Roy Williams suffered from an inner ear infection the day he was hired as Kansas’ basketball coach in July of 1988.
“I was sick as a dog,” Williams said, recalling the first of his many press conferences.
Since then, he has given headaches to just about everybody on the Jayhawks’ schedule.
Williams’ eight Kansas teams have won 199 games and lost 52 heading into Sunday’s 2:05 p.m. battle at Nebraska.
He could notch career win No. 200 in Lincoln. No way back in ’88 did Williams figure to win as many games in such a short period of time.
“If somebody said that a week before Bob Frederick said I could have the job, I’d have though they were really looney, because I didn’t even know I’d be a head coach,” said Williams, who came to KU from North Carolina, where he assisted Dean Smith for 10 years.
“I thought it’d be pretty unrealistic because it’s a pretty high percentage.”
His winning percentage stands at .793, by far the best in KU coaching history. Larry Brown ranks second at .754.
As far as winning 200 games, just one coach in the history of college basketball will have reached the milestone quickler. North Carolina State’s Everett Case won 213 games in his first eight years.
“Getting there quicker than other people, it just means I had better players when I started out,” Williams said. “The fact that Roy Williams is getting closer to 200 wins, it is important to me. After the 250th game (at Colorado) my wife and I talked about it and giggled more than anything. Just coaching 250 games is a little bit of a surprise.
“Winning 200 is going to feel a little bit better. That’s the part I live for, trying to win the 200 not just be involved in them. We’re going to have a big-time celebration. We’ll find someplace to get a hot fudge sundae with extra nuts and that’ll be about it.”
Williams remembers his first win — 94-81 over Alaska-Anchorage in 1988.
“I can remember that cheer — UAA, UAA. I got tired of hearing that,” Williams said of the game in Alaska.
He doesn’t remember his 100th win, 84-66 over Colorado in 1992.
“At the banquet, they gave me the basketball and had it written on there,” Williams said, noting he remembered no particulars.
Williams would prefer No. 200 come Sunday rather than down the line. It won’t come easy. Nebraska improved to 15-4 after Wednesday’s 76-58 victory over Missouri. KU is 15-1.
“I just hope it comes sooner than later,” Williams said. “If we get it Sunday it’d be fantastic. If we don’t I won’t be disappointed in the slightest not getting No. 200. I’d be extremely disappointed not getting No. 16.
He said his players deserve the credit along with others who have supported him.
“Every day I tell our coaches when we wake up we should look in the mirror and say, ‘Thank you Lord,’ because we’re awfully lucky to be here,” Williams said.
As far as being the second quickest coach to reach 200 wins, Williams isn’t about to deem himself a legend. In fact, he says he’s given the game of basketball just one thing.
“The secondary break .. when I first got here we’d throw the lob to Mark Randall and he’d dunk. That’s my only contribution to basketball. That was my play. I don’t give a flip what anybody says. I’m the first to talk coach Smith into running the play.
“It’s fun to watch five games on TV. That’s 10 teams and five will be running our secondary break. I go to high schools and see people coming up, setting that rear screen in the corner, and a guy goes up for a lob and that was the whole bit.”
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More on Williams’ record: KU’s coach is 77-29 in Big Eight games, 42-8 in Big Eight home games, 58-3 in non-conference home games and 11-7 in games decided by three points or less.
