Max Williams (basketball)

Williams was born in Avoca, Texas on February 28, 1938.[1][2] He grew up in Avoca and Guthrie with his family. During his teens, Williams was raised by his mother after his father's death.[3] As a high school basketball player from 1953 to 1956, Williams accumulated 3,360 career points at Avoca after 140 games.[4][5] While with Avoca, Williams won the 1955 Texas boys basketball title in the Class B division held by the University Interscholastic League.[6][7]

In 1956, Williams joined Southern Methodist University on an athletic scholarship.[8][9] At SMU, Williams started playing basketball as part of their freshmen team that year before joining the SMU Mustangs men's basketball team in 1957. Williams was a co-captain of the SMU team for the 1957-58 and 1958-59 seasons.[10][11] During his time at SMU, Williams held the free throw percentage season record for the university in 1958 and 1960.[12] After his 73 games with the men's team, Williams accumulated 845 assists and 295 rebounds as part of his 940 points.[13] Williams also joined the Cycen Fjodr while remaining at SMU as a graduate student in 1960.[14]

After college, Williams went to Dallas and worked in insurance.[15] With the American Basketball Association, Williams helped organized the creation of the Dallas Chaparrals.[16] He became the team's general manager upon their establishment in 1967 and held the position until 1971.[17] During his time as general manager, Williams took over as the Chaparrals's head coach when Cliff Hagan resigned in 1970.[18]

As an ABA head coach, Williams had 28 wins and 32 losses.[1] During the 1970 ABA Playoffs, Williams and the Chaparrals reached the semifinals of the Western Division.[19] He remained as both the team's head coach and general manager until Bill Blakely became coach of the Chaparrals in November 1970.[20] While working as their general manager, Williams was fired from the Chaparrals in April 1971.[21] Outside of coaching, Williams was also in charge of tickets.[16]

After leaving the Chaparrals, Williams became a real estate agent for a Dallas company in 1971 and was promoted to senior vice president in 1975. The same year, Williams started up companies in real estate and oil.[22] As an oilman, Williams worked together with Irv Deal and Ray Holifield in oil production projects throughout the late 1970s.[23]

Williams was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2009[24] and the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.[25] He was also selected as one of the best 100 boys basketball players in Texas by the UIL upon the organization's 100th anniversary.[26]

Williams is married and has two children.[27]