Jim Williams is the fourth member of the 1964 Arkansas Razorback national championship football team to be inducted into the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame.
Williams joins former Razorback teammates Richard Trail, Jim Lindsey and Jim Finch in the Hall.
Williams graduated from Forrest City High School in 1961 following an outstanding prep career on the football field and on the basketball court.
But it was football that earned Williams All-State honors as a tackle and a scholarship to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and the chance to play for Frank Broyles.
At Arkansas, Williams was an All-Southwest Conference player and served as co-captain of the 1965 Arkansas Razorback team that finished 10-1 overall and 7-0 in the SWC that ended the season with a 14-7 loss to LSU in the Cotton Bowl. He played in the 1966 Hula Bowl.
Following graduation from the University of Arkansas where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Masters Business Administration degrees, Williams tried professional football but played only one year with the Houston Oilers.
Williams currently is president of LandPlan Development Corporation in Cedar Hill, Texas. The firm invests in land and master planning and development of real estate projects in the and around the Northern suburbs of Dallas.
He has served as a past president of the Greater Dallas Planning Council and as a member of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce Housing Committee to name just a few from a very lengthy list of accomplishments.
On Friday, the "trilogy" of the Trail Brothers will be completed when Billy Trail will join younger brothers Ray and Richard and his son, Rusty in the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame.
"When Rusty, Ray and Richard were inducted I was very proud for them and for their accomplishments," Trail said. "I never thought about myself being inducted. Now that it's my turn, I feel honored and very fortunate to have my name alongside some of the greatest athletes and people who have helped shape Forrest City athletics and the city."
Trail graduated from Forrest City High School in 1956 after playing tackle for the Mustang football team for four seasons.
During his senior year, the Mustangs won the conference title and Trail earned Class AAA All-Conference, All-State and National All-American honors. Trail also played American Legion baseball in Forrest City for three years.
He attended Arkansas State University in Jonesboro where he was a starting guard for the Indian football and graduated with a degree in business administration.
Commissioned as a second lieutenant, Trail enlisted in the United States Army in 1960 and served several years before returning to Forrest City to build what has become a very successful farming operation.
Trail and his family were named the Arkansas Farm Family of the year in 1996.
"That was indeed an honor, because just like the game of football, farming is a team effort and it takes a team effort to be recognized as the state's best farm family," Trail said.
"My year's at Forrest City High School was one of the leading experiences of my life," Trail said. "It helped opened the doors for a lot of good things in my life."
Howard "Max" Graham was always called "Max" and he was always called a "player's coach."
Those who know him and played for him describe Graham as "tough, but fair."
Graham was born in Carlisle and played high school football for the Bison as a guard/tackle. Following graduation, Graham went to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway on a football scholarship.
From UCA, he joined the United States Army and was stationed in Germany for a while. It was during this time, that Graham got a call from then Forrest City head football coach Jim DeVazier, with an offer to become the assistant line coach with the Mustangs. Graham jumped at the chance and arrived in Forrest City in 1957, where he coached football, track and one year of baseball.
"Max was an outstanding coach and I always thought he had a great relationship with the kids," DeVazier said.
While at Forrest City, Graham also coached such talented athletes as Ray Trail, Jim Finch, Jim Williams and Lindsey, all members of the 1957 and 1959 undefeated Forrest City football teams.
After leaving Forrest City, Graham was out of coaching for several years before returning to the sidelines at Gillett where his 1967 team went undefeated. He moved on to Stuttgart where he coached alongside former Forrest City athlete Cliff Garrison, who was coaching the Ricebird basketball team. Graham won the AA state title at Stuttgart and then won the Class AAAA state title after taking the Benton head coaching job.
Graham head coached the Arkansas East All-Star team in 1971 and the West All-Star team in 1978. Graham passed away in May, 2003.
The Forrest City Junior Mustangs wilt try to get back on the winning track tonight when they travel to West Memphis Wonder.
The Junior Mustangs are coming off a 7-6loss to AAAAA-East Conference leader Jonesboro Annie Camp last week. Kick off at West Memphis Wonder will be 7 p.m.
The Junior Mustangs are 2-2-1 for the year and 2-1 in the conference.
In other junior high games tonight, Palestine-Wheatley will host Turrell tonight for homecoming while undefeated Hughes will host Parkin. P-W and Hughes both start at 6 p.m.