The Adrian College athletic department has announced the hiringof Chris Williams as the head coach that will issue in a new erafor the wrestling program. Williams will guide the men's andwomen's programs at Adrian College, which has not fielded awrestling program since 1984.
Williams made his most recent stop at Michigan State Universityas the assistant coach of the men's wrestling team from 2005-2013.He helped lead the Spartans in the Big Ten Conference, the highestlevel of Division I wrestling in the country. Williams led thefundraising efforts for the program while also organizing therecruiting efforts of future student-athletes. He was a part of aprogram that stressed academic success and the development ofessential life skills off of the wrestling mat.
"We are very pleased to find such a great coach from the stateof Michigan," said athletic director Michael Duffy. "It goeswithout saying that the first hire in decades for wrestling here atAdrian College is a huge moment. We believe that Chris is a perfectfit for the rebirth of wrestling at Adrian College. He has a greatpedigree as a collegiate wrestler and helped build a top-notchprogram at his alma mater Michigan State University. The goal is tocompete right way and start building towards the 2015-16season."
Williams also took part as the head coach of the Michigan USAWrestling Team from 2007-12. He was selected to be the leader ofover 100 of the top wrestlers in the state as they competed innational events. He also served as a coach in MSU Wrestling Camps,where his duties were to schedule and promote these events inconjunction with Michigan State's Summer Camp Office.
"It is great that wrestling was brought back to Adrian Collegeand the addition of the women's program is a big selling point forthe college and wrestling program," said Williams, a native ofFowlerville, Michigan who was a two-time Michigan high school statechampion and compiled a 195-10 record at Fowlerville High School."I am amazed at the amount of support that student-athletes aregiven at Adrian College. The administration has put the resourcestogether to make these programs into something that will beformidable. The addition of a new weight room and multi-purposeroom is a great commitment to excellence."
Prior to coaching, Williams was a collegiate wrestler atMichigan State University from 1997-2002. He was an NCAAAll-American in 2001 in the 125-pound weight class as well as theteam captain in 2001-02. He also competed in the 2002 nationalchampionships and picked up a pair of wins. Williams is currentlyranked 17th all-time at MSU with 102 wins on the mat. He receivedhis Bachelors of Arts degree from Michigan State in 2002 inInterdisciplinary Studies. Following his time in East Lansing,Williams earned his Certificate in Secondary Education from EasternMichigan University in Social Studies and Economics.
"I believe my prior coaching experiences have prepared me forthe opportunity to build a great wrestling environment at AdrianCollege. I was fortunate to coach at the highest level and amexcited about bringing student-athletes to campus that are hungryto be successful in the classroom and on the mat. I will be lookingto recruit those who are willing to work hard and are passionateabout wrestling at Adrian College. I am committed to preparing ourstudent-athletes to be successful during their time at AdrianCollege and beyond. Building a program is a very exciting challengethat I am ready to take on," commented Williams.
