Jan. 25, 2005

Robert Williams stands at the free throw line. Sweat pours from his body. He looks at the basket and then looks at the floor. He dribbles once. He dribbles twice.

He looks at the basket a second time. Having just missed his first attempt, he says a little prayer to himself.

With 6.1 seconds to play and the game tied at 75, the game, the conference championship, and a berth in the NCAA tournament are all in Robert's hand.

He lets go of the second shot and ....

The ball falls through the net. The Owls win! The win guaranteed FAU a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.

"Going to the tournament was the biggest thrill I've had here at FAU. It was great being a part of a team that was the first to do something." Robert said. "The atmosphere around the school was just great. It was a real treat. It was really, really special."

The 15th seeded Owls put up a mighty fight before falling to second-seeded Alabama in the first round of the tournament by eight points.

That was 2002. Three years later, Robert hopes this is the year the Owls return to the tournament. It's the fifth-year senior's final shot at the Big Dance.

"We're getting on a roll as we head towards the conference tournament," he said. "We just got a big win over UCF."

After graduation, the political science/communications major hopes to play professional basketball in the United States or Europe

"FAU has been good to me. I don't have any regrets about my decision to come here."

You can help student-athletes such as Robert continue to succeed by shopping on our exclusive FAU E-MALL at FAU Mall. There are over 1,000 stores to choose from and a generous percentage of each of your purchases is sent directly to us. You will likely spend the same amount of money or less, and you will be generating funding so our student-athletes can continue to thrive.

If the number of stores overwhelms you, simply pick a category or use the keyword search box at the top left of the screen. You can also browse through the 10 merchants featured on the right each week.

Robert and our other athletes thank you for supporting them in this simple but effective way. Won't you make a purchase (or two) today? Where else can you get great deals and direct funds to your favorite Athletic Department at the same time?

Thanks for shopping where every purchase makes a difference.

FAU Athletics