 

“We may need two or three people to replace him,” Guin said. 

 

No, the job will go to Tony Meacham, a popular 20-year veteran at Hawkins, who will take over Williams’ duties with basketball. Meacham’s transition will be smooth, however, courtesy of the groundwork laid by his beloved predecessor.

 

Or, better put, beloved custodian.

 

“Slowly, after helping them help themselves, we move to the next area to clean,” Williams said. “It’s been a great run.”

 

Email Tom Williams at nfjc44@gmail.com  

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu