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Joe Williams, who coached 3 different Florida schools, dies at 88

Before coaching at Furman, Florida State, Williams led Jacksonville to NCAA title game
Jacksonville Dolphins head coach Joe Williams speaks to UCLA Bruins head coach John Wooden in 1970 NCAA national championship game
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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UCLA head coach John Wooden, left, is congratulated by Jacksonville head coach Joe Williams after the Bruins beat the Dolphins 80-69 in the NCAA tournament national championship game on March 21, 1970, in College Park, Md.
Jacksonville Dolphins head coach Joe Williams speaks to UCLA Bruins head coach John Wooden in 1970 NCAA national championship game
Posted at 7:02 PM, Mar 26, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-26 19:02:42-04

Joe Williams, who coached Artis Gilmore and tiny Jacksonville University to the 1970 NCAA tournament championship game against mighty UCLA, died Saturday. He was 88.

Williams also coached at Furman and Florida State.

He died in Enterprise, Mississippi, while in hospice care after a lengthy battle with cancer.

The Dolphins were one of the true Cinderella teams in NCAA tournament history. They scored more than 100 points 18 times that season and three times in the NCAA tournament before losing to UCLA in the title game.

Williams had a career record of 336-231 over 22 seasons.

(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)