Jay Mayo “Ink” Williams (2018) - Hall of Fame

Jay Mayo “Ink” Williams

Induction:
2018

A standout football and track & field student-athlete at Brown, Jay Mayo “Ink” Williams ’20 earned All-America honors as a football end, served in World War I, played in the early years of the National Football League and enjoyed a career as a pioneering record producer in the music industry.

Coming to Brown in the fall of 1916 from Monmouth, Ill., Williams helped lead Brown to a 27-10-1 record over his four football playing seasons. An Illinois state champion in the 50-yard dash at Monmouth High School, Williams was a member of the 1916 Brown team that posted an 8-1 overall record, including wins over Harvard and Yale. Williams was a teammate of Fritz Pollard ’19, with whom he became a lifelong friend.

Known for his speed and tackling ability, Williams helped Brown go 8-2 in 1917, capping the season with a win over arch rival Dartmouth. Williams did not play during the 1918 season, having withdrawn from Brown to serve in the military during World War I.

Williams returned to Brown for the 1919 season as the Bears registered a 5-4-1 mark. As a senior in 1920, Williams earned Walter Camp Honorable Mention All-America and New York Times Third Team All-America honors, helping propel the Bears to a 6-3 record.

An accomplished track & field standout, Williams won the New England championship in the 40-yard dash. The 1921 Liber Bruensis noted, “In the dashes he shakes a fleet pair of heals,” living up to his nicknames Duke, Ink and Speed.

One of three African-Americans to play in the early years of the National Football League along with Pollard, Williams competed from 1921-26, after which all blacks were excluded from the league.

Williams went on to earn even more acclaim through his career in the music industry as a pioneering producer of recorded blues music. His innovative marketing techniques resulted in record-breaking sales, and he lived up to his nickname “Ink” with his ability to sign talented African-American musicians. He was posthumously elected into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Among his other endeavors, Williams was a member of the Varsity Club of Chicago, a group which provided scholarships for deserving African-American athletes, and a member of the National Football Hall of Fame Association.