Bill Ward hails from Ackerman and was an All-Cherokee Conference MVP in football who graduated from French Camp Academy in 1971. He earned his college degree at Mississippi State in 1979, and began his 38 year career at Mantachie High School where he was assistant football coach and head coach for girls' basketball and track for two years. Bill arrived at Kosciusko High School in 1981 where he was assistant football coach and head girls' basketball and track coach for the next three years. Coach Ward then moved to Pelahatchie in 1984 where he first worked as assistant football coach and head coach for boys' track. He stayed at Pelahatchie for the next 33 years achieving great coaching success as the head football coach from 1988 to 2017 while also serving as Athletic Director until his retirement. Coach Ward led his Chiefs football team to a record of 201 wins and 131 losses out of 332 games played for a 61% winning mark. His Chiefs captured eight district titles, the 1998 Class 1A South State crown, and the 2001 Class 1A State Championship. He coached Pelahatchie gridiron teams that had two undefeated regular seasons and made 20 playoff apperances. He also coached in the 1997 Bernard Blackwell Classi All-Star Football game and in the 1998 Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic football game. The Jackson Clarion Ledger named him Metro Coach of the Year in 2001, and he was honored with the Mississippi Association of Coaches Roy Garcia Outstanding Coach Award in 2010. A longtime member of the MAC, he served on the Board of Directors from 2000-2013, was Vice-President in 2013-2014 and President in 2014-2015.