Rich Williams with his sons Richie (l.) and Jack

RICH WILLIAMS '90 -- 'OWNER of the GREATEST TACKLE in WILLIAMS FOOTBALL HISTORY'

A conversation with John Berry '99 (JB), former standout defensive back, at Williams got around to some of the great plays I had seen at Williams. When I told JB about the tackle Rich Williams '90 made back in 1989 to help preserve the first perfect season at Williams he was amazed -- and then he was stunned when I showed it to him.

The tackle was not a knock-the-helmet-off, bone jarring, brain-scrambling hit by any means, but it was HUGE! It was highly improbable, surprising. mind boggling and it was so, so very timely that it has to go down as 'the Greatest Tackle in Williams History.'

I quickly fast-forwarded the tape of the 1989 Williams vs. Amherst game to early in the third quarter, well past the two fumbles the Ephs committed to give Amherst a shocking 14-0 lead five minutes into the contest. Past the Eph comeback to tie it at 14 and past Brian Taptich's first ever collegiate field goal to put the Ephs ahead 17-14.

I slowed the tape down as Amherst broke from the huddle for their first offensive play after the Ephs had gone on top. I wanted to be sure JB was ready. I had seen the play a dozen times before (10 the night it happened) but had not seen it for four or five years.

This time, I swear to God, for a second I thought Rich Williams was not going to save the day. Amherst's Wes Adams ran for a long time that day and on that tape with no one else in the frame other than teammate Rob Born who was there to block for him. Adams ran for nearly 50 yards. He ran right past the Williams bench. Past Eph head coach Dick Farley and thousands of Eph fans on that side of the field. If Chris Berman of ESPN had been there, he would not have said, "He -- could -- go -- all -- the -- way," he would have said, "Amherst retakes the lead."

Mr. Berman -- I'd like you to meet Mr. Williams. Rich Williams, number 21 for Williams College, the All-American safety who, though never accused of being fast, was also never accused of giving less than 100% on every play.

Dick Farley once described Rich Williams' "speed" thusly, "In a race with a pregnant woman Remo finishes third." As soon as you stop laughing Farley will also tell you. "I don't know how fast Rich was, but I can tell you that he was always fast enough to make the play when we needed it. He ran down fastest back in the league from Colby."

Williams and Farley had a close player/coach relationship because Williams caught on and absorbed all of Farley's defensive schemes quickly and because of the maturity and leadership displayed by Williams. Williams' admiration of Farley is reciprocal. "Coach Farley taught me 90% about life and being a man and only 10% about football," said Williams. "He only asks you to do what you should -- pay attention, work hard and give it all you've got. Coach Farley is smart enough to know that if everyone does those three things every day the winning and losing will take care of themselves. He also goes the extra yard and makes sure we know exactly what the other team is going to do on every play."

Remember, Rich Williams came all the way across the field to make the "Greatest Tackle in Williams history." "I saw Adams catch the ball in the middle of the field and I saw three of our guys around him," said Williams. "Next thing I know, two of the guys bounce off him and take down the third and Adams is going down the sideline near our bench, so I just took off."

Williams ran 70 yards in the time it took Adams to go 50. Where does that come from?

Some people might have questioned Williams' speed, but no one on his team ever questioned his heart. Wes Adams and Rob Born had no chance against a determined Rich Williams. Actually, Adams and Born did have a chance, but I'll let Rich explain.

"The closer I got to Adams the more I wondered why Born was not coming out to get me or at least get in my way," said Williams. "I was so focused on getting Adams I did not hear a sound, not the crowd and not anyone on my team. The only thing I could do was throw my body into Born's legs and hope I could get through to knock Adams out of bounds." Williams' dive through Born to Adams happened at the eight-yard line. Adams went out of bounds at the six-yard line.

On first and goal from the six Amherst tried to run off right tackle. Amherst lost a yard when Rich Williams made another special tackle on Born this time. Two more attempts at a TD failed and the Lord Jeffs' went for a 22-yard FG to tie the game. The kick went wide right and the Ephs held on to the 17-14 lead which would later become the final score.

Just before the Ephs lined up on offense after the missed FG by Amherst. Play-by-play man Mike Dowling said on the satellite telecast to combined Williams and Amherst gatherings across the nation -- "If you're looking for a hero for Williams, look no further than number 21 Rich Williams." Amen.

All-American defensive end Ted Rogers '91, who would later get a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins, recalls thinking that he really was not all that surprised that "Remo" (Williams' nickname) made the play. "More than any other player I played with, even in the pros, Remo knew the game, knew what he needed to do and did it. His tackle of Adams was an impressive physical display of determination. Remo was not going to let anyone or any two guys ruin our perfect season."

Williams also lettered for four years for the Ephs in basketball under current AD Harry Sheehy. Rich Williams did not approach hoops in a casual manner either. "If you look up 'gamer' in the dictionary there is a picture of Remo," said Sheehy. "Not fast, not real quick but great instincts and what a competitor! You had to drive a stake through his heart before he would quit. Give me 5 Remos and we win almost every basketball game (in a rather ugly fashion and probably by a score of 10-8!). I loved coaching him."

Today Rich Williams is a Marketing Director, Strategic Alliances - Eastern Region for MetLife in New York's Westchester County. He lives in Westport, CT with his wife Kara and their two young sons Richie (4) and Jack (3).