Chuck WilliamsEdward “Chuck” Williams is one of Colorado’s truly elite student-athletes who has earned a spot on the Denver Public Schools All-Century teams in football and basketball.
A gifted athlete for the East Angels, Williams played for three of the state’s top coaches, Pat Panek (CHSAA Hall of Fame 1991), Paul Coleman and Myron Craig.
Williams earned three letters in basketball, two in football and one in track & field. As a forward in basketball, he named All-City three times, in football twice and was All-State twice in both sports in 1963 and 1964.
He helped the East teams win two state titles, including the 1963 state football championship (a 28-20 win over Lakewood), and the 1964 basketball title (a 103-83 win over Pueblo Centennial). He also played on the football and basketball teams that finished state runners-up in his junior year.
Following his stellar Denver East career, Williams moved on to the University of Colorado where he played guard. A floor leader, Williams was known for his precision passing, slashing drives to the basket and his tenacious defense. He possessed exceptional speed and quickness.
He suffered a serious knee injury in his junior year, but rebounded to have an exceptional senior season for the Buffaloes. His career statistics at CU show a player that played 236 games, shot 48% from the field and 79% from the line for 2,127 points and a 9.0 points per game average.
Following his collegiate career, Williams was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and was the 77th player taken in the draft.
His professional career took him to Pittsburgh, Denver, San Diego, Kentucky and Memphis in the American Basketball Association and then back to Denver and Buffalo in the National Basketball Association. He averaged 10.8 points in his professional career.
He remains active in the community, especially his East Denver neighborhood.
