Bio

Marilyn Williams was born in Sacramento in 1941.  She graduated from Rio Vista High School in 1958 and entered UC Berkeley the following fall.  In 1959 Marilyn transferred to Chico State to pursue a degree in physical education.  During her three years at Chico, she played intercollegiate field hockey, volleyball, basketball, and softball.  After graduating in 1962 with a BA in physical education, she married Jim Williams and taught in Chico and Sacramento.

Upon returning to Chico, she was hired at Butte College in 1972.  Title IX was passed in the early 1970s, and in 1974, the Butte College Board of Trustees charged Marilyn with the responsibility of starting the first woman’s athletic program.  She coached softball for several years, won many conference championships, advised the cheerleaders, and taught health and physical education.  She was a coordinator of physical education for 13 years, served on the faculty senate, and was the women’s representative to the Golden Valley Conference for 23 of her 30-year tenure at Butte.

As one of the original members of SCOPE (State Committee on Physical Education), Marilyn served as the first treasurer of the organization.  She was selected to serve on the COA (Commission on Athletics), now the CCCAA; starting in 1980 as the golf representative and the women’s basketball representative, in 1986 as the vice chair, and 1987-88 as the chair.  In 1993 Marilyn received the Project Acclaim Award from the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport.  This organization provides students, teachers, and coaches the opportunity to identify and bring tribute to women who have made special contributions in the fields of teaching and learning.

Marilyn was inducted into the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997, the Butte College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Chico Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.  Marilyn and Jim have been married 54 years.  They have two children, Wendy and Doug , and four grandchildren.