Bill Bingham
Coach, Athletic Director, Administrator
Tennessee High School
1964-1995
Coach Bill Bingham 1964-1995 (Tennessee High School)
Bill Bingham did it all for Tennessee High, where he coached, taught, and served as athletic director for the Vikings for 31 years before retiring in 1995.
Bingham came to Tennessee High in 1964 as a science teacher and assistant football and baseball coach. As an assistant, Bingham helped coach the Viking baseball team to its first and only Tennessee state championship in 1967, along with head coach Russ Basham. Bingham also served as an assistant to John Cropp on the 1971 state football championship team and the 1972 state and national championship football team.
Bingham became head football coach and athletic director in 1973. He coached the Vikings until 1977, winning a conference title in ’73 and finishing with a 36-14 record before turning his attention fully to the AD role.
He was instrumental in starting the girls' basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the boys' and girls' cross country teams, and boys soccer at THS. He was named Athletic Director of the Year in Tennessee in 1990 and received the Tennessee High School Distinguished Service Award in 2013.
While serving as Athletic Director at Tennessee High School, Bingham and basketball coach Dale Burns created the Mountain Empire Classic basketball tournament in 1983. The tournament was renamed the Arby’s Classic in 1984 and soon became one of the country’s premier holiday basketball tournaments, drawing large crowds to Viking Hall, a tradition that continues to this day.
Bingham graduated from Gary High School in West Virginia in 1952. He was a three-year starter on the football, baseball, and basketball teams and was All-State in football in 1951. He received a football scholarship to West Virginia and played for a year before transferring to Concord, where he played football and basketball and was all-conference in football in 1956.
He coached and taught biology at Gary High School from 1956-1962, before coming to Virginia High to teach science and coach football and basketball for one year.
At the age of 90, Bingham continues to attend as many THS athletic events as possible. He and his wife, Betty, had four children: Barry, Cyndi, Melinda, and Brad, all attending THS.
