Mervo High’s athletic and school community in Baltimore, which has had several tragedies the last couple of years, suffered another unexpected loss last week.

Mustangs’ boys varsity basketball coach Dietrich Williams died Friday after suffering a heart attack the day before. Williams was 54.

“Tough,” said Mervo athletic director and football coach Patrick Nixon Tuesday evening. “This loss is truly felt around the entire school.”

Williams was in his first season as Mervo varsity coach after serving in a variety of roles for more than a decade. The Mustangs are currently 6-3 on the season.

Nixon said games this week against Paul Laurence Dunbar and Digital Harbor will be rescheduled. Kevin Simpson, a varsity assistant under Williams, will be interim coach for the remainder of the season.

Williams, a 1989 graduate of Dunbar, was also a longtime coach for the Team Thrill AAU program. As a senior at Dunbar, Williams helped the varsity team, then a nationally-regarded powerhouse, to the Baltimore City and Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) A Conference championships.

Nixon, who started working at Mervo in 2010 – the same year as Williams – said Williams was a major part of the school’s fabric.

“There wasn’t an event he wasn’t at, there wasn’t a time he wasn’t in the gym,” Nixon laughed. “I truly don’t know how he made the time. He was always willing to help.”

Williams, who was part of Mervo’s support staff, spent one season as an assistant at Patterson, coaching his son Demetoich. Demetoich Williams is a Mervo junior varsity assistant under Jordan Tucker, who played for Dietrich. 

Williams is survived by three children and three grandchildren. Nixon said Williams’ funeral will be on Feb. 8. 

In 2021, Elijah Gorham, a Mervo wide receiver/returner died from injuries sustained in a September regular season game. The Mustangs won their first state championship (Class 4A/3A).

The next year, Jeremiah Brogden, a member of Mervo’s football team, was shot and killed minutes after the school day had concluded. The incident was hours before the Mustangs’ regular season opener. 

The game was cancelled.