More Than Just Faces in the Crowd
A look at the stunning number of Williams student-athletes, alumni and coaches whose accomplishments landed them on the pages of Sports Illustrated magazine.
By Brooks Clark
Each week from 1956 until 2020, Sports Illustrated cited six “Faces in the Crowd.” These were amateur athletes and coaches, young and old, from all corners of the nation, who achieved something exemplary. During that period—before the magazine’s circulation dropped to once per month and the number of people recognized dwindled—at least 49 Williams athletes, coaches and alumni received the recognition.
Many Eph “Faces” came after an NCAA Division III (DIII) or New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championship. But even considering the college’s many titles over the years, the sheer number of Williams people recognized by the magazine stands out.
For this article, we gathered our noted student and alumni Ephs’ write-ups and photographs from Sports Illustrated. And we asked them to share what they’re up to now and to reflect on how their athletic experiences at Williams impacted their lives. The resulting stories, which appear here in chronological order by the year they were originally published, show the impact of Williams’ unique combination of academic and athletic rigor.
Learn more about the coaches who appeared in “Faces” in “Seven to Remember.” You can also read about the man behind the college’s robust “Faces in the Crowd” numbers—Sports Information Director Dick Quinn—in the accompanying story “A Familiar Face.”
Even More Faces in the Crowd!
Thanks to all who have reached out and added to our list of Ephs appearing in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.” Among them are:
Wendell Chesnut ’88, who was featured in the April 25, 1988 issue. The first Black All-America in squash, he led Williams to a 12-7 record and a 10th-place national ranking in his final season with the team;
Rodney Geier ’75, who was listed in “Faces” in 1970 when he was attending high school. A standout football player at Williams, he was co-captain of the 1974 team and credited the coaching staff, including legends Dick Farley and Renzie Lamb, for their success;
Tim Walsh ’86, who was featured in the March 17, 1986 issue. It was noted at the time that Walsh, a 5’ 10” senior guard on the basketball team, set a school career scoring mark of 1,626 points, averaging 18.4 points per game;
And also Greg Zaff ’84, who was featured in 1983. The “Faces” entry credits Zaff as “believed to be the first player in four years to have been named an All-America in both squash and tennis” in Division III.
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