Todd Williams

Todd Williams was a pitcher who helped the United States win a baseball gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He also won a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. Williams played ball at Onondaga Community College (New York) and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 54th round of the 1990 Major League (MLB) Draft. After playing in the minor leagues for a few years Williams made his MLB début in April 1995 with the Dodgers.

Williams played professional baseball for 13 years but he was back and forth between the bigs and the minors leagues. He played with the Dodgers in 1995 but was out of MLB until 1998 when he came back with the Cincinnati Reds. He then played the 1999 season with the Seattle Mariners, but was soon back in the minors, which enabled him to play at the 2000 Olympics.

After the Olympics Williams signed with the New York Yankees and played with them in 2001 but was then out of the majors until 2004. He came back from 2004-07 with the Baltimore Orioles, which ended his MLB career, as he retired from organized baseball after a few games with the Orioles in 2007.

Because of his many years in the minors Williams is the all-time career saves leader in minor league baseball with 223 saves. He won three AAA Championships, with Albuquerque in 1994, Edmonton in 1996, and the Durham Bulls in 2003. He was the Rolaids Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 1993, 1997-98, and 2000. After his retirement Williams lived in Tampa and served as a volunteer youth coach in baseball, basketball, and football. In 2005, he was inducted into the Onondaga Community College Hall of Fame.