“A hurdler doesn’t stop after the first hurdle“, said Reggie Williams, an athlete, humanitarian and politician who has soared over hearing and speech challenges himself.

Mr. Williams was national chairman for the Council for Better Hearing and Speech Month in 1991 and has done numerous public service announcements for Better Hearing Institute as a means  of helping others to overcome the hurdles of hearing loss. He was a fearsome power on the football field for the Cincinnati Bengals for 14 years and has a lifelong record of distinguishing himself as both a fierce competitor and a compassionate public servant. His honors include 1988 National Council on Communicative Disorders public service award, 1987 Sports Illustrated sportsman of the year, 1986 NFL man of the year and 1984 NFL player’s association Byron “Whizzer” White humanitarian award.

“School wasn’t much fun. I had, as was discovered in the third grade, a hearing problem that resulted in a speech impediment,” he said. By high school graduation, he had developed his athletic and academic prowess so completely that the third-grader who had been taunted as a “dummy’ set off for Dartmouth College, the first Ivy League player to be drafted into the NFL. After his remarkable football career Mr. Williams served the city council of his adopted hometown of Cincinnati.