Equestrian Head Coach Greg Williams describes himself as competitor who loves to win.
He measures his success in the achievements of the girls he trains.
Williams is the first and only head coach of the women's equestrian team.
He established the charter team 15 years ago in 1996, and it became recognized as a varsity sport six years later in 2002.
Before Williams, Auburn didn't have an equestrian team of any type.
"I've always been in the horse business, and I love working with students," Williams said, "And there was a group of girls that wanted to start an intercollegiate equestrian team. This sport has evolved so much. It's a completely different animal now than it was when we started."
Williams also started a rodeo team around the same time, but because of the girls' success and work ethic on the equestrian team, he decided to end the rodeo team and pursue the equestrian team.
The team is comprised of 40 female athletes and 35 four-legged athletes.
"They made you want to work for them because they put so much into it," Williams said. "To see the girls have success in and out of the arena makes me feel lucky to have a job like this."
Williams said winning national championships is a dream and to have accomplished that is a satisfying feeling that makes him want to keep going.
Prior to becoming head coach, the Paragould, Ark., native was a horse trainer and manager of the horse center.
A typical day for Williams begins at 5:30 a.m. with team workouts and then, while the girls are in class, he attends staff meetings until the afternoon when practice starts at 12:30 p.m., which normally runs for four hours.
He said the best part of his job is working with students, and the most challenging is overcoming obstacles.
He is back in school working on his master's degree thanks to the late Virgil Starks who inspired him.
"I was talking to him about academics and the girls and working on motivating them," Williams said. "He kept listening and nodding and said 'When are you getting your master's, coach?' And that afternoon he had me signed up for classes."
The first meet of the year is Sept. 18 against Texas Christian University, which he said is one of the strongest western teams in the country.
Later that afternoon, the girls will play Southern Methodist University, which he said they beat last year, but it will be interesting to see what they've done with their recruits and coaching changes.
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