Ray Williams,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(25 August 1927 – 3 December 2014) was the world's first professional full-time

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

coach. He was the national coaching director of the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running ...

(WRU) in the late 1960s and through the 1970s, devising the strategies that led Wales to dominate rugby in Europe at that time. He was also a major influence on former Australian national coach Bob Templeton. A talented player in his younger years, Williams played for

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, ...

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, Moseley, and East Midlands. He was selected to trial for the Welsh national team as a flyhalf. Williams trained as a PE teacher at

Loughborough College Loughborough College is a general further education college located in Leicestershire, England which offers a range of courses including further education, higher education, apprenticeships and professional qualifications. List of princip ...

and coached the West Midland's region in England. He also staged courses to help teachers become rugby coaches and was the driving force behind the creation of England rugby's coaching manual in the early 1950s. Williams was appointed to the WRU in 1967, and began a transformation of Welsh rugby through conferences and courses which gave Wales more than 300 qualified coaches by the mid-1970s. He became an administrator with the WRU in the 1980s and 90s. Williams was Tournament Director of the Rugby World Cup in Wales in 1991. He received an

for services to rugby in 1995.Rugby: First Minister helps honour Ray Williams OBE
Wales Online. 2010. Williams was awarded the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

’s Vernon Pugh award for distinguished service in 2014, just weeks before his death after a battle with cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ray 1927 births 2014 deaths Alumni of Loughborough University Loughborough Students RUFC players Officers of the Order of the British Empire Rugby union players from Wrexham Welsh rugby union coaches Welsh rugby union players