Minnesota FCA mourns the loss of one of its founders.
Bob Williams was the first black player for the Minneapolis Lakers in 1955, and one of only seven black players in the NBA at that time. He was a quiet trailblazer for blacks in sports and played successfully for the team for two years while traveling with the Harlem Globetrotters in the off season.
He also co-founded Minnesota FCA.
The Start of a new FCA Chapter
There was a movement among professional athletes in the 1960s that gave FCA significant visibility around the country, but there was little organization at the local levels. Bob Williams and other professional athletes of his time like Jim Kaat (Twins pitcher), Fred Cox (Vikings kicker), Al Worthington (Twins pitcher), and Bernie Allen (Twins in-fielder) gave considerable time and effort to growing that visibility in Minnesota. A group of them hosted the first-ever FCA Camp in the area in Hudson, Wisconsin, which led to the formation of FCA huddles at the University of Minnesota and Richfield High School.
According to Lu Gronseth who attended that first camp as a high school senior and later came on staff with FCA, “FCA was now getting known, but it still didn’t have a lot of boots on the ground, so these guys got the vision that if the state got organized and had a staff person, that FCA could grow and be much more influential.” These men formally established Minnesota FCA in 1970, hiring the first state director, Ron Hess, in 1971. While the rest may be history, that is not where the legacy of Bob Williams ends with FCA.
The Traveling Basketball Team
Ron Hess organized a basketball team of professional athletes, including Bob Williams, that would travel the state and play basketball games against school faculty and others, always before a crowd. Following the game, they shared about the ministry of FCA and gave the Gospel message. The games were usually played on Saturdays and the team often stayed overnight in the community and spoke at various churches on Sunday morning, again sharing about FCA. Through this, FCA gained notoriety and credibility throughout the state which resulted in the start of many FCA huddles.
Lu said, “Bob Williams was a fan favorite, and everyone loved him. He was a gentle giant and such a loving and warm person that everyone was attracted to him. He spoke to many organizations and churches on behalf of FCA.” And it wasn’t just because he was a professional athlete that people were drawn to him. He showed a genuine interest in others. Lu went on to say, “Bob was always the one to stick around and sign autographs and talk to people. If you had to pick someone to be Mr. FCA, you certainly couldn’t go wrong picking Bob at that time, along with several others. He was a real presence during that whole time that I was on staff.”
George Palke is a former coach who met Bob through the basketball team. He said, “After playing with him a couple of games, it was evident he was a good basketball player and loved the Lord. Then I found out this humble man had been a tremendous player and had traveled with the Harlem Globetrotters. That impressed me as a young coach.” Bob Williams had that effect on many young coaches and athletes in those years.
Breaking Barriers
As the first black basketball player for the Lakers in the mid-1950s, Bob broke barriers just by his presence. When he moved into a majority-white neighborhood in Minneapolis, he faced discrimination from neighbors who immediately put their houses on the market. When the Lakers traveled for games, he often could not stay in the same hotels as the rest of the team because he was black.
Though those years were difficult for Bob and his family, he continued to live his life to honor God and take care of his family. Lu says, “I didn’t see Bob as an activist person. He was not looking to break barriers, but he did with the Lakers and in the air force. He just seemed to always fit in wherever he went. He made friends wherever he went. He was just so gracious to everyone.”
Further Involvement
Once the basketball team stopped traveling and Bob got more involved with his church, he still maintained a presence with FCA. He was on the board for a few years, spoke at various events, and regularly invited a group of guys from Pillsbury to play at the annual FCA golf tournament. He always wanted to bring others along and share the vision of FCA with those in his circle. And Lu said, “He was a crowd favorite.”
Bob Williams was inducted into the Minnesota FCA Hall of Faith in 1998 for his “humble, loyal, and determined service to FCA and the Lord.” He was well-known within FCA for his acapella rendition of How Great Thou Art that he sang to close out the golf tournaments and FCA breakfasts at the state basketball tournament for years.
Grateful for his Legacy
George Palke said it best: “Bob was a loving father and husband. He was successful in business, and he was a leader in his community as someone who wanted to serve God. Bob was the kind of man who worked at everything through love and respect. He made you feel like a friend upon a first introduction and then showed he was a guy you could count on as you grew to know him and respect him. He had great talents that he used to gain success and then used them to help others. I always felt honored to have known Bob Williams, a true prayer warrior.”
Minnesota FCA is eternally grateful for the influence and dedication of Bob Williams to the world of professional sports, the Twin Cities, and especially to our ministry. What started as a shared love for Jesus and sports by a small group of professional athletes has today become a ministry with over 40 staff ministering to hundreds of coaches who are leading 275 huddles that reach thousands each year with the Gospel of Christ. Thank you to Bob Williams and those who served alongside him, for the vision they had to see FCA multiplied throughout our state.
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