Sam Houston athletics director Bobby Williams will retire June 1, 2027, after 45 years of service to the university.
Williams to retire following 2026-27 season
HUNTSVILLE - Bobby Williams, the longest tenured Division I athletic director in the country, announced on Thursday he will be retiring from Sam Houston at the end of the 2026-27 athletic season.
Williams, who took the lead of the Sam Houston athletic department in 1997 and enters his 45th year of service at the university, will step aside on June 1, 2027.
“Bobby Williams’ extraordinary tenure has helped shape Sam Houston Athletics and strengthen our university in lasting ways,” President Alisa White said. “His commitment to student-athletes, coaches and staff, along with his leadership through a transformational period for our athletics program, has created a legacy that will be felt for generations. We are grateful for his 45 years of service to Sam Houston and for the lasting impact he and his family have made on our Bearkat community.”
Williams joined Sam Houston in 1982 as an assistant coach under head football coach Ron Randleman and moved into athletic administration in 1990. In 1997 he was named the interim director of athletics before getting the job full time a year later.
"I have been so blessed to have had all of my career be at Sam Houston. Our family has embraced this university and athletic program for more than 45 years,” Williams said. “I want to thank my wife Janet for being the major reason for our success as a family, along with embracing and supporting my career in athletic administration and coaching. Our daughters, Audrey and Alexandra have also been an extremely positive part of our family’s athletic and university experience.”
Under Williams’ leadership the athletic program has accomplished unprecedented competitive and academic successes, while also successfully moving the department from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and Southland Conference to the Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA.
“There are so many people that have played a major role in my opportunity to have a successful career at one university,” Williams added. “All four university presidents — Dr. Bobby Marks, Dr. James Geartner, Dr. Dana Hoyt and Dr. Alisa White — along with university staff and faculty, athletic coaches, staff, alumni, donors and especially all the current and former student-athletes who have been so important to our success.”
“I would like to single out three individuals who played an integral role in my time here at Sam Houston. First, Ron Randleman hired me in 1982 and gave me so many opportunities to grow as a coach and administrator. Senior Associate Athletic Director Chris Thompson, with whom we have built a student-athlete experience that ranks among the best in the nation,” Williams said. “Additionally, I cannot thank Dr. Alisa White enough for all her support and trust in our process. Six years ago, she extended my career and allowed me to be a part of so many athletic championships and played a major role in my dream for our athletic department to move to the FBS level."
Sam Houston has won 52 conference and tournament championships, appeared in 51 NCAA postseason regionals or tournaments, has had 56 individual student-athletes as NCAA qualifiers, has five NCAA national finals appearances, nine NCAA national semifinals appearances and two NCAA National Championships after winning the FCS title in the spring of 2021 and bowling in 2014.
Williams has overseen an amazing makeover of Sam Houston’s intercollegiate sports facilities, including new construction and renovations projects in all athletic areas. Projects have included improvements to Bowers Stadium, Mafrige Fieldhouse, Johnson Coliseum, Don Sanders Stadium, the Bearkat Softball Complex, McIver Golf Training Facility and the Robert & Erin Steele Golf Facility at the Bearkat Course, Chuck & Wanda Beckner Tennis Facility and Pritchett Field. All told, these projects have totaled over $110,000,000.
In addition, the Woodforest Bank Athletic Center opened its doors in 2019 and include the Athletic Learning Enhancement Center and the Bearkat Sports Network studios. The BSN media suite includes a 500 square foot television studio, a podcast studio and two control rooms, one of which serves as a centralized ESPN production room for events at Bowers Stadium, Johnson Coliseum, Pritchett Field, Don Sanders Stadium and the Bearkat Softball Complex.
The new $60,000,000 Bowers Stadium West Side Complex that includes individual suites, club seating, new fan experience and media and operations areas was dedicated on July 30, 2026 and will host its first football game on September 12.
Along the way Williams received the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director Award from the All-American Football Foundation in May 2005 and the AstroTurf Athletics Director of the Year “Football Championship Subdivision West Region” award in June 2008.
In April 2026, the Williams Stone Family Endowment in the amount $100,000 was established and proudly given by Bobby and Janet Williams in honor of their parents and their families’ legacy at Sam Houston.