Pine Bluff Football Coach Returns to His Struggling Hometown 鈥斅燗nd Scores Big for Students
Arkansas coach prioritizes grades, leverages recruiters & cares for his players 鈥� especially after a tragic loss 鈥� and sees team land college offers.
By Jo Napolitano | May 9, 2024Updated, May 9
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
On a gray February morning, the Pine Bluff High School gymnasium was filled with colorful balloons and flooded with music and laughter as family and friends, students and staff gathered to celebrate four college-bound star football players signing their national letters of intent.
Less than six miles away, a mother was mourning the loss of another beloved player, her 16-year-old son, Kendall Burton, who was gunned down just weeks earlier.
Addressing a standing-room-only crowd, the four elated student-athletes all thanked the same person 鈥� and the heartbroken mother in her quiet apartment did, too: Coach Micheal Williams.
The two events painfully juxtaposed what Williams has worked hardest to achieve since returning to his hometown 鈥� creating a pathway to college for his players 鈥� and what he has fought so strenuously to keep at bay. between the ages of 10 and 19 in this town of roughly 40,000 were the victims of homicide between 2020 and 2022, according to the most recent data.
鈥淜endall Burton was a great kid,鈥� said Williams, who鈥檚 built close relationships with all of his players, but especially this affable teen. 鈥淚 would let him date my daughter, you know, that type of kid. I always tell everybody he was the coach鈥檚 son.鈥�
Shaketa Simmons, Burton鈥檚 mother, said Kendall felt the same way: 鈥淗e loved Coach Williams. He would always say, 鈥楥oach Williams got our back. He would do anything for us.鈥欌��
Williams, who understands the grinding poverty that can lead some students astray, has always encouraged his players not to squander the opportunity they鈥檝e earned through sports. But he had struggled in recent weeks to relate that message: Burton was a clean-cut kid who stayed out of trouble and still, his future was taken from him.
Burton鈥檚 death devastated the coach and now he found himself summoning the young man, who he picked up every morning before practice, to help keep his teammates on track amid their sorrow.
鈥淚 tell them, 鈥榊ou have to carry on, fight hard to be that person you are because your friend is looking at you,鈥欌�� Williams said. 鈥溾�楬e鈥檚 clapping from heaven.鈥欌��
Boys to men
A former Pine Bluff football player himself, Willliams, now 40, helped lead some of the most storied teams in the country, including the one belonging to Duncanville High School just outside Dallas: They won in the last two years and were in the nation.
But no matter where he worked, he kept an eye on his football roots. He knew Pine Bluff players had talent, but somehow that wasn鈥檛 translating into college offers. Williams eventually discovered why: Some didn鈥檛 have the grades and none got the exposure they deserved.
Upon taking the coaching job in 2022, Williams immediately installed an academic-focused program: Players would practice in the morning and sit for study hall and tutoring in the afternoon. They would also participate in a character-building program 鈥� another of the coach鈥檚 initiatives 鈥� where they might learn to tie a tie or talk to a judge to better understand the criminal justice system.
鈥淔rom Day One, I knew I needed to do something to try to change their grades,鈥� Williams said.
For the sophomores, juniors and seniors, he built each player鈥檚 social media profile on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and alerted the recruiters he鈥檚 worked with through the years.
鈥淥nce I started sending those things out, it started drawing attention to a lot of the great athletes we have,鈥� he said.
Among them: Jonathan Goins Jr., 17, and Landon Holcomb, 18, who both committed to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at the Feb. 7 signing. Chandler Laurent, 18, and who has earned a 4.1 GPA, will play for Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Makyrin Goodwin, also 18, is headed to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. All received full or partial athletic or academic scholarships.
Goodwin, who plays both right and left tackle 鈥� really anything on the offensive line, is looking forward to the next chapter of his life and thanked his coach for the progress he鈥檚 made until now.
