Billy Joe (American football) facts for kids

William "Billy" Joe was born on October 14, 1940. He is a famous American who used to play professional football and later became a successful coach. He played as a running back, which is a player who carries the ball, in the American Football League (AFL).

Billy Joe's Playing Career

Billy Joe started his professional football journey in 1963 with the Denver Broncos. He was so good that he was named the American Football League Rookie of the Year that season!

In 1965, he joined the Buffalo Bills. He was traded for a legendary player named Cookie Gilchrist. That year, Billy Joe was chosen for the AFL All-Star Team. He even helped the Bills win the AFL Championship against the San Diego Chargers in 1965.

Billy Joe's Coaching Career

After his playing days, Billy Joe became a football coach. He started as an assistant coach. In 1971, he became an assistant coach at the University of Maryland. This was a big deal because he was the first African-American coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Later, Billy Joe became a head coach for college teams for 33 seasons! He coached at several universities:

• Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (1972–1978)
• Central State University (1981–1993)
• Florida A&M University (1994–2004)
• Miles College (2008–2010)

His most successful time was at Central State University. His teams won two national championships in 1990 and 1992. They also made it to the playoffs many times in the 1980s and 1990s. His teams at Florida A&M also made it to the playoffs in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Billy Joe's teams also won six black college football national championships. Five of these were with Central State University (from 1986 to 1990), and one was with Florida A&M (in 1998). Because of his amazing coaching career, he was added to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Many players coached by Billy Joe went on to play in professional leagues like the NFL, CFL, or Arena League. Some of these players include:

• From Central State University: Vince Buck, Vince Heflin, Erik Williams, and Hugh Douglas
• From Florida A&M: Jamie Brown, Jamie Nails, Terry Mickens, Dexter Nottage, Wally Williams, Earl Holmes, Robert Wilson, Tony Bland, and Quinn Gray

Billy Joe became the head coach at Miles College in December 2007. This is an NCAA Division II school in Alabama. He stopped coaching in October 2010 because of health reasons.

He finished his college coaching career with an impressive record of 245 wins, 157 losses, and 4 ties. His total number of wins is the second-highest among coaches at historically black colleges and universities, right after Eddie Robinson.

See also

• List of college football career coaching wins leaders