Former St. Augustine's University coach George Williams has coached hundreds of national and Olympic champions during his long career. Even though the university fired Williams in July 2020, the 81-year-old continues to coach athletes at different stages of their lives.
>> NUMBER ONE, SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS. THIS IS WRAL. >> HIS NAME IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE SPORT OF TRACK AND FIELD HAVING COACHED HUNDREDS OF OLYMPIC AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONS IN HIS LONG CAREERS BUT WHEN SAINT AUGUSTIN'S COACH GEORGE WILLIAMS WAS UNCEREMONIOUSLY, LET GO FROM HIS ALMA MATER. IT WAS THE END OF AN ERA. BUT IT DIDN'T SLOW HIM DOWN. >> 23. 24 25 26 27. >> LOOK FAST. 3 S LEAD TO DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR LIVES, TRYING TO GET BETTER UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF LEGENDARY TRACK COACH GEORGE WILLIAMS. PEOPLE JUST RELAX, RELAX THEM. JUST LIKE YOU WALK IN. JUST LIKE TO WALK IN RELAXING. LET'S SHOW ONE IN THEIR 50 TH THAT UNDER ANOTHER IN THEIR 30'S, YOU PUSH INTO HOT ERICA AND ONE TRAINING FOR THE OLYMPICS. AND I WANT YOU TO FEEL IT BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WANT IT DO FEEL NOMINEE FEELING TOO FAST. YOU COME ACROSS AND LIKE 26 27. YOU. 28. THIS IS FUN. THIS IS THE LOT OF FUN. AND I LOVE SEEING, YOU KNOW, FOLKS TRYING TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO >> WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND MAKE THINGS RUNNING STRAIGHT FOR THE POINT, YOU SEE THE RAZA. >> AT 81, THE FORMER SENIOR DUSTIN'S TRACK AND FIELD COACH. IT'S ALMOST AS BUSY AS HE WAS BEFORE HE WAS FIRED FROM HIS ALMA MATER 3 YEARS AGO. GET YOUR FOOT DOWN AND IT LET OUT A PUSH TO TRACK BACK THE BITTER BITTER FEELINGS WITH THAT NAME WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FEELING WHEN I LEFT REALLY, I DID. IT'S SOMETHING THAT DANA, HER TO THE PITCH YOU A LITTLE BIT. BUT IT'S NOT A FEELING, YOU KNOW. IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO GET OVER IN MARCH OF 2020 WILLIAMS WAS TOLD HE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE A 50% PAY CUT AND MOVE INTO A NEW POSITION IN THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT OR LEAVE A SCHOOL WHOSE ATHLETIC COMPLEX BEARS HIS NAME. HE TURNED IT DOWN AND WAS HANDED A TERMINATION LETTER FROM A PLACE HE CONSIDERED HOME. IS THAT WHAT YOUR DEPARTURE HEARD? SO MUCH HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, THAT YOUR HOME, RIGHT, THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, SHE COULD BE A MOTHER PUT YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE. WE ATE WOULD NEED TO. YEAH. >> ALWAYS GOING TO, YOU KNOW. UNTIL SOMEBODY GET TOGETHER AND SAY, LET'S GO TO A LIVE AUDIENCE AS WELL AS MISTER KNOW. IT WASN'T REALLY A SCHOOL HERE. NOW. HE WAS SOMEONE WHO WAS NO LONGER HERE. DO YOU THINK THAT THAT YOUR DEPARTURE FROM SITTING ALL WILL TARNISH HER LEGACY? >> AND THEN INTO MONDAY TO SEE. >> TO SAY HIS LEGACY IS IMPRESSIVE IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. WILLIAMS COAST OF SAINT AUGUSTIN'S FOR 50 YEARS. 47 HIS TRACK COACH HE HAD 280 INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. 39, A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS AND HUNDREDS OF OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS. GEORGE WILLIAMS REACHED A SETTLEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY. BUT AFTER ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED, IT'S STILL NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU WHOLE WITH THAT WHOLE SITUATION. I'M NOT REALLY. BUT, YOU KNOW. >> I THINK I NEED AN APOLOGY. SOMEBODY. IT STILL HAD A NOTE. THANK YOU. GET IT. WE DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M ENJOYING LIFE TO TELL YOU THAN THAT. >> UNTIL THEN, HE'LL CONTINUE DOING WHAT HE LOVES. PEOPLE FOUGHT TO KEEP THE FALL GOOD. GOOD THAT THE 7TH REPAIRING SERIOUS ATHLETES TO RUN THE RACE. THEY WANT THAT. >> GEORGE WILLIAMS SAID FORMER SAINT AUGUSTIN'S FOOTBALL COACH HOWARD FAGAN'S REACHED OUT TO HIM AFTER HE WAS FIRED IN OCTOBER. >> WILLIAMS DIDN'T RESPOND TO HIM SAYING HE WASN'T PART OF THE UNIVERSITY ANYMORE. HIS ATTENTION NOW IS ON THE