Nov. 1, 2013

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The Washington Nationals announced Friday that former Rebel great and longtime MLB player Matt Williams will be the team's new manager.

The Carson City native joins Reggie Theus as the only former UNLV student-athletes to become a head coach of a professional team in the four major sports.

"It is an honor for him to be named a big league manager as that is the ultimate goal as a coach," said Fred Dallimore who was Williams coach at UNLV from 1984-86. "It happened by design, not by accident because Matt is such a hard worker. I think the most beneficial thing he brings to the table is the fact he is a great person. He has outstanding communication skills and he is a person of very high character."

Williams was one of the best hitters in UNLV history and remains the all-time leader in home runs with 58 and is second in runs scored with 223 and RBI with 217. He was a First Team All-America selection in 1986 and his No. 15 is one of three numbers retired by UNLV baseball. He was also inducted into the UNLV Athletics' Hall of Fame in 1997.

"It is a really neat deal that a former UNLV player is now a big league manager," current UNLV baseball coach Tim Chambers said. "It's also cool because he is a Nevadan through and through."

Williams had an outstanding career as a MLB player, as he was a three-time Gold Glove winner for the San Francisco Giants and won another Gold Glove for the Indians. He was a major part of the Arizona Diamondback World Series run in 2001. After his playing career was over, he got into coaching and was previously on the Diamondback coaching staff.

"For as many years as I've known Matt Williams he has never changed," Dallimore said. "He has always represented himself, the university and his city well. He was exactly the kind of player we wanted and he went on to have not a good, but great career as a player and he is turning that into a great career as a coach."