Phillip Williams, Jr. was born and raised on the South side of Chicago. His father (and namesake) played softball at Ogden Park in the 1940s, so Phillip spent a lot of time as a seven and eight year old watching his dad play. He started playing softball on the street corners of his Englewood residence until the streetlights came on. In the 1950s he moved from the street corner to the ball fields at Bass and McCosh Elementary Schools. He then moved to the parks and playgrounds near his house. In high school, he played at Washington Park. He joined the Army in 1957 and was lucky enough to play with his Army team, stationed in Arlington Heights, Illinois. After his discharge from the Army in 1961, he joined the Postal Service in Chicago. They formed a twenty-five-team softball league where Phillip played on competitive teams from 1962 to 1968. He then became an all-star third baseman for a championship team called the Feather Merchants. In 1975 he formed the Bandits. They went undefeated in a thirty-team-league at Washington Park. They also played in several other leagues from the late ’70s to the ’90s. They qualified for national tournaments in Iowa and Blue Island. For the past twelve years, he was the lead representative in forming the Old Timers Softball Day at Grand Crossing Park. They play Old Timers games and enjoy sharing the camaraderie and memories of softball’s “golden days.” Along the way, he and his wife, Gloria, raised five children: Demetri and Demetrius (twins), Rosiland, Patricia, and Phillip who became cheerleaders for the teams he played on or managed. From 1985 to 1992, Phillip was the Mail Processing Manager for the main post office in Chicago. He retired in 1992 but was a consultant for the Postal Service for two years. He helped them plan their move to their new facilities. Phillip lives in Dolton, Illinois and still attends softball events throughout Chicago and the suburbs.
