Former UMD Coach Gary Williams Roasted (For a Good Cause)

At the JW Marriott on Tuesday night, there was a Michael Wilbon and James Brown held their fourth annual Celebrity Roast, the proceeds of which served to benefit the District of Columbia College Access Program, also known as DC-CAP. In previous years, former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, basketball legend Wes Unseld, and Magic Johnson have been in attendance.

This year, former University of Maryland coach Gary Williams was put on the spot, with University of Maryland basketball alumni Keith Booth, Dave Dickerson, Walt Williams, and Tony Massenburg speaking about the positive impact Coach Williams had on their lives… while also joking about his intensity and penchant for yelling.

“Practice was 10 times worse,” Walt Williams said.

But the roast didn’t only involve former players. Sports journalist Tony Kornheiser spoke about Gary Williams in a video that was screened during the event. He spoke about the former coach’s love of golf, but he also said that when dealing with Gary Williams, it might be wise to have pepper spray on hand! Jimmy Patsos, who was an assistant coach, and Chris Knoche, who is a basketball analyst at the University of Maryland, also chimed into roast and toast.

Gary Williams took it all in stride, calling a lot of the things that were said “bull****.”  But he admitted that he does have one regret — to let Walt Williams wear a headband.

*Images credit Hyon Smith/Hyon Smith Photography.