A graveside service former Waycross football coach Dale Williams will be held on Monday at 2 p.m. in his hometown of Valdosta, where he was a star quarterback.

Williams, a member of the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, died on Wednesday while in hospice care. He was 79.

Williams was the quarterback for state-championship teams at Valdosta in 1956 and 1957. He was an all-state player as a senior and earned a football scholarship to Georgia, where he backed up roommate Fran Tarkenton at quarterback. He also played linebacker and safety for the Bulldogs.

Williams was a high school coach in Georgia for 32 seasons at Dodge County (1964-65), Baker of Columbus (1966-71), Waycross (1972-93) and Ware County (1994-95). His Waycross teams won state titles in 1977 and 1981, the latter with his son, Todd, as the quarterback. Todd Williams also became a quarterback at Georgia.

Dale Williams’ record as a head coach was 230-122-3. He ranked in the top 15 all-time in Georgia victories at his retirement.

Williams also is a member of the Waycross/Ware County and Valdosta High School sports halls of fame.

The family was to receive friends on Saturday at Miles-Odum Funeral Home from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday’s graveside service will be at Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta at 2 p.m.

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Savannah Chrisley, daughter of former reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, speaks outside the Federal Prison Camp on May 28, 2025, in Pensacola, Fla. President Donald Trump pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were found guilty of defrauding banks out of $36 million and hiding millions in earnings to avoid paying taxes. (Dan Anderson/AP)

Credit: Dan Anderson/AP