‘A true trailblazer’ in Atlanta athletics: Raymond ‘Tweet’ Williams dies at 99

Most of Williams’ high school sports teams competed in the Georgia Interscholastic Association, the sports governing body for historically Black schools during segregation.

After retiring, Williams became a resource for GIA history and was instrumental in getting the GHSA to recognize the champions of the GIA era (1948-69) on its website.

Williams was prominently featured in a documentary about the GIA titled “As If We Were Ghosts” released in 2022 by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Documentary producer Ron Bivins was a close friend of Williams who planned to record another interview with him this week for a sequel.

“I got a chance to visit him at Northside (Hospital), and I showed him some footage of things we had recorded, and he just perked up,” Bivins said. “We were going to do a segment just on him. He was just a jewel when it comes to the history of the GIA, as well as uplifting and letting the youngsters know whose shoulders they were riding on.”

Williams talked about his GIA experiences in a 2019 AJC interview.

“During this time, players, coaches and fans faced numerous challenges because of segregation, inferior facilities and equipment and financial limitations,” he said. “It was a difficult task to teach and coach players when these challenges occurred as we traveled throughout the state. Despite these challenges, we were able to train and develop exceptional athletes under these conditions, and the quality of play was exceptional.”

In recent years, Williams made recommendations that helped get GIA players into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame. Those included NBA great Walt Frazier, a star quarterback at Howard High and a 2025 inductee.

In 2023, the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame gave Williams a lifetime achievement award that pointed out the 1954 Turner High team he led to a GIA championship. Williams’ short speech drew a standing ovation.

“He had been waiting all his life to be recognized, and that was monumental for him,” Bivins said. “Of all the accolades he had (received), that right there gave him a new lease on life, making him want to continue to live. He always felt the story of GIA and sports had never been told the way that it should be.’’

Williams was a member of the Atlanta University, Clark Atlanta, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference sports halls of fame.

Many of his honors came from his days as a football and basketball official. He believed that he was part of the first all-Black officiating crew at an NCAA game. He was the head football official for Florida A&M’s football upset of Miami in 1979.

Williams’ daughter Angela Williams posted the news of her father’s death Tuesday on her Facebook page.

“He was a true trailblazer in the community and throughout the United States, and his legacy will continue,” she wrote. “He was a true advocate for athletes and students even up until the time of his death and he will be sorely missed, but we all will continue to abide by his teachings.”

District 3 Atlanta City Council member Byron Amos released a statement Tuesday afternoon on Williams’ passing.

“Atlanta is mourning the loss of a man who was not only a Hall of Fame athlete in his own right, but also a mentor to generations of youth athletes across the city. As a fellow graduate of Booker T. Washington High School and a Clark Atlanta University alumnus, Williams used his All-American and All-SIAC honoree athletic talent and skills to give back to his community.

“He established Clark Atlanta Athletic Booster Association and became a successful football coach at Clark Atlanta University, Turner High School, Frederick Douglass High School, and Northside High School. His career as an athletic educator and coach has made him an invaluable mentor to Atlanta’s youth athletes.”

Angela Williams said that a funeral service will be held Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Atlanta.