Fred Williams
College - Boise State
Fred Williams enters his second season as Atlanta’s Head Coach and General Manager. He was named to that role on Aug. 27, 2012, after having previously served on the Dream’s staff as an assistant coach since the Dream began play in Atlanta in 2008.
Williams has three decades of coaching and scouting experience, both professional and collegiately. Prior to joining the Dream staff, he served as the head coach of the San Diego Siege, a National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL) team. In 2006, he was named NWBL Coach of the Year and led the Siege to a 15-5 record and a championship appearance.
Williams also previoulsy served as the head coach of the Utah Starzz (now the San Antonio Silver Stars) from 1999-2001. He moved up from assistant coach to head coach four games into the 1999 season and led a team that had been 8-22 in 1998 to a 15-17 record, then improved that mark to 18-14 in 2000. He was also an assistant coach with the Starzz in 1998 and with the Charlotte Sting in 2003 and 2004.
In addition to his WNBA experience, Williams spent 14 years as a collegiate coach, including two seasons as head coach at the University of Southern California (USC). He began his stint at USC as an assistant coach from 1983-91, helping the 1984 Trojan squad win the National Championship and the ‘86 squad reach the title game. After two seasons as an assistant at UC Irvine, he returned to USC as Associate Head Coach under Cheryl Miller for two seasons (1993-95) before being promoted to head coach from 1995-97. In his second season at the helm, he led USC to a 20-9 record and a trip to the NCAA tournament. At USC, Williams worked with players who would go on to WNBA careers such as Hall of Famers Cynthia Cooper and Pamela McGee, as well as Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson and Adrian Williams.
In addition to his extensive coaching experience, Williams is a skilled recruiter who has brought in such players as Margo Dydek, the WNBA’s career block leader; Jennifer Azzi, a former Olympian whom he brought out of retirement; three-time WNBA All-Star Marie Ferdinand-Harris and WNBA and ABL All-Star Adrienne Goodson into his programs. He has also served as an advance scout for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, Seattle SuperSonics and the Utah Jazz. Williams is a graduate of Boise State University.
