Samuel H. Williams (born January 22, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
’s
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
from 1968 until 1970.
Career
Williams attended
Northern High School in Detroit Michigan and was awarded an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
in 1964. Iowa enjoyed six years of tremendous success under coach
Ralph Miller
Ralph H. Miller (March 9, 1919 – May 15, 2001) was an American college basketball coach, a head coach for 38 years at three universities: Wichita (now known as Wichita State), Iowa, and Oregon State. With an overall record of , his teams had ...
from 1964–65 through 1969–1970, winning two
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
conference titles during that span.
The 1967–68 team tied for the Big Ten Title with
Ohio State
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
with a 10–4 conference record, and a 16–9 overall record. This team was led by Williams, a 6-foot, 3 inch, 180 lbs guard, who led the Big Ten in scoring that year. Williams had a career high 39 points in a game against
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
in 1967.
Williams scored a season average 25.3 points a game his senior year. Williams was voted the Big Ten MVP in 1968, as well as Iowa's team MVP. He was named a third-team
All-American
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
that year. Williams was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 3rd round (13th pick, 35th overall) of the 1968 NBA draft and was a pre-draft selection of the
Minnesota Pipers
Minnesota ( ) is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and Nor ...
of the
ABA
ABA may refer to:
Aviation
* AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline
* IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia
Businesses and organizations Broadcasting
* Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...
. He played two seasons for the Bucks, averaging 3.9 points a game and was cut by the team at the end of the 1969–70 season. Williams earned $25,000 in his first season and $30,000 in his second year.
Career statistics
NBA
Source
Regular season
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
, -
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, 55 , , 11.4 , , .342 , , .537 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 4.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, 11 , , 4.0 , , .458 , , .455 , , .6 , , .3 , , 2.5
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 66 , , 10.2 , , .353 , , .531 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 3.9
Playoffs
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
, -
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, 2 , , 8.0 , , .571 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , 4.0
References
External links
Sam Williams Statistics, Basketball Reference.com
1945 births
20th-century American sportsmen
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Detroit
Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
Milwaukee Bucks draft picks
Milwaukee Bucks players
Minnesota Pipers draft picks
Northern High School (Detroit, Michigan) alumni
Pittsburgh Pipers draft picks
Shooting guards
Southeastern Blackhawks men's basketball players
{{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub