Martial Arts Community Mourns The Loss Of Judo Jack

Charles Brown met Leyshon ‘Jack’ Williams at North Campus the same way hundreds of others did. 

“I was walking through the hallway, that’s where Jack was handing out flyers and promoting [his judo] class,” said Brown, who eventually became Williams’ student and assistant. “That’s how I met him.”

Judo Jack, as he was affectionately known, was a walking judo billboard. For decades, he peddled his courses one leaflet at a time in front of Scott Hall.

He enrolled hundreds of students into his life’s passion—judo—during a nearly 60-year career at Miami Dade College that included stints as a full-time professor, adjunct and coach.  

“We would compete, we would train hard, sweat and kill ourselves on the mat, and then we’d go out and have a beer and party,” Hector Estevez recalled. “We were a family. We all loved each other.”

On Feb. 16, the 71-year-old Estevez was one of several former students who passionately eulogized Williams in front of family and friends at his viewing at Caballero Rivero Southern in North Miami.

Williams died on Feb. 10 at Jackson North Medical Center from natural causes. He was 95.

At the ceremony, Williams was posthumously promoted to 9th Dan, one of the highest ranks in the judo belt system awarded by the United States Judo Association. It was presented to his family by his former student and Olympian Rhadi Ferguson.

The viewing ended with a final Ritsu-rei—a standing bow performed by judokas after sparring—for the beloved sensei.

“Jack was so knowledgeable in the art, tough as nails, but he had a great heart,” said Candido Ramos, another one of Williams’ former students. “It was a blessing to train under him.”

The Early Years

Williams was born in November of 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was raised on a farm by his parents Leyshon Williams and Dorothy Roberts. 

The youngster cultivated a love for animals on the farm. He took care of chickens, horses and birds. His best friend was his dog. 

Growing up in the Great Depression was not easy for young Jack. His parents worked multiple jobs to support the family and couldn’t spend a lot of time with him. He eventually attended a boarding school for a year.

When Williams was 14, his family moved to Florida.

After moving out from his parents’ home, he began working as a dance instructor in hotels in Miami Beach. He slept in cabanas in exchange for the lessons he taught.

By 1960, Williams joined the National Guard for three years, before being honorably discharged in 1963.

He earned an associate degree in criminology from North Campus, a business administration degree from the University of Miami and a master’s degree in parks and recreation administration from Florida International University. 

Judo Journey

There are many theories as to how Jack fell for judo. Some believe it was his tough upbringing. Others point to his time in the National Guard. 

But what’s abundantly clear is his passion for the sport. 

He began practicing judo in 1955, and opened the Miami School of Judo in North Miami two years later. 

Williams’ understanding of judo was revolutionized when he met sensei Paul Takeshita in 1959. Takeshita immigrated to the United States from Japan during World War II, after he was placed in an internment camp with his family. 

“The new concepts and theory of judo [Takeshita] instilled in me are still constantly successful principles and theories I use,” Williams wrote in a timeline he created about his life. 

Williams competed throughout the 60s and 70s, winning several championships in Florida and the Southeast United States. In 1974, he placed second in the National Amateur Athletic Union’s 205-pound division and in the under-master division championships. 

He took several trips to Japan in the 60s and 70s to study at the legendary Kodokan Judo Institute, known as the original school of judo. He learned various techniques and katas—choreographed fighting forms—including goshin-jutsu, katame no kata and kime no kata. 

“Back then, it wasn’t normal for foreigners to be in the Kodokan or in Japan, learning the arts,” Brown said. “So for him to go to Japan, that was special.”

During his time in Japan, Williams also studied at the Tokyo and Oimachi Police Departments, learning techniques only the police were allowed to use. 

He would later teach officers from the City of Miami Police Department the skills he learned, especially taiho-jutsu, a technique used to take someone down using minimal force.

In the 60s, Williams began teaching judo classes at the North and South campuses with the approval of then-athletic director Demie Mainieri. During his tenure at MDC, his judo teams won 10 junior college national championships.

Williams was a full-time professor at North Campus from 1969 through 2002. He coached the judo squad until the mid-90s and continued teaching as an adjunct until about 2019.

As a sensei, Williams was known for his fierceness and commitment to his students. 

He was revered in the martial arts world. Williams was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame in 1981 and the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 1993. 

Judo Jack distinguished himself as a central figure in the South Florida judo circuit, offering instruction at 13 recreational centers.

“Every judoka that was raised in Miami in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s owe part of them to Jack Williams,” Estevez said.

Meeting His Wife

In 1992, Williams met his wife Juana at a Canadian dance club in Hallandale Beach. 

The meeting almost didn’t happen because Juana was skeptical about joining her friends for a night out on the town. She heard the club, which was known for ballroom dancing, attracted an older crowd. 

Despite the hesitation, Juana went. She caught Williams’ eye and the seasoned dance instructor made his move.  

“He invited me to dance, I told him I didn’t know how to dance and so he told me he’ll teach me how to dance, and so we went 1-2-3, 1-2-3,” Juana said. “That’s when our love story began.”

The duo began dating shortly after. They married in 1994 and were together for 31 years.

Off The Mat

In his spare time, Williams enjoyed staying fit. 

“He used to always swim, always worked out, he was always in great shape,” said Tim Littlefield, a veteran of the Miami Police Department who once studied judo under Williams.

The judo aficionado also had an affinity for a good colada. 

“He lived one street south of me… and I used to go by and we used to go over to the cafe and get some Cuban coffee and guava [pastries],” Littlefield added.

However, in the end, his heart always came back to judo. 

“I want him to be remembered as somebody who always followed his passion and his dream, and who tried his hardest to keep it going,” said Williams’ stepdaughter, Wendy Guzman. “He persevered as much as he could in life, and even to the end, it was something that he carried with him because judo was one of the loves of his life.”

Williams is survived by his wife, Juana Williams, their children John, Patty, Moses, Wendy, and Angelica, and his grandchildren, Shon, Sacha, Isabella and Astrid.

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