Ron Williamson

Ronald "Ron" Keith Williamson (February 3, 1953 – December 4, 2004) was a former minor league baseball catcher/pitcher who was one of two men wrongly convicted in 1988 in Oklahoma for the rape and murder of Debra Sue "Debbie" Carter. His friend Dennis Fritz was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Williamson was sentenced to death. Both were released 11 years later when DNA evidence proved their innocence. Their story became the subject of bestselling author John Grisham's first nonfiction book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.

Born and raised in Ada, Oklahoma, Williamson was the youngest of three children and the only son. He was a standout athlete even when very young and excelled in several sports, although his primary interest was baseball. He played baseball at Asher High School, as his parents moved there so that he could play under the school's legendary coach, Murl Bowen. After hitting .500 in the state championships his senior year, he was the 41st pick in baseball's 1971 amateur draft, a second-round selection by the Oakland Athletics. Forgoing a scholarship offer from the University of Oklahoma, Williamson signed and spent the 1972 season primarily with the Coos Bay-North Bend A's, hitting .265 in 52 games. In 1973, he hit .137 for the Key West Conchs with 13 runs produced in 59 games. A shoulder injury derailed his career for the next few years. Williamson's father, through a childhood friendship with former major league pitcher Harry Brecheen, got him a look with the New York Yankees, where he was converted to a pitcher in their minor league system for parts of 1976 and 1977, but recurring shoulder problems limited his appearances and effectiveness. In his last season, he pitched in 14 games, working 33 innings. At the age of 24 his once-promising baseball career was over.

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