Western Illinois University Athletics

LeRon Williams joined the Western Illinois University track and field staff in August of 2021 and will oversee the sprints and jumps.

Williams comes to WIU from his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, where he most recently served as an assistant coach for two years. While at Nebraska, he assisted in coaching the sprints, hurdles, relays, horizontal jumps, and high jump.

Before Nebraska, Williams had experienced success in coaching many different events. He has an extensive list of school record holders, conference champions, and All-Americans, including one notable athlete -- current professional sprinter Kenny Bednarek. Williams guided Bednarek to a lifetime performance of 19.82 in the 200m and 44.7 in the 400m.  Bednarek was the first person in history to run those times in the same day within an hour of each other. Bednarek would go on to be an Olympic silver medalist in the 200m and win the Diamond League Championship in 2021. 

Williams began coaching track and field collegiately in 2012 as a graduate assistant for Midland University, where he helped coach the Warriors to five school records in various events. Williams then coached at Austin Peay State University from 2014-15 before moving on to become the women's track and field assistant at Wayne State in Detroit, Mich. Williams remained at WSU until 2019, where he coached two student-athletes to school records. 

After college, Williams was a volunteer assistant at Omaha Central High School during the 2009-10 school year. He then moved to Jamaica in 2010 and spent a year coaching at STETHS High School. He coached two high school national champions in the triple jump and the high jump. He also participated in professional competitions and trained at the Racers Track Club camp, where Usain Bolt and his coach, Glenn Mills, operate their training.

Williams competed on the Nebraska track and field team from 2005-09, where he was a second-team All-American during the indoor season of 2008 and the 2009 indoor/outdoor season in the long jump. He still ranks tenth on the Nebraska top-10 list (both  indoor and outdoor) in the long jump during the indoor season for his leap of 25-6 1/4 (7.78m) in 2009. He is also still tied for tenth on the outdoor top-10 chart in the long jump for his mark of 25-5 1/2 (7.76m) in 2009. He has a career best of 25'10 (7.89w).

Williams graduated from Nebraska in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in sociology. He earned a Master's degree in education and leadership from Midland University in 2014. Williams is the son of Maurice and Eardie Williams. He and his wife, Brittney, have been married for 7 years and have one son, Adam (3).