It is a familiar sight for anyone who watches Syracuse University basketball. The camera pans to get Coach Jim Boeheim’s reaction and just in the corner of the shot is Capt. Grant Williams of the Department of Public Safety.

In a recent game he appeared on camera for about a minute, making him the most televised member of Public Safety.

‘I just really like anything that has to do with students,’ Williams said. ‘If it was just a bunch of adults with no students, I don’t know that I would still be doing it.’

Williams has been a staple behind the Orange bench for several years both for basketball and football.

It is clear talking to Captain Williams that he has found his calling working with young people whether they are the casual student or an athlete about to go pro.

‘I get to meet (the players) when they visit when they are in high school,’ he said. ‘And then to see them mature is something. And then you get cases like Hakim (Warrick) and you know soon he’s going to be a millionaire.’

Williams’ office is dotted with photos of him with Orange greats Billy Owens and Derek Coleman, him with members of this year’s football team outside of the Champs Sports Bowl and a picture of the SU Dance Team addressed to him. When someone sneaks up on Williams at a football game and physically lifts him up, he knows it’s a former football player. The last time it happened it was Dwight Freeney.

It’s not just the athletes that Williams comes to know. He starts to know parents, the fans who sit behind the bench, Otto the Orange and the students responsible for promotions at the Dome just to name a few. It is these relationships that Williams enjoys.

But the smile Williams so easily carries in pictures and in every day conversation is noticeably absent when you see him on TV. Co-workers joke about it. But for Williams it just shows that his job is not to enjoy the game (though he admitted he likes to see the Orange win). It is to make sure things run smoothly.

Let’s hope for years to come we can turn on the television, see Williams behind the bench, and know someone who really cares about the students up on the Hill is the most prominent member of a department charged with keeping them safe.

RYAN GAINOR IS A JUNIOR PHILOSOPHY AND NEWSPAPER MAJOR. E-MAIL HIM AT RMGAINOR@SYR.EDU.

Published on March 2, 2005 at 12:00 pm