Ray Williams was announced as the interim assistant track and field coach at WashU on July 29, 2022 and elevated to associate head coach on August 1, 2023.
Under the guidance of Williams, the WashU women’s track and field team earned the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Program of the Year award in 2023 and 2024 and played a crucial role in the 2024 outdoor national title. The historic 2024 season was capped off with four NCAA individual titiles: Emma Kelley (400m, 800m), 4x400 relay (Kylie Spytek, Danielle Schultz, Cate Christopher, Emma Kelley), and Yasmin Ruff (pole vault.)
In his time with the Bears, eight women and three men have earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors.
In 2012, he was appointed Secretary of the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Additionally, he was honored with The James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award (2012) by the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary.
Williams came to WashU following a brief stint at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, where he served as the assistant women’s cross country and track and field coach. Prior to his time at UNLV, Williams was an assistant men’s and women’s cross country and track and field coach at Texas State University. He also served as a facilitator for student-athlete development and diversity and inclusion, maintained the majority of the team’s total operating budget and served as the meet director for all home meets.Â
Williams began his coaching career at the University of Chicago in 1997 and has since had stops at Western Michigan University, the University of Detroit-Mercy, Marquette University, Grand Valley State University, the University of Mississippi, Lincoln University, Texas State and UNLV.Â
The Chicago native graduated from North Central College in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in urban sociology and later earned his master's degree in education leadership at Grand Valley State University in 2009.
During his undergraduate years at North Central, Williams was a NCAA Division III All-American in the 110-meter hurdles, team captain, three-time CCIW Conference Champion and held both the school and conference records in 110-meter hurdles. He has a daughter Micah, two sons, Daniel and Kamran, and is married to Danyual.
Updated July 2025
