WACO, Texas - At its annual Homecoming meeting, Baylor University's Board of Regents today celebrated the announcement of a lead gift and approved the first phase of a planned golf practice facility near campus for Baylor's nationally recognized men's and women's golf teams.

Regents announced that the golf practice facility will be named in honor of Billy Williams, B.B.A. '63, and his family of Naples, Florida, who provided a multimillion dollar gift for the project. The practice facility will be located on a 14-acre site on University Parks Drive next to the Willis Family Equestrian Center and will include an on-site practice course, a driving range and a clubhouse. Fundraising for the project is ongoing.

"We are deeply grateful to Billy Williams and his family, who stepped boldly forward to support our golf programs and outstanding student-athletes at this truly special time in Baylor athletics," said Ian McCaw, Vice President and Director of Athletics. "The golf practice facility, which will be located very close to campus, will help both programs continue to compete at the highest level, and we are very appreciative of the Williams family, their continued commitment to Baylor University and the vision we share for excellence in all of our endeavors."

Williams lettered in football in 1962 on a John Bridgers-coached team that included star quarterback Don Trull, who was Williams' roommate. After graduating with a degree in finance, Williams joined the First National Bank of Fort Worth's executive training program and earned an M.B.A. from TCU in 1965. He went on to a 26-year career at Owens Corning, working his way up from field salesman to executive vice president for the building materials division at the company's headquarters in Toledo, Ohio. In 1991, Williams and two associates purchased Liquid Container, a packaging company in Chicago. As its president for 19 years, he oversaw the company's expansion into a 14-plant, $400-million venture before he sold the company in 2011.

In 2012, Williams was named by the Baylor "B" Association to its Wall of Honor, which recognizes Baylor letterwinners and graduates whose meritorious accomplishments in public or private life following graduation have brought positive public recognition, credit and honor to Baylor and its athletic department. In 2013, Williams and his wife, Elaine, provided the lead gift for the Williams Family Soccer and Olympic Sports Center, which opened this fall and houses Baylor's soccer program and other Olympic sports. They also previously established two endowed scholarships at Baylor, the A.J. and Marie Williams Endowed Athletic Scholarship Fund in Football and the Bill and Elaine Williams Family Endowed Athletic Scholarship Fund.

With ongoing fundraising success, construction on the course could begin as early as January 2016.