Williams will be honored in a ceremony prior to the Terriers' contest with Sacred Heart on Saturday, February 5 at 4 p.m.

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. - St. Francis Brooklyn men's basketball is set to host Sacred Heart in the third annual Levi Bough Trailblazer Game on Saturday, February 5 at 4 p.m. Bough was a trailblazing Terrier as he broke the color barrier at St. Francis, becoming the first black student-athlete on the men's basketball team in 1947.

This year, the St. Francis Athletics department will honor Terriers' men's basketball Hall of Famer Jerome Williams (Class of '76) with the Levi Bough Trailblazer Award.

Williams, who was previously inducted into the SFC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1977, was a standout on the men's basketball team from 1972-1976 and was a captain for his final two seasons.

He finished his career seventh all-time in career scoring with 1,490 points, and third all-time for career rebounds with 1,018.

Before featuring on a frontcourt with the likes of Dennis McDermott and Jack McCue, Williams played his first season of organized basketball his senior year at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. Williams said he was hoping it would help keep on track to graduate and find work until he cracked the starting lineup.

Out of 6 schools to recruit Williams, St. Francis head coach Lester Yellin was the only collegiate head coach to come see him play in high school, which helped seal the deal for his enrollment on Remsen Street.

He would go on to be a major part of the Terriers' success in the mid-seventies. Williams was the MVP of the first Battle of Brooklyn game during the 1975-76 season.

Typically one of the only Black students in many of his classes, Williams said the coaches made him feel "calmed" about going to school at SFC. He credits Brother Roger Nagel as a mentor to whom he "owe[d] a lot", always encouraging him to get to class.

After successfully graduating in 1976 with a degree in Physical Education, Williams would go on to play professionally in France and Venezuela for a total of two years.

He returned to Brooklyn Heights in 1978 to take a position as Assistant Director of Facilities. Williams would later earn his second degree in Business Management from SFC, and worked at the College until he retired as the Director of Telecommunications in 2018. His sons also attended SFC during that time.

Williams impacted multiple generations of Terriers on the court and off, and will be honored with the Levi Bough Trailblazer Award during a ceremony as part of the men's basketball game against Sacred Heart on Saturday, February 5 at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available through the Terrier Ticket Office and the ceremony and game will stream live on NEC Front Row.