SACRAMENTO – Archie Williams, a former track & field star who was a member of the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class, is set to receive posthumous honors Tuesday as the California Museum (a private, non-profit institution focused on the history and culture of the State of California history) inducts him and six other notable figures into the California Hall of Fame.
 
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, each inductee must have lived in California for at least five years and "made achievements benefiting the state, nation and world while inspiring others to pursue their dreams." All 156 members of the Hall, which is now on its 16th annual class, were handpicked by that year's Governor and First Lady/First Partner.
 
This year's honorees will be introduced in a 6 p.m. PT virtual ceremony hosted by Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
 
A native of Oakland, Williams transferred to Cal from San Mateo Junior College (now College of San Mateo) and instantly posted one of the finest seasons yet by a collegian. Under the tutelage of legendary coach Brutus Hamilton, Williams set a new world record of 46.1 in the 400m heats at the 1936 NCAA Championships before going on to win the 440y final. That summer, he claimed Olympic gold in Berlin with a 400m time of 46.5.
 
Although Williams was forced to retire from running shortly afterwards due to injury, he continued to dedicate himself to his studies and graduated in 1938 with a degree in mechanical engineering. The next year, he earned his private pilot's license; soon afterwards, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was one of just 14 Black men in UCLA's aviation meteorological cadet program. Williams later enrolled – and then taught – in a Service Pilot training class at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University); after World War II, he then became just the third Air Force officer to graduate with a degree in aeronautical engineering sciences from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He totaled 22 years in the Air Force before retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Following his military career, Williams returned to the Bay Area and spent a further 21 years teaching mathematics and computer science at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, which was renamed Archie Williams High School in 2021. Williams passed away on June 23, 1993, at the age of 78.
 
California Hall of Fame 16th Class
Carrie Fisher – Actress and Screenwriter
Maggie Gee – Pilot and Physicist
Etta James – Singer
José Julio Sarria – LGBTQ Rights Activist and Pioneer
Vin Scully – LA Dodgers Broadcaster
Shirley Temple Black – Actress and Public Servant
Archie Williams – Olympic Gold Medalist and Educator
 
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