I was 21-years-old and had just returned home from the United States Navy. The year was 1978. My brother Fabian, had taken my spot as Manager of the Major Giants in my absence. He told me that I had to get involved at Los Amigos again… it was falling apart. I decided to go see if I could help out in any way. When I got there, A.D. Williams was in the snack bar by himself, taking registrations. They had no uniforms, no funds, and the field was in bad shape. I asked A.D. if there was anything I could do to help and he said, "Yeah, how about coaching a T-ball team?"

I said, " I was thinking more along the lines of administration” and he said, “Okay, you’re President!” I replied, “No way, how about, vice-president and you can be the president and I’ll help you out." He agreed and we went on from there.

A.D. was also a coach at JAMS. He had a couple of kids in the league. I did not have any children at that time so I had a lot of time to kill. I posted the top 10 batting averages, the home run leaders, and the team standings. We had a home-run derby for the kids. We got the snack bar going and the field in good shape. My goal was to make it like it was when I was a kid growing up in the league. We even let the kids pick the all-stars. It was a great time for the league.

Unfortunately, we have lost another good friend of Los Amigos, this time to cancer… A.D. was such a big man. He played professional football for the San Francisco 49er's, Green Bay Packers, and I think a couple of other teams. I thought how could a giant of a man like A.D. die, but he did.

On Opening Day, 2003 we honored A.D.’s wife Gloria and their children and other family members with a plaque in A.D.'s honor. A.D. was not concerned about uniforms, the field, or fundraising… he just wanted the kids to play. Thank GOD for fathers like him. When I found him working alone in the snack bar, that said a lot to me. We will never forget A.D Williams. He was a true role model for all of the youth at Los Amigos.

As told by Fernando Padilla.