University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heel Golf Legend Passes At 95
August 7, 2026 | Men's Golf
Bill Williamson, who finished second in the 1953 NCAA Men's Golf Championship and led the Tar Heels to their best-ever second-place finish in the team competition that same year, died August 1 at the age of 95.
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Affectionately known as "Bill Will," he was a longtime friend and supporter of Carolina's golf programs.
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"It's impossible to think of 'Bill Will' without smiling," says Andrew DiBitetto, Carolina's Johnny and Tricia Thompson Men's Golf Head Coach. "He was kind, thoughtful, gentle, intelligent and caring. He filled the world with positivity, generosity and enthusiasm. Any time we talked, even well into his 90s, he was working out, trading stocks, asking for help with his putting, or trying to pick up a new hobby like painting. Bill Will positively inspired everyone he encountered. The world would be a much brighter place if we all chose to be more like Bill Will. We will miss him dearly."
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He competed in five U.S. Amateurs and won the Charlotte City Amateur and club championships at Charlotte and Quail Hollow Country Clubs.
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He became a general partner at Reynolds & Co., which later was renamed Dean Witter Reynolds and Morgan Stanley, and later started Williamson Investors LP.
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Williamson was widely known for his philanthropy and fundraising acumen, with estimates of leading campaigns that raised more than $100 million.
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He served numerous golf clubs and affiliated groups, including the Southern Golf Association, U.S. Seniors Golf Association, Charlotte Country Club, Quail Hollow Country Club and Linville Golf Club. In 2022, the U.S. Seniors Golf Association presented him with the William C. Campbell Award in honor of his 30-plus years of service and lifetime achievements as an amateur player.
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The state of North Carolina awarded Williamson the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and Carolina Athletics honored him with the A.E. Finley Order of Merit for outstanding support of the men's and women's golf teams.
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"Bill lived life with a spirit of giving that you just had to admire," says John Montgomery, former executive director of The Rams Club. "That spirit was visible in everything he did. His spirit of generosity was felt by so many in incredibly meaningful ways – including our golf programs at Carolina. But his generosity was much more than financial. He touched those around him by believing in them and inspired them by living his life with unparalleled optimism."
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Affectionately known as "Bill Will," he was a longtime friend and supporter of Carolina's golf programs.
Â
"It's impossible to think of 'Bill Will' without smiling," says Andrew DiBitetto, Carolina's Johnny and Tricia Thompson Men's Golf Head Coach. "He was kind, thoughtful, gentle, intelligent and caring. He filled the world with positivity, generosity and enthusiasm. Any time we talked, even well into his 90s, he was working out, trading stocks, asking for help with his putting, or trying to pick up a new hobby like painting. Bill Will positively inspired everyone he encountered. The world would be a much brighter place if we all chose to be more like Bill Will. We will miss him dearly."
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He competed in five U.S. Amateurs and won the Charlotte City Amateur and club championships at Charlotte and Quail Hollow Country Clubs.
Â
He became a general partner at Reynolds & Co., which later was renamed Dean Witter Reynolds and Morgan Stanley, and later started Williamson Investors LP.
Â
Williamson was widely known for his philanthropy and fundraising acumen, with estimates of leading campaigns that raised more than $100 million.
Â
He served numerous golf clubs and affiliated groups, including the Southern Golf Association, U.S. Seniors Golf Association, Charlotte Country Club, Quail Hollow Country Club and Linville Golf Club. In 2022, the U.S. Seniors Golf Association presented him with the William C. Campbell Award in honor of his 30-plus years of service and lifetime achievements as an amateur player.
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The state of North Carolina awarded Williamson the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and Carolina Athletics honored him with the A.E. Finley Order of Merit for outstanding support of the men's and women's golf teams.
Â
"Bill lived life with a spirit of giving that you just had to admire," says John Montgomery, former executive director of The Rams Club. "That spirit was visible in everything he did. His spirit of generosity was felt by so many in incredibly meaningful ways – including our golf programs at Carolina. But his generosity was much more than financial. He touched those around him by believing in them and inspired them by living his life with unparalleled optimism."
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