At 7-foot-1-inch, this Victor athlete draws big attention from all, including colleges

It’s the routine of daily life that most don’t even consider or give a second thought.

You want a new shirt? You go buy it. Hitching a ride? You open the door and hop in the car. Just got home? You open your door and walk in.

It’s about as basic as it gets, but for Victor High junior Connor Williams, these routines are anything but. 

Because when you’re 7-feet, 1-inch tall, basic is redefined in a lot of areas.

Of course, Williams hasn’t always been 7-1. But he has always been big, which has made for a life of constant adjustment wherever he goes. And now that Williams is a varsity athlete in football and basketball at Victor, he’s in a spotlight that makes him the topic of many conversations.

“He was 9 pounds, 10 ounces when he was born,” said his mom, Kristin Williams. “And he was two weeks early.”

Growing up, Connor had company in the department of large with older — not bigger — brother CJ, who today is a 6-4 freshman offensive lineman at Mercyhurst. But a few years ago as elementary students, when they both decided to play youth football in Victor, it wasn’t as easy as filling out the registration forms.

Both exceeded the weight limit for the youth program in Victor, so they looked for other options. That not only took them out of Victor, it took them to rival Canandaigua for the Frank Baker League, where the “Twin Towers” played for three years.

Canandaigua? Really?

“It’s not like I had an option,” Connor said with a smile. “It was the only way for us to play football.”

The Williams brothers were able to play Frank Baker football because it’s an independent youth league, meaning it sets its own rules when it comes to player weight. The league does have weight limits for the skill positions so players who exceed that limit play on the offensive or defensive line.

But before they could take the field, bigger jerseys needed to be ordered and new helmets had to be found, because not a single helmet in the Baker system fit either one of the brothers.

So the league turned to the varsity team in Canandaigua, which had helmets to fit these elementary students and allowed them to take the field.

Growing up, and up

By the time he was in seventh grade, Connor was 6 feet tall. As a freshman, he was 6-8 and last year as a sophomore, he came in at 6-11. And while being big has its advantages, there are clear challenges.

“Everywhere I go, people are always looking and staring,” said Connor. “But I’m used to it.”

It’s not uncommon for people to ask for pictures with Connor, or even ask for an autograph. He’s fine with that, he said, but what people don’t see are the limitations he deals with often.

“Doorways,” he said. I”m always ducking.”

Clothing and shoes?

“Online,” he said. “There’s nothing in the stores my size.”

And what about bumming a ride with older brother CJ?

“I don’t fit in his car, can’t drive it,” he said of CJ’s Toyota Camry. “And I just barely fit in my dad’s car … Any car, really. My knees are just jammed up against me, but you kind of get used to it.”

And what about that recent trip where you flew to California with the family?

“That was tight,” he said of the plane ride.

All in the family

In a way, parents Chris and Kristin understand. Chris is 6-7 and Kristin is 6-1, so they know the challenges of height. That’s why they lament not opting for the taller doorways when they built a home in Victor in 2004 when CJ was 3 and Connor was 1.

Like many families, the Williams started a growth chart in the home for the boys. They picked the back of the pantry door to mark progress but recently, Connor outgrew the door and that growth chart now is moved over to the wall.  

The Williams also had to move the ceiling light in the entryway of the house after Connor continually bumped his head.

And while they’re proud of the way their youngest son handles himself with frequent photo requests and questions, there are times they shake their heads at what they see.

“People walk by him and we hear them go ‘cha-ching’ and I’m like, really?” said Chris. “It can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.”

That’s the kind of judgement that comes from those who do not know Connor.

“The expectations,” said Kristin. “He’s always been bigger, so people expect more from him.”

They’ve had conversations with Connor about his height, explaining to him that it’s who he is and it can’t be changed. So the guidance is to encourage him to embrace that and learn to live with what comes his way.

“We tell him to be respectful,” said Kristin. “And I think he’s done a pretty good job with that.”

What’s to come

Williams and his height have drawn the interest of colleges for both football and basketball. Several Division I football coaches are monitoring his progress and several Division III basketball coaches are keeping an eye open as well.

He said he’s a regular in the weight room, where he maxed on the bench press at 230 pounds and 375 for the squat.

But he’s also been working with a sports nutritionist and said he’s down 30 pounds since the start of football in August. 

He doesn’t have a favorite between football and basketball, but enjoys playing both and is waiting to see where either might take him after high school. He carries a 92 average in the classroom and is leaning toward business or accounting.

The recruiting process is something he’s familiar with, too, after seeing what older brother CJ went through. He made trips with the family to football camps CJ attended but it got to the point where he had to stop going.

“Coaches ended up talking with Connor instead of CJ,” said Kristin with a laugh. “So we stopped taking Connor to the camps.”

There’s no doubt that Connor Williams is most comfortable when he’s at home. And by home, he means Victor. 

“Everyone knows him here and his circle of friends don’t think anything of it,” said Kristin.

He’s not unlike any kid his age and enjoys, as he said, “goofing around” with friends like classmates and football teammates Jaden Tantillo and Payton Boland. And between football and basketball, he spends a lot of time with coaches, which means the younger children of those coaches are sometimes around.

And it wasn’t that long ago when a young admirer thought the world of Connor. 

“Coach (Dave) Eisler has a daughter, around 4,” said Williams. “I guess she told her dad that she thought I was a super hero.”

So whether he’s plugging gaps on the football field as a defensive lineman, posting up on the basketball court, or saving the world in the eyes of a 4-year-old, there is plenty that Connor Williams can do at 7-1.

And as much fun as all of that can be, there still is one distinct advantage that he says is the most enjoyable.

“I can see above everybody and see what everyone else is doing,” he said.

That may not be a super power, but it’s only fair that a young man who is under the constant eye of others is able to return the favor in his own way.