Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Javon Williams Jr. awarded the James M. Rosser Scholar-Athlete Scholarship
04/04/2019 | 6:42:00 | Football
"Javon has an incredibly bright future here at SIU," said head football coach Nick Hill. "He is a local kid from Centralia High School that people from Southern Illinois should rally around and be proud of."
Prior to SIU, Williams ran for 2,395 yards, 30 TDs and passed for 1,967 yards and 22 TDs in his senior season in high school. The total of 52 TDs in one season helped him tie the Illinois high school state record.
"My scholarship is something that's very important to me," said Williams. "It allows me to be someone in my family to make a positive name for us and to give my younger family members, and siblings a goal to reach."
"He has overcome a lot in his life and has done a good job as a freshman in the classroom and is a name that Saluki fans will become accustomed to hearing," said Hill.
Williams understands the opportunities presented to him at SIU.
"I am from Centralia and I am one of the few to go to a Division I school," continued Williams. "It truly is an amazing opportunity to be able to go to school to get my education."
Dr. James M. Rosser is a three-degree alumnus of SIU (B.A. 1962, M.A. 1963, Ph.D. 1969). During his distinguished career in higher education, Rosser served as president of California State University, Los Angeles, from 1979 to 2013, and was named president emeritus in 2013. Prior to becoming president at Cal State Los Angeles, he was the vice chancellor of the Department of Education of the State of New Jersey. Additionally he served on the faculty at Southern Illinois University and founded the SIU Black American Studies program in 1968. Rosser was a recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award in 1982, the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2003.
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