Payton Williams named Riverside City College Athletic Director
RIVERSIDE - It was recently announced by Riverside City College President Dr. Gregory Anderson and Vice President of Student Services Dr. FeRita Carter that Payton Williams has been named the new Athletic Director for Riverside City College Athletics.
"I look forward to partnering with our stakeholders on campus and in the community to ensure the best experience for our student-athletes and to build upon the powerful tradition of Tiger athletic excellence," said Williams.
For the past four years, Williams has served in the athletic department at Azusa Pacific University as the Director of Compliance and Academic Support. Previously, he served for several years at the NCAA national office as an Assistant Director of Academic and Membership Affairs.
At Azusa Pacific, Williams enhanced academic support with over 450 student-athletes in 19 sports holding a cumulative 3.36 GPA, including football above a 3.0 GPA, while overseeing NCAA compliance and the rules education program. Williams also served as deputy Title IX coordinator and was a member of the Diversity Collaboration Committee at the university. He was a key liaison between the athletic department and the faculty, staff, and university administration, helping create the Cornerstone Cup rivalry with arch-rival Biola University and increasing community engagement at Azusa Pacific competitions.
At the NCAA, Williams conducted extensive work with two-year college transfer student-athletes and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He also was a staunch advocate for the student-athlete experience as a primary liaison for the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, cultivating approval of $1 million grant for four national student-athlete conventions and implementing the Division II Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor of the Year Award to honor the relationship between faculty support and mentorship of student-athletes.
Payton is a native of Riverside who became the first Academic All-American football player at Fresno State University in 2000. He went on to play three years of professional football, spending the 2000 and 2001 seasons in the National Football League with the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, and played for the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders in 2002. Following his football career, Williams graduated from law school at the University of Minnesota and worked for three years as an attorney in Bakersfield.
Payton and his wife, Kim, will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this year. The family resides in Moreno Valley with their two daughters, Sydney and Briana, and son, Payton Jr.