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Fos Williams receiving a post-match rubdown
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 21 February 1922, Quorn, South Australia |
| Recruited from | West Adelaide |
| Death | 1 September 2001 (aged 79), Novar Gardens, South Australia |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Team(s) |
West Adelaide (1946-49) 54 games, 112 goals 151 games, 240 goals 34 games, 60 goals Total – 239 games, 412 goals |
| Coaching career¹ | |
| Team(s) |
Port Adelaide (1950-58, 1962-73) ? games South Adelaide (1960) 18 games West Adelaide (1974-78) 109 games, 42 wins, 67 losses (38.5%) South Australia (1955-58, 1960-66, 1968-69) 45 games, 24 wins, 21 loses (53.3%) |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 1978 season | |
| Career highlights | |
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Foster Neil "Fos" Williams AM (born 21 February 1922 in Quorn, South Australia - died 1 September 2001 in Adelaide) was a leading Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Port Adelaide and West Adelaide Football Clubs and coached South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in a career spanning 1946-1978. He also played 34 interstate games for South Australia, captaining the team from 1954-1958 and he coached the team in 45 games from 1955-1969.
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Born in the town of Quorn, located in the Flinders Ranges and some 39km north-east of Port Augusta, Williams had a late start to football due to World War II. He enlisted in the Australian Army on 5 March 1942, serving as a signalman[1] before transferring to the Royal Australian Navy on 31 March 1943, where he served as a telegrapher on the corvette HMAS Kiama until his discharge on 6 June 1946.[1]
Williams began his league career in 1946, aged 24 with West Adelaide. He was the 609th player selected to play for Westies and made his league debut on 20 July 1946. He played 54 games for Wests, including playing as a rover in their victorious 1947 Grand Final against Norwood at the Adelaide Oval. Williams first gained state selection for South Australia while with West Adelaide and also kicked 112 goals for the club until the end of 1949.[2][3]
Fos Williams left West Adelaide to become Captain-Coach of Port Adelaide in 1950. In his first year at Port he won the club's best and fairest award and led the team to 3rd place. In 1951 he won his 2nd SANFL premiership as a player and the first of a then record 9 as a coach when he led the Magpies to an 11 point win over North Adelaide in the Grand Final at the Adelaide Oval. Under the coaching of Williams from 1950 until 1958 Port returned to a position of power in the league and along with the 1951 win they won 5 in a row from 1954-58 and finished 2nd to Norths in 1952. The Magpies only missed the Grand Final when they finished 3rd in 1953. During their run from 54-58 under Williams Port defeated Norwood in 1955 and 1957 while the 1954, '56 and '58 wins were agains his old side West Adelaide. After leaving Alberton at the end of 1958, Williams influence at the Magpies was still evident in his 3 year absence with the teams style of play changing little under new coach (and Williams old team mate) Geof Motley. Motley took over as Captain-Coach and Port would finish 1st in 1959 and 3rd in both 1960 and 1961 before Williams returned in 1962.
During his time as Captain-Coach of the Magpies, Fos Williams wrote the Port Adelaide Football Club Creed.[4][5]
After retiring from playing following the 1958 permiership, Williams coached the South Adelaide Panthers in 1960. Unfortunately Williams could do little with the under performing Panthers and the club finished 8th in his only season in charge. Williams returned to Alberton in 1962 as coach taking over Geof Motley, who stayed on as team captain. Williams would once again lead Port Adelaide to premierships in 1962, 1963 and 1965. From the time he returned in 1962 until 1968 Port Adelaide appeared in every SANFL Grand Final, unfortunately losing the last 3 in a row (1966-68) to the Jack Oatey coached Sturt who would go on to win 5 in a row (adding 1969 and 1970) equalling the 5 in a row won by Williams and Port from 1954-58.
Fos Williams continued to coach the Magpies until the end of the 1973 season when they finished 5th. During his 21 seasons at the helm of the Magpies, Port Adelaide had competed in 21 finals series, 16 Grand Finals and had won 9 premierships. At the time this was the record for coaching in the SANFL. Ironically it was the man who replaced Williams as Magpies coach for 1974, John Cahill, who would go on to break Williams record of 9 premierhsips when he won 10, all with the Port Adelaide Magpies.
Williams returned to West Adelaide as coach in 1974 but the side finished with its 3rd 'wooden spoon' in a row by finishing 10th and last. Williams recruited former Magpies rover Trevor Grimwood in 1975 and the club improved, making their first finals series since 1969 by finishing 5th in 1976 and improved again to reach the finals again in 1977, ultimately finishing 3rd after losing to Glenelg in the Preliminary Final at Football Park. 1977 also saw Trevor Grimwood would the Magarey Medal. 1977 was also destined to be the 23rd and last SANFL Finals series featuring Fos Williams as a coach.
After finishing with a 14-8 record in 1977, West Adelaide slumped in what was Fos Williams last year as an SANFL league coach in 1978. The Bloods finished with a 5-17 and could only manage 9th place. Following the season Fos Williams retired from coaching.
During his career as a player Fos Williams represented South Australia on 34 occasions in Interstate matches and was captain of the state from 1954-1958. Williams was also the coach of the South Australian team from 1955-58, from 1960-66 and again in 1968 and 1969. During his time as state coach, Williams was instrumental in instilling the belief in his players that their usual tormentors, Victoria, were no better than they were and it all culminated in the 1963 with a 7 point win over the Big V at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, their first win in Melbourne since 1926.
Fos Williams was named as a in the 'Sporting Life' Team of the Year (All-Australian) in both 1950 and 1951. On both occasions he was selected in the Forward pocket.
One commentator wrote "Perhaps more than any other single individual, Fos Williams was responsible for catapulting South Australian football out of its predominantly casual, laissez faire mentality into the same kind of professional, brutally expedient, 'win at all costs' mindset as prevailed across the border in Victoria."[6]
Williams was made a Member of the Order of Australia on 26 January 1981 for his service to the sport of Australian football.[7]
Williams has a number of honours in his name, such as the Fos Williams Medal, awarded to South Australia's best player in a State of Origin game, and one of the grandstands at Alberton Oval named the "Fos Williams Stand".
Williams' four children all had successful sports careers. Son Mark Williams played 380 games of league football for West Adelaide and Port Adelaide in the SANFL, and Collingwood and Brisbane in the VFL, and coached the AFL's Port Adelaide Power for twelve years, including its first premiership. Anthony Williams, Mark's twin, also played for West Adelaide and Port Adelaide. Younger son Stephen Williams played 268 games and coached eight seasons for Port Adelaide, winning nine premierships as player and coach.[8] Daughter Jenny Williams represented Australia in several sports, but was best noted as a lacrosse player.
Williams died on 1 September 2001 aged 79. He is survived by his wife Von, sons Mark and Stephen and daughter Jenny.