High School
The Long Streak of Plainview's Coach Bill
Neil Billingsley technically retired from his Plainview Bulldogs assistant coach position in 1997, but the 86-year-old has been the first one in the building every day since.
Neil Billingsley is on a streak - the first person in the Plainview High School Fieldhouse every morning since April 1, 1978. On that day 46 years ago, the rest of the coaching staff walked in on Billingsley, the newly hired offensive assistant, picking up trash from the equipment room and asked if he was the new custodian.
Most days ‘Coach Bill’ arrives at 4:30 in the morning, although sometimes, he admits, it’s closer to 5 a.m. He starts by taking the laundry out, clipping every kid’s workout clothes to a strap and placing it in their locker. Then, he brews the coffee for the coaching staff and unlocks the facility for the football players driving in at 6:00 a.m.
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