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Dexter Williams to be Inducted in Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame Thursday

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JACKSON — A Carroll County native is among five persons who make up the 34th class to be inducted into the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame this Thursday, April 18. The induction ceremonies will be held at the Carl Perkins Civic Center beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Dexter Williams is a name that anyone who has kept up with local basketball for the last twenty years or so will recognize. One of the primary reasons he was selected for induction was becoming the first boys’ coach at Liberty Tech Magnet School when it opened in 2003 and guided them to not one but two state championships in the first four years of existence.
Dexter is originally from Trezevant, son of Anthony and Josephine Williams, and was raised in the Wingo Community. He played basketball and graduated seventh in his class from West Carroll High School in 1995. If you were to walk into the ‘Eagles Nest’ and look at the left hand side on the back of the gym you’ll see #12 hanging there retired and framed along with others and for good reason. Dexter was a three-time All-District player, two-time All-Region, All-West Tennessee and All-State player and led West Carroll to its first-ever state tournament berth in any sport.

He attended Union University on a full basketball scholarship and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science. Dexter started his coaching career early being a student assistant with Union during the 1999-2000 season and got his first job as head coach and Physical Education teacher at Northeast Middle School from 2000-2003 when he was tabbed to be Liberty Magnet’s first boys’ basketball coach along with coaching Cross Country and teaching Physical Education. While he was coaching, he earned his master’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2003 with an emphasis in administration and supervision.
Dexter transitioned into administration when he became assistant principal at Liberty Magnet High School from 2008-2010 and became principal at Tigrett Middle School until 2013. He got an opportunity to coach again becoming head basketball coach at Milan High School while being human resource and transportation supervisor. Dexter got his opportunity to come home in 2015 when he was named principal and athletic director at West Carroll Junior/Senior High School. Just two years later in 2017, he was named director of schools for the West Carroll Special School District.
His list of professional accomplishments is long and impressive which also led to his induction.
He was named District 12AA Boys Basketball Coach of the Year three times in 2005, ’06, and ’07. Tennessee Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007. Tennessee Sports Writers Association Class AA Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007. Best of the West Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007. A.F. Bridges Male Coach of the Year in 2006. West Tennessee Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007. Southwestern Region Coach of the Year Finalist 2007. District 13-AAA Coach of the Year 2008 and 2009. Dexter is the youngest coach to ever win back to back state championships.