Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Williams, L.R. "Pete"
L.R. "Pete" Williams
- Induction:
- 2008
- Class:
- 1958
A two-way star on Lehigh football teams of late 1950s, Llewellyn R. “Pete” Williams started every game of his three-year varsity career (freshmen were not eligible then) at offensive and defensive tackle. He captained the 1957 squad that went 8-1 and captured Lehigh's first-ever Lambert Cup trophy and went on to earn All-America, All-East and All-Pennsylvania distinction that same season.
Known for his quick feet and great balance, Williams scored 21 points during his career in the Brown and White, an incredible accomplishment for a lineman. The Connecticut native scored three touchdowns, one safety and kicked an extra point of the course of his career.
“It's a great honor to be inducted into the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame,” Williams said of his induction. “The whole thing is a little surprising because I really had not anticipated it. I'm extremely honored and I'm looking forward to the ceremony, and one of the key things is this will all be there for my family and friends to see for years to come.”
On the gridiron, Williams possessed terrific speed and quickness for a lineman of his size.
“He was one of the fastest guys on the team,” noted former team manager Jim Swenson '59. “He could run those 40-yard sprints with the best of them. Off the field, Pete is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He was and still is a first-class act.”
Williams co-captained the 1957 Lambert Cup team with Hall of Fame member J. Daniel Nolan '58. The team gained national notoriety when they received the Lambert Cup on the Ed Sullivan Show.
“To appear on the show with my teammates and receive the award on national television with millions watching, it was a great honor and certainly one of the highlights of my life,” Williams said.
Among the many memorable games that Williams was part of was a 40-6 romp over Columbia in 1957.
“I was the left end, and Pete lined up next to me at left tackle,” recalled Bud Wenzel '59. “I intercepted a pass and ran about 10 yards with it before dropping the ball. Pete already had three career touchdowns, but he was right there fighting with me to pick up the fumble.”
Williams recalls the game for a different reason. His Lehigh team coasted to a 34-point victory as a measure of revenge after Colombia coach Buff Donelli ran up the score on coach Bill Leckonby’s Lehigh team when he was at Boston University in 1953. He has vivid memories of his three trips to the endzone, the first of which came as a sophomore when he picked up a deflected pass and raced 86 yards for a touchdown. Williams added two more scores as a junior in wins over Albright and Lafayette.
Following his career at Lehigh, Williams was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League and the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He signed a contract with the 49ers, but had his professional career cut short by an injury.
Williams earned his degree from Lehigh in business administration and went on to spend 38 years at IBM where he worked in human resources for the company's international division, a job that provided Williams the opportunity to travel the globe, wrapping up over a million miles on one airline alone, and spending a great deal of time in the Far East.
Now retired, Williams and his wife reside in Cold Spring, New York.
Known for his quick feet and great balance, Williams scored 21 points during his career in the Brown and White, an incredible accomplishment for a lineman. The Connecticut native scored three touchdowns, one safety and kicked an extra point of the course of his career.
“It's a great honor to be inducted into the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame,” Williams said of his induction. “The whole thing is a little surprising because I really had not anticipated it. I'm extremely honored and I'm looking forward to the ceremony, and one of the key things is this will all be there for my family and friends to see for years to come.”
On the gridiron, Williams possessed terrific speed and quickness for a lineman of his size.
“He was one of the fastest guys on the team,” noted former team manager Jim Swenson '59. “He could run those 40-yard sprints with the best of them. Off the field, Pete is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He was and still is a first-class act.”
Williams co-captained the 1957 Lambert Cup team with Hall of Fame member J. Daniel Nolan '58. The team gained national notoriety when they received the Lambert Cup on the Ed Sullivan Show.
“To appear on the show with my teammates and receive the award on national television with millions watching, it was a great honor and certainly one of the highlights of my life,” Williams said.
Among the many memorable games that Williams was part of was a 40-6 romp over Columbia in 1957.
“I was the left end, and Pete lined up next to me at left tackle,” recalled Bud Wenzel '59. “I intercepted a pass and ran about 10 yards with it before dropping the ball. Pete already had three career touchdowns, but he was right there fighting with me to pick up the fumble.”
Williams recalls the game for a different reason. His Lehigh team coasted to a 34-point victory as a measure of revenge after Colombia coach Buff Donelli ran up the score on coach Bill Leckonby’s Lehigh team when he was at Boston University in 1953. He has vivid memories of his three trips to the endzone, the first of which came as a sophomore when he picked up a deflected pass and raced 86 yards for a touchdown. Williams added two more scores as a junior in wins over Albright and Lafayette.
Following his career at Lehigh, Williams was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League and the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He signed a contract with the 49ers, but had his professional career cut short by an injury.
Williams earned his degree from Lehigh in business administration and went on to spend 38 years at IBM where he worked in human resources for the company's international division, a job that provided Williams the opportunity to travel the globe, wrapping up over a million miles on one airline alone, and spending a great deal of time in the Far East.
Now retired, Williams and his wife reside in Cold Spring, New York.
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