鈥淗e is the best coach I ever had,鈥� Goodwin said of Williams. 鈥淗e makes sure we do good in school and everything. He鈥檒l just call and check on you sometimes.鈥�
Williams himself was an excellent running back 鈥� potential NFL material 鈥� but didn鈥檛 end up making it that far, in part, he said, because his high school coaches, whom he adored, weren鈥檛 focused on recruiting. So, he said, he did not have a shot at a big-time college. Instead, he attended Paul Quinn College in Dallas on a partial football scholarship.
And that鈥檚 why, when he became a coach himself, he prioritized recruiting, getting his players on the right schools鈥� radar and making sure they had the grades to be NCAA eligible, which for Division I schools means a GPA of 2.3 or higher in their core classes and 2.2 or better for Division II.
Coach Williams is a godsend and he has a heart for children. Not just sports. I said children. And under his tutelage, they become men.
Principal, Ronnieus Thompson
Principal Ronnieus Thompson appreciates Williams鈥檚 hard-earned connections and partnerships with colleges and universities. Four of his senior players have been given scholarship offers at DI colleges this school year, including Goins and Holcomb.
Two others penned national letters of intent in December 鈥� both to the highly regarded University of Missouri, part of the powerhouse Southeastern Conference and this year. Headed to Mizzou are Courtney Crutchfield, a four-star athlete who was the No. 1 high school football player in the state and number 11th in the nation under Williams鈥檚 leadership, and three-star athlete, Austyn Dendy, 17, who is ranked fourth in Arkansas.
Bringing the total headed to college to eight, cornerback Perrea Little signed with DIII Centenary College of Louisiana just this week and wide receiver Marquez Brentley Jr. accepted an academic scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
鈥淐oach Williams is a godsend and he has a heart for children,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淣ot just sports. I said children. And under his tutelage, they become men.鈥�
鈥楾he person I am today鈥�
The coach describes himself as strict. He doesn鈥檛 mind adding some bass to his voice to deliver a point on the field and players who arrive late to 6 a.m. practice will find themselves pushing a 45-pound plate 100 yards before moving on to exhaustive drills.
In his softer moments, he talks to them about family trouble, girl problems and how they sometimes can鈥檛 wash their clothes at home because the power has been cut off. In that case, Williams invites them to use the school鈥檚 washer and dryer.
鈥淚鈥檝e been poor,鈥� he tells them. 鈥淚 know how it feels to wake up and there鈥檚 roaches in your food or maggots in your rice: You haven鈥檛 been through anything that I haven’t been through. But success comes from being a powerful young man and being able to fight through adversity.鈥�
Sometimes, when Williams was a young boy, his own family would lose electricity and the three kids and their parents would all sleep together in the same room to keep warm. And it wasn鈥檛 uncommon for him to look out the window, he said, to see his parents picking up cans on the side of the road to afford a 49-cent pack of hot dogs.
鈥淚f we were going to play baseball, my mom would go out and search every thrift store to try to find us a glove,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t may have been old but, you know, we made the best out of it. It helped make me into the person I am today.鈥�
Emmanuel Hudson, 16, and a defensive tackle, said the coach always comes through for him. He鈥檚 given the teen food when he鈥檚 hungry and, most recently, a dress shirt for a formal school event: Many come from a small collection Williams keeps in his office in case such a need arises.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just been so good in my life,鈥� Hudson said. 鈥淟ike a stepfather, for real.鈥�
It鈥檚 the type of support that鈥檚 helped him through the loss of his friend, Kendall Burton, who was shot dead Jan. 12 at an intersection close to his grandmother鈥檚 house.
The investigation into Burton’s death remains open and Pine Bluff police did not respond to a request last week for an update. Earlier, department spokesman David DeFoor told 麻豆精品 police had a suspect in mind but not enough evidence to make an arrest. The department was asking for the public鈥檚 help, offering up to a $10,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.
Simmons credits the entire team for being such a positive part of her son鈥檚 life, which was marked by a grave struggle long before he was gunned down: A growth on Burton鈥檚 neck when he was 8 was diagnosed as Hodgkin鈥檚 lymphoma.
