Gator Basketball Ronnie Williams - UF all-time b-ball scoring leader dies

[Tunaboat]

Ronnie Williams gone way too soon

I was raised on Otis and Finch - me and my Dad listening on the radio before the TV days for Gator games. Otis will always be the Voice of the Gators for me with those "High, Booming Spirals" and Jim Finch calling "Here Come the Gators" and the GHS Purple Hurricane games

 

[Gatordiddy]

Otis comes in around 1:43 ...interviews Tommy Shannon and Ray Graves.

https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/267763

 

[VolunGator]

When I was student between 84-87 it was quite common for players like Ronnie, Mad Max, Moten, etc... to play in pick up games in Alligator Alley. I remember Ronnie as a very humble young man. Max Max was a jackass and would let everyone in the gym that he owned you each and every opportunity.

I too was at UF between 84-87. I worked at Joe's Deli.
M&M used to come in rather often. Who didn't right. Got to know both. Moten brought me an autographed poster of the team. Dwayne S. signed his last name with a $.

I went straight from UF to UT for grad school. Hung the poster up in my TA office for all to see.

Still have the poster.

 

[stephenPE]

bout that time, explosive athletes entered the picture, guys who earned a living above the rim. Dominique, MJ, Charles. Fans sat there with their mouths agape when Wilkins visited the O’Dome in ‘81. They’d never seen anything like it.

I swear I saw Wilkins catch a rebound about the height of the backboard and dunk it. I never saw anyone get up that high. This was in the Odome.

I was one of those fans.
Vernon could get up just like Dominique. The difference was Vernon didn’t have the game Wilkins did.

Vernon could fly. Greatest dunk in Fla history. Ronnie pitched in bounds from under the goal and Vernon flew in and caught it one handed and spiked it. I remember a game against Bama Vernon had about 40 pts mostly on ally oops and dunks. He had a bizarre two handed jump shot. Now Ronnie had an ass wide enough to make Barklley proud and when he took the ball inside near the goal NOBODY could stop that shot.
Greeat times back then.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I swear I saw Wilkins catch a rebound about the height of the backboard and dunk it. I never saw anyone get up that high. This was in the Odome.

Vernon could fly. Greatest dunk in Fla history. Ronnie pitched in bounds from under the goal and Vernon flew in and caught it one handed and spiked it. I remember a game against Bama Vernon had about 40 pts mostly on ally oops and dunks. He had a bizarre two handed jump shot. Now Ronnie had an ass wide enough to make Barklley proud and when he took the ball inside near the goal NOBODY could stop that shot.
Greeat times back then.

I remember that game very well.

The team wasn’t very good but they played really hard for Norm and each other.
Those were the days when college basketball was just about to explode on a national level and become a big time sport.
Great times indeed.