Al Williams: Stimulated by the unknown

Al Williams, director of athletics at North Idaho College (NIC) is a man with deep roots in the community and some of the most high-performance teams in the history of the college.

Where did you grow up and how did you get from there to Coeur d'Alene?

I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, one of eight kids. I spent my first year after high school at Sterling College in Sterling, Kan. I went there to play basketball, but knew I could play at a higher level.

After I saw NIC play at a tourney, I went up and introduced myself to one of the coaches and asked if I could play for them.

The next year I was in North Idaho. It started with a 36-hour train ride that ended in Spokane.

Any fears?

Nah, I was from Chicago; I was fearless. It was just another new adventure for me.

I only had enough money for the first semester, but I knew if I played well, I could get a scholarship. After two weeks, Rolly Williams told me that I'd earned that scholarship.

I remember calling my dad and telling him, "Dad, we made it," and I thought that was kind of cool.

I played one year here before I went down to U of I on a basketball scholarship.

What fires you up?

It's the unknown that stimulates me. What keeps me stimulated now is the unknown of sports - dealing with a two-year enrollment and, of course, the ever-evolving budgets.

It could be frustrating, but there are challenges everywhere, such as making the money balance. You know going in that if you don't work hard, you're going to be short when it comes to meeting your financial needs - it's the same as in life.

What was professional life like after graduation from U of I?

I used to dream about a career in sports until I got to NIC. Then the realization hit - like I'm not even starting here and this is one of the smaller two-year schools. I decided to use basketball to get a scholarship for academics.

After graduation I became an internal auditor for Equitable Life Insurance, which is based in Chicago. I did a lot of traveling and felt good about making a difference and getting a new challenge every two to three weeks as I got new audit challenges. I'd improve the operation and then move on to the next site. I never had to worry about getting stale.

Eventually, after a merger, we were bought out by Cigna and I hated working there. It had lost the family feeling and I was bored to tears with a desk job.

What did you do to cure your boredom?

I opened a sports bar in Brentwood, Tenn. and did that for about three years.

But before that, I went to work as a line cook for Applebee's. I was 31 years old then and it was the best experience I ever had.

Why was that?

It was enlightening - you don't judge people by their positions. My mom and my dad instilled my character in me, but it was important to see the way people treated people. I took all that in and it made me appreciate having my degree - having options.

After the restaurant business, you went to Chicago and then eventually moved on to an international mining consulting company in Denver. Did you ever miss being involved with sports?

When I got back to Chicago, I started coaching with my old high school coach. I ended up coaching senior varsity basketball during the mid-1990s.

What I realized was that I'd really missed working with the kids, listening to their stories - some of them were from Cabrini Green (housing project) - and hearing about the tremendous challenges many of them had.

When I was in Denver, I went over to the University of Denver and said I wanted to work for free as an intern in their athletics department for three months.

I wanted to learn from them and see if that was the career path I wanted to take. I got a leave from the mining company and after six weeks, the athletic director at the University of Denver said they'd like to hire me full time as the assistant director for athletics development.

At the end of the day, what place does sports have in your life?

I'm a diehard sports junkie. It has always been a big part of my life. It has been my beacon and kept me out of trouble when I was young. It got me a scholarship. It has been my outlet.

To actually have a career in sports, that's the ultimate. It's like getting paid to have fun. When I was coaching basketball in Denver, I was really in heaven.

Why come back to Coeur d'Alene then?

There are genuine people here and it's a stress-free pace. It's like going back in time, to small-town USA.

I first heard of the job opening in 2003. Knowing the program, I knew that this job doesn't open up very often. This is the supreme place to go and there were 65 applicants.

After I had my final interview, I left feeling I was going to get the job. It felt good to be back home.

So what, exactly, is your job?

I'm the face of athletics for NIC. I sell NIC, not just here but around the region and outside the region. Coming back here, there were concerns about North Idaho. They were not necessarily my concerns because I knew what Coeur d'Alene was about, but we had to change our recruiting image.

To compete in our conference, we had to recruit outside of Idaho and the perception of North Idaho was that it was a racist community. We had to change that image.

I've never known a community that gives as much as this one. They understand about giving back.

The athletes that come here now love the experience - they love to spend their lives here.

What do you want your student-athletes to get from NIC?

I want the kids to have a good experience and leave here with some academic credentials. I don't want the system to use them and I don't want them to be victims. I don't want them to think we used them and they got nothing in return.

How important is winning? Is it really the "only thing?"

Winning is important. When you win, you teach kids how to handle success. You also teach them how to strive to be successful and the way to handle losing - you don't want to make losing a habit, though.

You strive for success and you don't become comfortable with mediocrity.

If you don't have the character and discipline to go to class and focus there, you're not going to be able to turn it on because you're on a field.

What do you love most about your job?

I love the chance to interact with people from all paths and to impact the lives of young people.

Did you know that in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association), NIC ranked No. 1 in the nation in men's and women's basketball, wrestling and volleyball for 2012 and 2013?

We've also been ranked nationally in every other sport, including women's soccer, softball and golf.

We've been good for so long, we take it for granted.

What has been your biggest accomplishment?

I think I've helped restore a sense of pride to our athletic program. We've got a great group of coaches and they've all bought in to winning with class.

We're also proud of our academic accomplishments. Each year the GPA for the athletics department has exceeded the average overall GPA for students at NIC.

Will this be your last job?

Five years ago, I would have said, "No, I need another challenge." Now, I sit back and think that I could retire here and be happy.

But we always need that new challenge. It can be here - like a new sports complex - but when you're at a place longer than 10 years, you're asking, "Where is my new challenge?"

We've had so much success here, we don't want to get complacent, but there's only so much more you can do.

I'm motivated by new adventures. I'm not restless, but I do enjoy challenges.