Marissa "MJ" Williams joins the South Alabama women’s soccer program primarily working with the team’s goalkeepers. Williams joins the South Alabama staff after coaching stops at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Carson-Newman University and Desales University. She also spent several years teaching middle school in Tennessee and working with the goalkeepers of Tennessee Soccer Club. 

Working with the goalkeepers at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, CO), Williams worked with both the men's and women's soccer programs. With men's soccer, UCCS goalkeepers Declan Domyan earned all-conference second team & all-region first team (2022) while Soren Russell earned 3x GK of the Week awards with the program's first ever bid to the NCAA tournament (2023). With women's soccer, UCCS goalkeeper Alexis Walker earned all-conference first team, all-tournament, GK of the year, & all-region first team while creating the single season shutout record (11) for the program (2022). Goalkeeper Isabella Whitmore (2023) earned all-conference first team, GK of the year, all-region first team, & all-american third team while boosting the program shutout record to 12. With the staff, Williams holds regular season championships (2021 & 2023), a tournament championship (2021), and a regional championship (2023) while competing in the NCAA tournament each season (2021-2023). Additionally, in 2023, she was named as part of South Central Region Staff of the Year by NSCAA. 

Williams joined the Carson-Newman University (Jefferson City, TN) women’s soccer program as a graduate assistant working with the goalkeepers. Goalkeeper Jackie Burns earned all conference second team honors before continuing an outstanding collegiate and professional career. The Eagles finished 17-4-1 and won both the regular season & conference tournament before competing in the NCAA tournament. The CN staff was also named Southeast Region Staff of the Year (2016) by NSCAA. 

Williams was a staff member of the DeSales University (Center Valley, PA) women’s soccer program in 2015 as a graduate assistant coach. Winning the conference with the program’s first-ever MAC Freedom tournament title and NCAA bid, she primarily worked with the goalkeepers. Goalkeeper Emily Hoats still holds the program record for GAA with 0.94 for the 2015 season. 

She is a 2015 graduate of Tusculum College (Greeneville, TN) with a bachelor’s degree in middle grades education, Carson-Newman University with a M.Ed in curriculum and instruction, and is finishing her Ph.D. in educational leadership, research, and policy through UCCS. 

A native of Canton, MI., Williams holds her National D and Goalkeeping I & II licenses. Williams is married to Bud Miller and has one dog, Finn.