Bill Connors, who coached football teams at Beth-Center and Ringgold high schools to WPIAL championships, died in North Carolina.
Connors had a 29-year coaching career at Beth-center, Ringgold, and Belle Vernon and a career record of 174-92-12.
Highlights
- Bill Connors was selected to the All-Time WVIAC Team in 1974 by the West Virginia Sports Writers in baseball and football.
- Connors passed away on February 2025 at 88. However, the death cause has not been revealed.
- He had a son, Jeff Connors, with his wife, Pearl Connors.
Bill was named the Washington County Coach of the Year and won the Dapper Dan Award in 1975 and 1982. He was also the WPIAL Coach of the Year in 1982.
He taught English and physical education at Beth-Center and was a head track coach, leading the Bulldogs to two undefeated seasons.
Connors was a member of the Salem (W.Va.) University Athletic Hall of Fame and was a four-year letterman in both baseball and football.
Additionally, in his senior year, he was selected as an All-WVIAC quarterback in football and the WVIAC Player of the Year in baseball as a catcher.
His 64.7 completion percentage in 1961 was the WVIAC record. During his career, he accounted for 2,970 yards passing and 25 touchdowns.
He was also a member of the Washington-Greene County and Mid-Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame. His 1975 Beth-Center team was inducted into the Washington-Greene County HOF, and his 1982 Ringgold will be inducted this spring.
Ringgold Coach Bill Connors Passed Away At The Age Of 88
Bill Connors passed away in February 2025 at 88. However, the exact death cause has not been revealed yet.
Andy Retucci, a lineman on Connors’ 1975 WPIAL championship team at Beth-Center, paid tribute to Bill and remembered the time working with him. He said,
“It’s hard to even talk,” “Truthfully, he just meant so much to me. You know, I always thought of him like a second father to me.”
Andy Retucci
Robert Adkins, who played on Ringgold’s 1982 WPIAL championship team that Connor coached, also remembered Connors’ help while Robert struggled in his professional career. He said,
“You hear that cliché about people being surrogate fathers all the time,” “I would just say that he came to Ringgold and fulfilled that role for a lot of us. I had a father and loved my father, but Billy Connors was a guy who really taught us what it meant to be a man and what it meant to take responsibility for your actions, “He taught the value of hard work and how it pays off. He’s a guy who, when I struggled in my working professional career, I could pick up the phone and give him a quick call and he would get me on the right path – reinforcing the values that I learned from my parents and from him. I’m going to miss him in a way, the same way that I miss my father when he passed a few years ago.”
Robert Adkins
Randy Miller, who played for Connors at Beth-Center, also paid a small tribute and compared Connors with John Wayne by stating,
“To me, he was like John Wayne,”. “I didn’t think anything like this could ever happen to him. He’s been so good to me for so long.”
Randy Miller
Jan Haiden, who coached with Connors at Beth-Center and Ringgold, remembered the time working with him and wrote,
“Absolutely, I mean if you played for him and or worked for him, Bill will do anything for you,” “That’s the kind of guy he was. I don’t care if you needed a job or help getting into a school, it didn’t matter. While he’d do anything for you, he’d kick your (butt) if you needed that.”
Jan Haiden
Coach Humbert, the athletic director at BVA Football, also poured a small tribute through his official Twitter handle. He wrote,
With a heavy heart, former BVA Head Football Coach Bill Connors passed away this morning. Our thoughts go to his family. Coach Connors coached from 1985 to 1992, where he accumulated 44 wins in 8 years. He had a career record of 174 wins in 92 losses.
Coach Humbert
Other close friends and relatives have also offered their heartfelt condolences and sent prayers for the Conners family to stay strong in this heartbreaking moment.
Connors will be remembered for his unforgettable contributions as a coach to Beth-Center and Ringgold.
Funeral schedules will be soon made available by the Conners Family. Rest in Paradise, coach Bill Connors.
Bill Connors Is Survived By His Wife, Pearl, And Son, Jeff
Bill Connors, born on October 18, 1936, was married to Pearl Connors. However, their exact date of marriage has not been revealed yet.
Sadly, their married life ended following the tragic death of Bill Connors.
Bill and Pearl were blessed with a son named Jeff Connors, who lives in Greenville, North Carolina, and went to Bethelem Center Class of 1975 and worked at East Carolina University.
Recently, Jeff also poured a small tribute to his father, Bill, by stating,
“My dad was a son of a coal miner in the Maxwell coal mining patch,” “That was his whole mentality through his whole coaching career. He found tough kids in gym classes from the coal mine communities and gave them a chance. He gave them a chance to find themselves in athletics but also find themselves in relationships to self-esteem. That was something that he kind of hung his hat on.”
Jeff Connors
Jeff married Michele Connors, a real estate agent, on June 25, 1988. They had one son, Beau, and one daughter, Kaitlin Connors.
According to Beau’s Facebook handle, he studied at the Community College of the Air Force.
On the other hand, Jeff’s daughter Kaitlin has been working at Sitter since July 22, 2020.
Additional Information
- Bill Connors grew up with his sister Naomi Connors Crapp, born to the late Martin and Leora Murray Connors. Sadly, she died on May 7, 2019, while in the care of Monarch Meadow Personal Care Home.
- Jeff’s cousin Michell Daniels White went to Beth-Center and later studied at W&J College.
- Bill Connors earned an annual salary between $40,000 and $60,000 while coaching at Beth Center and Ringgold.
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