Paul Williams ran.
He ran to escape the family dysfunction he grew up around, dysfunction that carried over into adulthood. He ran to break records, to be on top, and to succeed as one of the highest-caliber athletes in the country. He ran to impress, to find a place to belong and ease his insecurities.
Today, Williams is a 74-year-old man who can look back over his life and see God weaving together a story of finding freedom in Christ.
A painful childhood in Huntington Beach, California, created a lot of wounds in his life, but Williams found an outlet for the hurt through running. He broke a school record in his first track race for Huntington Beach High School. He threw himself into running to alleviate the pain and found a running route on the beach that required no running shoes.
The beach boy ran all summer without shoes, and it carried into the school year.
“There weren’t any shoes that were good, and I liked being barefoot, so I would tape my arches and my toes and run two-mile cross-country races [without shoes].”
This kind of running got him third at the California State Championship, and by the time he graduated, he held nine school records and received a scholarship to run at UCLA.
It all looked promising for Williams on the outside, but inside, he was crumbling and insecure. A broken home and a wild adolescence had him sprinting down some dark roads. At age 19, the summer between his freshman and sophomore year at UCLA, Williams was caught stealing money and fired from his job. At bottom, Williams had nowhere else to run.
After he lost his job, Williams took a late-night walk down the beach, broken and forlorn.
“I got to a point where I couldn’t go any further, there was just water and the rocks, so I got on my knees, and screamed out, ‘God, I need You, I need You,’ though I didn't know who He was.”
Williams wrestled with immediate doubt and condescending thoughts, but as he walked along the shoreline, submerged in salt water, shin deep, he felt a presence with him.
“I couldn't see a face, I couldn't describe it, but a voice kept telling me, ‘It's going to be okay. You're going to be alright.’”
When he returned to UCLA, his now-wife, Judy, invited him to attend Bible study. There at the study, he learned of a heavenly Father who loved him. For a young man at odds with his earthly father, Williams was floored by this love. He gave his life to Jesus and began following Him, letting God clean up the mess of his personal life.
After a great running career as an undergraduate, Williams was offered a coaching opportunity at Huntington Beach High School, his alma mater, after he graduated. He accepted and began a career of pouring into young runners. But when he and his wife Judy felt a stirring to leave California, they packed up their home and three children and moved to Laramie, Wyoming in August 1993. Williams continued to coach track.
There at the study, he learned of a heavenly Father who loved him. For a young man at odds with his earthly father, Williams was floored by this love.On Williams’ first day as a high school track coach, he was approached to start an FCA Huddle.
“I had no idea what [my colleague] was talking about, but I prayed about it,” Williams said. “I had a little vision that if kids would come to Christ, their parents would come to church. With the help of then-Wyoming Director Jim Hamilton, we got it all set up and met for the next 13 years. I didn't know what I was doing; God just led that thing step by step. Now, thousands of kids have been exposed to the Gospel. If God calls you for a task, He will equip you to do it.”
Williams poured into numerous student-athletes over the years, including current Wyoming State Director Aaron Frude, whom he now frequently stays in touch with. Williams was often involved with FCA’s Sports Camp in Spearfish, South Dakota as a track or cross country coach from 2000-2011. Although he’s no longer coaching athletes, Williams has made it a point to stay engaged in FCA. He’s been involved in a Treasure Valley Coaches Huddle and been a track and cross country coach at the Northwest FCA Sports Camp in Nampa, Idaho.
“Coach Williams has always been an example to me of a godly man and a leader in the places God has put him,” said FCA Wyoming State Director Aaron Frude. “Whether as a teacher and coach, leading an FCA Huddle or sharing at camp, he leads in word and action and always has a good story with a principal or lesson behind it.”
When retirement came for Williams, he began reading through the Bible once a year.
By the grace of God and time spent in His Word over many decades, God has reconciled Williams’ wandering heart, helped him come to
terms with much of his past, and worked in his marriage to tighten his and Judy’s relationship. God offered a new identity to the once-barefoot runner turned coach, and Williams is narrowing his focus on the eternal race set before him.
“I was successful, I had the fifth fastest time in America in the 880 yards as a senior in high school; my ego got big and lied to my heart about who I was,” Williams admitted. “I've screwed up a lot in my life, but it's only been in the last two years that I've realized the depth of God's mercy. My chains are gone, I've been set free. I’m running in my own lane. It's amazing.”
Freedom has carried Williams into coaching at FCA Camp in Nampa, Idaho, over the years and finding true joy in coaching young athletes not just in the ways of running, but the ways of God.
“I love being here for the kids and using my gift of encouragement. I love the kids and their attitudes. At the end of the week with our cross-country kids, we feel like family.”
Williams’ age might keep him from the youthful exuberance he once had, but he is still running full speed into what the Lord has invited him into.
“I thought I was too old to be in ministry now, and I do have to go back and take a nap when the kids are in Huddle time and get my rest, but the Lord sustains me for what I want to do. The hero in this story is Jesus. It's not me.”
Want to make an impact on the lives of athletes? Consider coaching at an FCA Camp near you!
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Photos courtesy of Paul Williams