Missouri State

CHUCK WILLIAMS
Basketball, 1967-71
Inducted February 23, 1985

Chuck Williams came to Missouri State in the fall of 1967 and came to be touted as the “Springfield Rifle” for his outside shooting and scoring accomplishments in a four-year career playing for Coach Bill Thomas. Williams joined the Bears and averaged 12.0 points a game as a freshman as the Bruins were in the midst of a record 29-game MIAA winning streak. The Bruins claimed the conference title and finished as the regional runnerup. The 1969 MSU team logged a 24-5 mark with another conference title and added a regional championship and second place in the nation in NCAA Division II. Buffalo product Williams was second on the team in scoring with a 17.9 average and he was selected the Most Valuable Player in the NCAA regional tournament in addition to gaining all-MIAA honors. He was second in scoring in 1970 with a 17.0 average and repeated his regional tourney MVP honors as the Bears added a third place in the region to their MIAA co-championship. Williams led the Bruins in scoring as a senior with a 17.5 average, was a Bruin co-captain, and garnered another all-conference selection. He received All-American honorable mention from NABC, was a second team Academic All-American pick from the College Sports Information Directors of America, and was given an NCAA Postgraduate Achievement Award and the Guy Thompson Award all in the same year. He is currently fourth on the all-time MSU scoring list with 1687 points for his 103-game Bruin career. Williams returned to MSU as an assistant coach in the fall of 1972 and was on the staff for six seasons, during which time the Bears won two more MIAA titles and finished as the national runner-up in 1974.