Peter Mistretta - Taft Student Athlete Profile – Michael Williams ’11 – 2/15/2011
Classroom on the Gridiron
Coach Panos Voulgaris did his 2010 recruiting out of a Vineyard Vines catalogue. Sperry
Topsiders, pastel Polos, and chocolate corduroys are loungewear; Under Armour, tube socks, and
Nike’s are play wear. Zachary, Louisiana, near Baton Rouge, is home to passionate football and
colorful culture, but who knew that the new Taft football PG would be as fashion driven as
quarterback coach Casey D’Annolfo. Put simply, Mike Williams is not the typical Taft football
post-graduate. Close friend and avid fan Doug Profenius recounts an afternoon in Doug’s room
when Doug “looked over at Mike’s computer and he was checking out with a $500 bill on
NeimanMarcus.com.”
Mike’s threads may distinguish him in others’ eyes, but he does not see his style as a
defining characteristic. Unlike most football post-graduates, Williams’ defining characteristics are
his will to compete and his desire to learn. Mike reflects, with his eternal smile and Vineyard halfzip, that what he loves about football is the “the opportunity to channel all of my emotions into a
game where competitors prevail. To me, football means commitment, hard work, pride, and
teamwork.” Competitiveness does not always translate into brain shaking collisions and barbaric
curse words; to Williams, competing means doing everything it takes to win. This mends well with
another of his uncharacteristic characteristics: his intellectual drive at Taft. When prompted about
what aspects of the game Williams loves, he sat forward in his seat, ecstatic to describe his favorite
pass-time. “I love the physicality, but nothing trumps the intellectual complexity of the game of
football. I am a student of the game, and can never know too much.” Unlike fellow locker mates,
football to Mike is not only about crushing someone, celebrating about it, and considering it a
success. To Mike, seeing himself on film the next day, and analyzing what he is doing, the other
team is doing, and the rest of his teammates are doing is what continues to better him.
“Besides my own, Mike Williams dedication and commitment to every thing he does
trumps anyone’s I’ve seen,” says three-sport captain and Erickson Conference defensive player of
the year Michael Moran. Williams truly is a role model for the twenty-two underclassmen on the
2010 Taft football roster. Marcus Klotz, class of 2014, describes how “all of the young guys want
to be around him.” While he is a model, he does not preach to teammates or act like a teacher; he
speaks through his actions. Mike Williams emphasizes that focus and attention to details at school
translate to success on the field. As he humbly puts it, “I don’t do much; I just try to make sure
everyone is on the same page.” Class Dean Jack Kenerson explains, “Mike has demonstrated great
commitment to his studies. Earning 3 A (outstanding) effort grades in the first semester, while
earning a spot on the Honor Roll.”
Where as many of his post-graduate teammates carry themselves in a selfish way and they
eat, sleep, and breathe, football, Williams is more rational about the game. Mike loves football and
everything it encompasses, however, he says, “football only lasts so long. It’s important, but there
has to be more to life.” While he has high aspirations in football, like going to a division I school,
the prospect of a pro career seems lofty. So, when he is not in season, he focuses on interacting
with classmates, spending time in the library, and just relaxing. While his teammates are posting
Facebook statuses like, “help me decide where I should go to school next year, I have too many
options,” (Malik Stokes) two weeks before National Signing day, he can be found in the USGD
Rock common room eating cake to celebrate the Rockette of the month’s birthday. When asked
about Mike Williams, Rock senior Ellie O’neil’s eyes lit up and her lips quievered. “Mike knows
how to lay his traps. He’s a gentleman, and a ladies’ man.”
When the ten-year old Mike Williams first strapped up a football helmet in Zachary,
Louisiana, he had no indication of where the game would take him. His father and his uncle had
played pro ball, but he could only hope to achieve a fraction of their athletic success. As Mr. Jack
Kenerson testifies in a conversation with Mike’s mother, “Michael has surpassed our every
academic expectation. His focus and commitment to the classroom is transparent.” He goes on to
credit Mike by saying, “Mike is truly a Student-Athlete, capable of making the most of his
experience at Colgate as a student and as an athlete.” Mike Williams has put himself in situations
on and off the football in which attaining success in anything he wishes is possible.