By Tracy Gupton
When family and friends of Carl Williams gather Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Brazoria for a memorial service honoring the record setting sprinter and former football standout for the Columbia Roughnecks, it will mark the latest in funerals occurring in the past few weeks for once gifted athletes who wore the maroon and white uniforms of their alma mater with pride during their teen years. Just yesterday, Tuesday, May 21st, 2002 Columbia High School graduate Josh Huffman was laid to rest at historic Columbia Cemetery in West Columbia. His family and many friends and classmates are having a tough time mourning the loss of the 40-year-old former Roughnecks varsity baseball player to cancer.
Franklin Carl Williams, a 1978 Columbia High School graduate, passed away at 64 May 12, 2024. The death of the former Texas Southern University wide receiver and Baltimore Colts’ draft choice shocked those closest to him. The thousands who once walked the halls of Brazoria and West Columbia schools with these great athletes, those who shared the locker room laughter and enjoyed victories and suffered defeats, are all coming together over the past month to now share in sorrow.
Also passing away recently have been 99-year-old Billie Sue Wilkerson Dumesnil, who was a cheerleader and played baseball and volleyball for the Lady Roughnecks when the high school in West Columbia was located on the site where Heritage Hall and Republic Plaza now sit, Ben Mack and Bobby Williams, both 1974 Columbia High grads, and Richard “Duke” Cole, a 1976 CHS grad. Sue Wilkerson was the secretary-treasurer of the West Columbia 1942 senior class. She was also buried at the Columbia Cemetery alongside several of her family members.
While Sue nearly made it to her 100th birthday, cancer prevented Josh Huffman from experiencing the same longevity in life. He leaves a grieving widow, Kristyn, and a young daughter, Carter, as well as his mother, Kim Huffman, who has still been in the adjustment phase of losing her husband, Clifton “Bubba” Huffman, only a couple years ago.
Cancer also claimed the life of 1974 Marvin Gray Award winner Richard Cole, who passed away at 67 on April 25, 2024. The Marvin Gray Award, named for the 1943 West Columbia High School graduate who was a popular teacher and coach at Columbia High, is awarded annually to the most valuable player of the Roughnecks varsity football team. Richard Wayne Cole was a hardnosed defensive lineman and fullback for Coach Jack Hays’ 1973 and 1974 football teams. “Duke” Cole leaves his children, T-Ray White, Brandi Hargrave and Cody Cole to mourn their Dad’s passing.
The classmates and many friends of 1974 Columbia High graduates Ben Mack and Bobby Williams are still coming to grips emotionally with their losses. Ben stood up as Bobby’s best man at the former Mr. Brazoria County Bodybuilding Champion’s wedding. Bobby and Angela Williams named their first child Christopher Ben Williams after Bobby’s close friend and classmate. It is stunning when realizing these two close companions passed away within weeks of each other.
Ben Mack played junior varsity football with the writer of this article, 1975 Columbia High grad Tracy Gupton. Ben’s son, Jabari Mack, who now mourns his Dad’s passing, was, like Carl Williams, a record setting sprinter for the Roughnecks in more recent history. Jabari Mack holds the school record in the 400 meters with a time of 48.51.2, according to online information. Ben’s son set that school record mark in 2022.
But at the 1977 state track meet in Austin, it was Roughneck great Carl Williams who ran a 9.2 to set a new state record in the 100-yard dash. Carl got a mention in Sports Illustrated magazine for his blazing speed exhibition his junior year in high school in 1977 for setting new records in both the 100 and 220-yard dashes in Austin.
Bobby Williams, a victim of Alzheimer’s, was awarded the Roughnecks’ outstanding offensive player of 1973 by his coaches and teammates. “Beebo,” as he was called by his friends, not only was a tough, hard-to-bring-down running back like Richard Cole but the two former Roughnecks also wore the same number, 25. Bobby pursued bodybuilding after his high school sports career ended. His hard work and perseverance paid off in the long run as Bobby finished second in the small man’s competition the first year he competed in the “Mister Brazoria County” contest, won the small man’s event the next year but was runner-up to the larger man, Jimmy LeRibeus of Jones Creek, and finally won the overall Brazoria County bodybuilding title in his third year of participating in the most muscular competition.
Bobby Williams was laid to rest recently in the same West Columbia cemetery that is only walking distance from the house he grew up in on Prewitt Lane in Lincoln Heights. He was only 68 when his life’s final chapter was written earlier this year. Bobby will forever be missed by his sons, Chris and Kevin Williams, and his daughter, Kristen Williams. Both of Beebo’s sons were outstanding soccer players for Columbia High School.
Texas High School Coaches Hall of Fame member Jack Hays, who now resides in Austin, coached Bobby Williams, Ben Mack, Richard Cole and Carl Williams when they suited up for the Roughnecks in the 1970s. Carl will always be remembered by longtime local high school football fans as being on the receiving end of the long winning touchdown pass from quarterback Marshall Edwards in the Houston Astrodome when the Roughnecks edged the Brazosport Exporters 7-3 in a 1975 playoff game. Coach Hays spoke years ago at Marshall Edwards’ funeral. The winningest coach in Roughnecks’ history most likely will not be able to attend Carl’s funeral Thursday in Brazoria but, if he does, I’m sure Coach Hays would want to applaud the outstanding athletic accomplishments of the 1977 state track meet record breaker.
And the rest of us, those who also attended old West Columbia High School or more recently Columbia High School and may have gone to school with these fallen heroes of yesteryear, let’s all say a prayer for each of them while thanking Sue, Ben, Bobby, Richard, Carl and Josh for sharing their lives with us. Each of them will be dearly missed.
