Williams Spreading His Wings at Wake
Unless he wants to slip back into his hometown under the cover of darkness these next few years, then Marshall Williams needs for Wake to beat Duke in Saturday’s ACC opener for both teams.
Williams hails from Durham, but as a fifth-year senior for Wake Forest he has enjoyed four straight victories over the Blue Devils. That said, the last game in his career against Duke is the last one Williams would want to lose. He works out in Durham in the summer, at times with players from Duke.
“I do not want to go out losing to Duke,’’ Williams said. “Those guys are there all summer and I have a relationship with them and they will wear me out. They were wearing me this summer talking about how they should have won.
“I go home and I just go the Mall and I see Thad Lewis and the corner I was playing against, and we talk. And it’s a little awkward, knowing that we beat them and they felt like they should have won. But definitely I don’t want to go out losing to Duke,’‘
Duke recruited Williams during his glory days at Riverside High School, but the Blue Devils didn’t show up until after Wake Forest and Maryland had already made their pitches. But in hindsight, Williams said there was one big reason he was never going to play at Duke, and that was is father.
James “Butch” Williams is a prominent attorney in Durham who, as an agent, has represented various professional athletes. He loves his son, and the feeling is mutual.
“He has taught me nothing but good values and things like that,’’ Williams said. “You know, we butt heads at times, but I know he’s right. He’s lived life and he’s gone through everything that I’ve gone through 10 times. And so even though he thinks I might not be listening, I am. And he’s been tremendously supportive and I love him to death and I feel like a lot of the opportunities I have in life would not be present without him.’‘
That said, Williams—who has caught 88 passes for 1,296 yards and eight touchdowns at Wake—was not staying home to go to college. As a father with a daughter at that liberal arts college somewhere in the general vicinity of the geographical center of the state that will go nameless, I can understand better than most.
“I couldn’t stay in Durham for my college career,’’ Williams said. “My Dad wanted me to be up under him and I just had to move away from the nest and grow as a man by myself. That also factored into the decision.’‘