Former Kansas head coach Roy Williams laughs as he has his picture taken with old friends during the 60th Anniversary celebration of Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, Oct. 27, 2014.

Roy Williams, who admits he’s as emotional as any person alive, tossed and turned in his Lawrence Oread Hotel bed on Sunday night/early Monday morning.

“There were some people mad at me, and I was hurt, and they were hurt, the whole bit,” the 12th-year North Carolina coach said of reaction to his leaving Kansas University for his alma mater back in 2003.

“So those memories came up a little bit. I got up at 4 this morning and just thought what it might feel like and what I might say and hope I didn’t mess it up for anybody else,” Williams added of trepidation before Monday night’s “Celebrating 60 Years” show in Allen Fieldhouse.

As it turned out, Williams — who admitted “I always worried, to be honest with you, about coming back” yet declared, “I’m in,” when Bill Self approached him last summer about appearing at the fundraiser — needn’t have been hesitant at all.

The 64-year-old coach received a long, loud standing ovation as former Jayhawk Scot Pollard preceded his coach at the podium with these words: “It’s a great honor to introduce my mentor, my coach, my hero, Roy Williams.”

Williams gave an impassioned 23-minute speech, discussing some of the great players he coached at KU such as Jacque Vaughn, Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce and some of the great home games contested in his KU career, such as the game in which the Jayhawks erased a 19-point deficit against UCLA, a 150-95 victory over Kentucky and a win that especially frustrated colorful Iowa State coach Johnny Orr.

“I am thrilled to be here but also know it’s not about me,” Williams said. “It’s about this great building, this great program and great 60 years. I’m thrilled to be here with Ted Owens, Larry Brown and Bill Self (who also gave 15- to 20-minute speeches). Bill, I appreciate the way you handled this and invited me back. Fantastic, and I mean it,” Williams told Self.

Williams received a second standing ovation from the 7,500 fans in attendance at the conclusion of his talk.

“Thank you for letting me be here tonight,” Williams said to the fans, his voice cracking as one fan screamed ‘Roy, Roy.’ “Thank you for being a great part of 15 wonderful years. I love you. I love this place. Go KU!” Williams concluded, wiping tears from his eyes as he returned to his seat.

In town for just a day and change, Williams had a walk down memory lane Sunday and Monday.

“I enjoyed going on top looking around campus,” Williams said of heading to the rooftop terrace of The Oread on Sunday night. “This morning, I sneaked around and drove around town a little bit, drove around campus,” added Williams, who admittedly got a kick out of seeing former players Eric Chenowith, Greg Gurley and Patrick Richey outside the hotel that hadn’t yet been built on the edge of campus during Williams’ KU years (1988-2003).

He didn’t become emotional, however, until heading over to the fieldhouse for an afternoon tour and media responsibilities.

“This afternoon, when I came out in front of

Wagnon (Student Athlete Center), C.B. McGrath (former KU player, current UNC assistant) let me out. I walked in the fieldhouse. I hadn’t been in the fieldhouse since the last practice before the Final Four in 2003,” he explained.

“It was a nice feeling, really nice feeling. For me, going in the fieldhouse always was a thrill. It was a thrill going in there today. To be honest with you, I wish nobody else had been in there. I could have stood in there a little while and looked around,” Williams added.

Stepping through the northwest tunnel back into Allen on Monday afternoon is a moment Williams won’t soon forget.

“This is a special place. I walked in that fieldhouse, and that was neat because I remember the first night I walked in there it was Late Night With Roy, pretty neat deal,” he said.

Williams is amazed at KU’s recent locker-room renovations and Booth Hall of Athletics.

“I was just blown away,” he said. “It’s so fantastic what they’ve done. When I was here for 15 years, we changed the locker room three times. We were still light-years away from what they are now.”

“The amount of money and effort and the love people have for this program allows this kind of thing to be done. There’s some dollars (involved) when digging the dirt. I was looking out of Greg Gurley’s (Williams Fund office window), and it looked like a prison with all the (construction) fencing (outside of Allen for DeBruce Center). I think it’s sensational. Whether we like to admit it or not, there is a bit of an arms race out there. Kansas basketball deserves the best.”

Perhaps current coach Self put it best in his own speech, concerning Williams’ appearance in Lawrence the past couple of days.

“Twelve years is too long without visiting. Get back here,” Self exclaimed to thunderous applause.