Williamson Fitting the Stars

Shortstop Alex Rodriguez calls Randolph Williamson a professional, NBA guard Ron Mercer considers him meticulous and Pro Bowl running back Eddie George labels him passionate about his work.

Such multi-sport accolades usually go to team doctors or, sometimes, sports agents. But Williamson provides a much more tailored service.

“Some guys make a suit for you, and really don’t care how it fits. . . . They just want to get your money. But Randolph definitely takes care of you,” said the Tennessee Titans’ George, who will sport some of Williamson’s tailoring handiwork at the Pro Bowl on Feb. 4 and the Feb. 12 ESPY Awards.

His closet is full of Williamson’s creations.

“He’s got me for life,” said NFL Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, citing Williamson’s “kindly manner” and personable way of doing business.

“I will go to no one else!”

The testimonials go on and on. So does the tailor’s star-studded client list--NBA legend Michael Jordan, NFL great Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Titans receivers Yancey Thigpen and Derrick Mason, TV sportscaster Ahmad Rashad.

It wasn’t always that way, though, for the former Philadelphia Eagles receiver-turned-tailor.

For 14 years, Williamson worked the night shift at a nearby Nissan plant and handled clients for his tailoring business--Randolph Designer Wear--during the day. Often he handled both jobs on only a few hours sleep.

But in 1999, Williamson took a leave of absence from Nissan to try designing full time. He’s never looked back.

“My clientele has picked up tremendously since I left,” he said. “I’m even having to turn some people down.”

Williamson, 46, found his tailoring career in a roundabout way.

During his junior year of high school, the Nashville system began busing students to comply with court-ordered desegregation, a move which threatened to split up Williamson and others on his football team.

To prevent being separated, more than 30 players signed up for a men’s tailoring class, which was offered at only one school.

Williamson was cavalier about the class and its homework until the school’s principal threatened to sideline him in a game against a cross-town rival if he didn’t finish a shirt-making assignment. When the principal dropped in on game day and asked to see the shirt, Williamson replied: “I’m wearing it.”

Williamson played football at Tennessee State University and improved his sewing skills there, converting his dorm room into a sewing room, complete with its own sewing machine.

Teammates, including “Too Tall” Jones, became clients.

“Ever since I finished high school, I had trouble finding clothes to fit me,” said Jones, who is 6-foot-9, weighs 285 pounds and must be fitted for a 42-inch waist, 50-inch chest, 20 1/2-inch neck and 42-inch sleeve length for shirts.

“I believe presence is important and starts with what you put on your back,” he said. “Randolph really helped me out -- and still does.”

Williamson put down his needle and thread long enough to play for the Eagles for two years and then professionally in Canada for another two before hurting his knee. The injury brought him back to Nashville to try teaching.

But by then, he was hooked on sewing. He started his own business in 1983, working full time at Nissan to make ends meet.

“I didn’t know if I could make it at first, so I decided I would work there long enough to build clientele up to a point where I could leave,” Williamson said.

He’s made it now, living quite comfortably on his tailor’s earnings.

Prices for his shirts range from $100 to $500, and the suits cost anywhere from $700 to $5,000.

Volume is brisk. Rashad recently ordered 36 shirts, and Williamson said he tailors close to 300 suits a year. He projects a net revenue of $400,000 this year.

While Williamson once did all the tailoring himself, he now subcontracts part of the work. But “it’s still quality,” he adds, noting that he uses fabrics from Italy, England and Hong Kong.

“I think his shirts and the fabric he uses to make them are fabulous,” said Rodriguez, who recently signed a $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers. “He’s definitely a professional. I’ve passed his work on to my friends.”

Mercer, of the Chicago Bulls, said he appreciates Williamson’s efforts to coordinate his suits and his accessories.

“He matches everything -- my shirts, shoes and ties with it,” said Mercer, a former Nashville prep star. “I’ll be doing business with him for a while.”

Williamson prides himself on ensuring his customers are pleased.

“No matter where my clients are in the United States, I go and see them to make sure their clothes are OK,” he said. “If a button is not strong, or chipped, then I offer to service it.”

He’s planning a new line of clothes called the “Dolph Collection” and is contemplating designing for women.

But it’s pro athletes who are Williamson’s bread and butter. Because he’s a former pro himself, he builds a good rapport with clients.

“He kind of knows the tastes of other football players considering that he’s an ex-football player himself,” said Mason, who will also play in the Pro Bowl.

George looks beyond that. “He’s not just a tailor. He’s a friend.”