鈥淭hose are his brothers,鈥� Simmons said of his fellow players.
Sitting in her son鈥檚 bedroom, which she鈥檚 turned into a memorial, his pictures and jerseys hung up on the walls, Simmons said it鈥檚 the family鈥檚 deep sense of faith that she leans on now that her son is gone. As a child battling cancer, Burton would tell his mother not to worry, that, 鈥淕od got me.鈥�
鈥淲hen I think about my boy 鈥� I just want to cry, I just want to let loose,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut most of the time I can鈥檛 because the spirit comes to me and says, 鈥楴o, I got Kendall.鈥� When I hear that, I鈥檓 like, 鈥極K, OK, I hear you.鈥欌��
The new model students
Williams鈥檚 father, Micheal Sr., a minister of music, drove a school bus for Pine Bluff for 20 years and had numerous jobs after that. He eventually became a preacher who also sang and played piano at a local church and nearby prison. At one point, he owned a used car lot in Pine Bluff, but his generosity undermined his efforts: A customer with a particularly heart-wrenching story might walk away with a free vehicle, his son said.
His father never saw Williams play when he was younger because he was always working. Now, he never misses a game: He broadcasts them on Facebook. Williams鈥檚 mother, Pamela, who became a nurse, remains her son鈥檚 biggest fan. Hers is often the loudest voice cheering from the stands. And her son鈥檚 spare supply of dress shirts and the like often comes from her, the result of Pamela Williams regularly bargain hunting for those in need.
鈥淪he taught me the gift of giving,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hey both did.鈥�
It was that sense of wanting to give back and improve the lives and prospects of young people that drew him home. It鈥檚 a notion shared by many: Williams arrived in a city already working hard to bring about positive change. It opened an enviable in 2019 and has plans to long-neglected parts of the community, including historic buildings. But perhaps the most life-changing moment for Pine Bluff students will come when the district breaks ground on a new, state-of-the-art high school, replacing a decades-old facility with roofing so decrepit that it rains inside classrooms and hallways.
鈥淭he right work is being done,鈥� said Thompson, the principal. 鈥淗ave we made it all the way there? Of course not. But we are taking those steps in the right direction.鈥�
Thompson credits the coach for being a critical part of this effort, adding that his reach extends well beyond the field: When students struggle in other areas of their life, he鈥檒l call upon their teachers and counselors for help.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have trouble with the athletes anymore,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭hey used to be some of the biggest knuckleheads. Now, they鈥檙e model students and that鈥檚 the way it should be. I鈥檓 glad that he鈥檚 here.鈥�
Micah Holmstrom, a 10th- and 12th-grade English teacher, said Williams鈥檚 mandatory study hall has allowed him to chase down students who were missing assignments or who needed extra help.
鈥淚 knew exactly where they were,鈥� Holmstrom said, adding Williams鈥檚 emphasis on academics made his work even easier. 鈥淭hose guys are so comfortable with him and it鈥檚 in a place that鈥檚 a familiar environment: They鈥檙e more willing to sit and hack through some of the difficult stuff than in class.鈥�
Frank Lyles, a math teacher, uses the time to teach kids about complex topics they didn鈥檛 understand in class, including parabolas, a U-shape curve whose contours students can find in their own game: Every ball they throw follows a similar arc, illustrating his lesson.
Parents, too, credit Williams for helping their children stay focused. Nicole Dendy, whose son, Austyn, will pursue veterinary studies at Mizzou, said football is her son鈥檚 drive.
鈥淔ootball motivates him,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, whatever it takes to get him on the field, that鈥檚 what he鈥檚 going to do.鈥�
Hudson, the defensive tackle, helped prepare the gymnasium for the college signing day in Februrary. He was overjoyed to see older players recognized for their athletic and academic success.
鈥淐oach Will and the other coaching staff have been hard on us to put the work in,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e said, from Day One, whatever we want, we鈥檝e got to earn. So, I feel like we earned it and that鈥檚 why we got it.鈥�
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