Johnny Williams, former Troy athletics director and founder of Montgomery’s Salute to Veterans Bowl, has died. He was 68.

Williams’ death was first reported by River Region Sports on Wednesday. Williams’ wife, Robin Libby Williams, announced via a Facebook post that her husband had been suffering from leukemia and had recently undergone a bone marrow transplant.

A Tuscaloosa native, Williams played football at North Alabama and coached on the high school and college levels — helping Troy to a Division II national championship in 1987 — before transitioning into administration. He was athletics director at Troy from 2004-14, then spent three years (2004-07) as senior associate athletic director at Alabama under then-AD Mal Moore.

During his time at Troy, Williams shepherded the Trojans’ football program through the transition from the FCS level to the FBS. Troy’s athletic teams won 28 conference championships during his tenure, including four in baseball and three each in football and men’s basketball.

“Johnny knew exactly what we needed and knew where we were trying to go,” former Troy football coach Larry Blakeney once said. “He knew how much work and how much money it would take for us to compete, and he did everything in his power to make us successful.

“I’ve always said this about Johnny, if you feel bad call Johnny, because he will brighten your day up. He is very positive and that is something that is paramount in this business. There was never a time that I went to him with an issue and he didn’t listen and try and satisfy what we thought our needs were.”

Renowned for his sports marketing acumen, Williams founded Creative Marketing Management in 2007 and at the time of his death was executive director of the Central Alabama Sports Commission. Looking to build on the legacy of the defunct Blue-Gray All-Star Classic — once a Christmas Day staple in Montgomery — he created the Raycom College Football All-Star Classic, which drew more than 18,000 fans to its inaugural (and only) game in 2013 at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl.

The following year, Williams founded the Camellia Bowl, a traditional college football postseason game played each year in Montgomery. The 11th edition of the game was played this past December at Cramton Bowl, with a new name and title sponsor — the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.

Williams received the Gen. Robert Neyland Athletics Director Award from the All-American Football Foundation in 2002, and in 2016 was inducted into the Troy Sports Hall of Fame. An All-Gulf South Conference defensive lineman during his playing days at North Alabama, he was named to the Lions’ Team of the Decade for the 1970s.