Retired DRF Writer Dean Williams Dead

Dean Williams, who charted races for Daily Racing Form for nearly 50 years, died June 24 from complications suffered from a recent fall. Williams, 80, was living in Elkhorn, Neb., near Omaha.

Williams not only worked as a chart caller, but also as an announcer, handicapper, journalist, and racing secretary. He started with the Form at Ak-Sar-Ben at 1947 and also worked at other tracks in Nebraska and in Arizona. He was inducted into the Nebraska Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1995, the same year Ak-Sar-Ben (which at that time was named AKsarben) closed for good. Williams retired the following year.

Williams’ son, retired jockey R.D. Williams, also is a member of the Hall of Fame. He now serves as a steward at State Fair Park in Nebraska. The elder Williams’ grandson, Dylan Williams, is a jockey at Prairie Meadows.

In addition to his son and grandson, Williams is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sheila; and three other children.