Larry Williams

Lawrence Richard Williams II (July 3, 1963 – October 16, 2025) was an American professional football player and college administrator. He played five seasons as an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). After his football career, he became an athletic director.

Early life Williams was born on July 3, 1963, in Orange, California,

College career Williams was an offensive lineman for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He twice earned second-team All-American honors during his college career: as a junior he was selected by Football News, and as a senior by United Press International (UPI). He graduated from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985.

Professional career Williams was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the tenth round with the 259th pick in the 1985 NFL draft. He played in 42 games, starting 33, for the Browns from 1986 to 1988. Williams signed with the San Diego Chargers on March 7, 1989. He was released by the Chargers on September 3, 1990. Williams played in six games, starting two, for the New Orleans Saints during the 1991 season. He then returned to Notre Dame to work on licensing and product marketing for the athletic department from 1999 to 2003. At Portland, Williams increased resources and scholarship support while he was director, He also hired Eric Reveno, a longstanding head coach of the men's basketball team.

He was named the Marquette Golden Eagles' new athletic director on December 5, 2011, and started his tenure on January 2, 2012. He left Marquette in December 2013 to pursue other interests.

From 2015 to 2021, Williams was the athletic director at University of Akron. He reestablished the men's basketball team at Akron after a 5-year hiatus; since then, the program has made it to the NCAA tournament three times under head coach John Groce. He was named the sixth best athletic director in the country by AthleticDirectorU during his time at Akron. During his tenure with USF, Williams dealt with a series of lawsuits alleging misconduct among the school's baseball and soccer programs.

Williams was a devout Catholic.