The Champion Who Beat the Titanic

Richard “Dick” Norris Williams II may not have known the word resilience, but his life became one of its clearest examples.

At 21, Williams boarded the Titanic with his father in a first-class cabin. During the sinking on April 14, 1912, accounts say he broke through a door to free another passenger, an act that reportedly inspired a scene in James Cameron’s film. He remained aboard almost until the end before swimming toward a lifeboat.

The disaster killed his father and left Williams’ legs submerged in icy water for hours. Doctors aboard the Carpathia told him they would have to amputate both legs if he wanted to survive. Williams refused to accept that he would never play tennis again. He walked repeatedly around the ship’s deck and exercised to restore his circulation.

The result astonished the medical professionals treating him. Four months later, Williams won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. National Championships, now the US Open. He went on to win many more titles, both as a player and as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. In 1924, he also won Olympic gold in mixed doubles at the Paris Games.

His battles did not end on the tennis court. Williams later volunteered for the U.S. Army’s Expeditionary Forces, fought in France, suffered leg wounds and received two decorations for bravery, the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. After retiring as a banker, he spent 22 years directing the library of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He died at 77, remembered by the article as a complete example of the triumph of will.