Wisconsin football: First African American to start at QB in the Big Ten passes away

MADISON – University of Wisconsin graduate Sidney Williams Jr., the first African American to start at quarterback in the Big Ten, passed away earlier this month.

Williams, 88, passed away at the Health Center of Friendship Village in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He is survived by is wife, Carolyn, and sons, Martin, and Christopher.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Williams was UW’s starting quarterback for two-plus seasons (1956-1958).

Williams started out on the freshman team in 1954, made the varsity team in 1955 but did not play and then spent much of the 1956 season as a reserve safety.

With UW 1-5-1 and struggling on offense in 1956, head coach Milt Bruhn inserted Williams at quarterback for the final two games.

He led UW to 13-13 ties against Illinois and No. 7 Minnesota, teams that had beaten UW the previous season. Williams scored touchdowns in each game.

Williams started in 1957 and 1958. The Badgers finished 4-3 in the Big Ten and 6-3 overall in his first season as full-time starter and 5-1-1 in the league and 7-1-1 overall in his second season.

The only loss in 1958 was a 20-9 decision to Iowa, which won the league title and went on to defeat California, 38-12, in the Rose Bowl. UW finished No. 7 in The Associated Press poll.

Williams left UW after the 1958 season. He played one season in the NFL and one in the Canadian Football League before returning to UW, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering in 1961.

Williams received a law degree from George Washington University (1967) and worked for more than two decades as a patent lawyer for the UpJohn company. He was named Executive Director of Trademarks and Domestic Patents in 1990.

He retired in 1995 but served on the Board of Directors of the University of Wisconsin Foundation and the College of Engineering's Industrial Advisory Board.

Williams received the University of Wisconsin's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1994.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Wisconsin quarterback Sidney Williams Jr. passes away