Brown University News Bureau

The Brown University News Bureau

1996-1997 index

Distributed November 8, 1996
Contact: Richard Morin

Endowed chair in football honors Howard Williams and Joe Paterno

Roger D. Williams '47 has given $1 million to honor his father, Howard D. Williams '17, and legendary football coach Joe Paterno by creating the Williams/Paterno Chair in Football.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- President Vartan Gregorian announced today that Roger D. Williams '47 has donated $1 million to honor his father, Howard D. Williams '17, and legendary football coach Joe Paterno '50, with the creation of the Williams/Paterno Chair in Football.

"My father instilled a love of Brown and Brown football in me," said Williams, of Barrington, N.H. "By contributing to the sports program, I am helping young scholar/athletes get the same wonderful opportunities to develop leadership, teamwork, decision making and creative abilities that Brown football provided me."

Paterno said he is thrilled to be honored at Brown by a fellow teammate and his great friend, Roger Williams.

Mark Whipple '79, head football coach, will be the first to occupy the chair, the first endowed athletic chair at Brown.

Howard D. Williams, who graduated with two engineering degrees from Brown, was a former football and track captain. He later became an assistant football coach. He was the recipient of the Class of 1910 trophy as the outstanding scholar/athlete in his graduating class. The main arena and basketball court in Brown's Pizzitola Sports Center were also given in his honor by his son.

Paterno, head coach at Penn State, was quarterback of the 1949 football team - considered to be Brown's finest. He is the winningest coach in major college football and is considered one of the nation's most outstanding college coaches ever.

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