Born in
West Point, Georgia, Williams attended
Auburn University, where he played on the
football team as a halfback from 1894 to 1896. In 1915,
John Heisman selected his 30 best Southern football players, and mentioned Williams second. The
Auburn football team executed a "
hidden ball trick" in the game against
Vanderbilt, as Auburn seemed to run a revolving wedge. Vanderbilt still won however, 9 to 6; the first time in the history of southern football that a field goal decided a game. Williams recalled: Quarterback Reynolds Tichenor described the nature of the play as follows: == Clemson ==