GREENSBORO, N.C. — When Roy Williams was hired in 2003, everyone was scrambling to find every angle on him coming back to NC. At the time, I was challenged to find a story about Roy Williams with a Triad tie that was not sports-related. And what I found was Roy Williams himself.
“Every time I leave my name somewhere, I get asked about it,” said Roy Williams of Winston-Salem.
Yes, he is Roy Williams, with an added C for his middle initial.
“I guess he’s younger than me. I think his paycheck is better than mine,” said Williams.
When Coach Roy Williams got the head coaching job for the UNC Men’s basketball team, the other Roy Williams was enjoying seeing all mentions of his name on TV. Yes, he did it from an easy-chair at home, not quite the dome the coach would soon call home.
The other Roy Williams was hopeful that the coach would bring not just one winning season to UNC, but many. And of course, he did. Coach Roy Williams was with UNC as head coach for 18 years. The other Roy Williams said, “I wish we could sit and he could give me some advice on life.”
Fast forward to 2021. Coach Roy Williams is retiring. The other Roy Williams has been retired for a while. He now has the playbook on the game of life. From one Roy to another he said, “I bought me a Harley bike, I still camp, the thing is to stay busy. He just needs to enjoy every moment of retirement because he did a great job and he deserves to enjoy every bit of it.”