Outstanding championship football coach and athletic director at Pascagoula. Coach Matthews was born in Benoit and graduate of Benoit High where he was a multi-sport letter winner. He played for Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss where he lettered from 1965-67 and later received another college degree from Delta State. His 30-year coaching career started at West Tallahatchie in Webb with stops at Carthage and Bolivar County before his arrival at Pascagoula in 1986. In 15 seasons, Coach Matthews led the Pascagoula Panthers football team to record of 93-80 including 8 playoff appearances and the 1987 Class 5A state championship with an undefeated squad. He was four-time division coach of the year and named HS football Coach of the Year four times by the MAC, the MS Sportswriters Assn, and the American Football Association. Bill was selected as MHSAA Athletic Director of the year in 1999. 42 of his former players played college football while 6 players played in the pro ranks. He coached in the Bernard Blackwell All-Star Classic and in the Hula Bowl in Hawaii. He was the first HS coach to be invited to coach in the Japan Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. Coach Matthews was a speaker at numerous football clinics including clinics hosted by LSU, Delta State, Florida, Florida State, and the American Football Coaches Association. He was a longtime MAC and MHSAA member who also served as President of Athletic Directors Association of MS from 1979-81. He also served as national delegate representing the state with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administration.