Coach Bill Brumley was an acclaimed football, basketball, and track coach who was a longtime high school, JUCO, and college basketball official who led programs at Shannon, Lee High in Columbus, and Aberdeen. Born in Fulton, Bill was a three-year letterman in football and started officiating while attending Itawamba High from 1941 to 1943. He joined the Navy during World War II and served until 1946 when he returned to earn his high school diploma. After attending Freed-Hardeman College in Henderson, Tennessee, he worked in the oil business and later earned a college degree from Harding College in Arkansas. Bill continued to officiate and joined the Arkansas Scholastic Officials Association. He returned to Mississippi where he arrived at Shannon High in 1950 as a math teacher, athletic director, and head coach in football and girls’ basketball. His football teams at Shannon had winning seasons every year from 1950 to 1954 and his girls’ basketball team finished third in the state in 1953-54 with a record of 42-8 with 6 of those 8 losses to eventual state champion Tremont. Bill was instrumental in helping create the Tombigbee Conference in 1952 and served as the first vice-president. Coach Brumley then went to Lee High in Columbus where he was math teacher, assistant football coach, basketball coach, and head track coach. His Lee teams qualified for the state track meet each year during his tenure and he started the girls’ track program which quickly qualified for the state meet. In 1960, he arrived at Aberdeen where he was athletic director and head football and track coach. Bill led Aberdeen to two winning football seasons and started the track program in 1961. He was instrumental in the school constructing an 8-lane track and establishing the Bulldog Relays which became one of the largest track meets in the state. Coach Brumley left as a full-time coach in 1962 when he opened up the Columbus Sporting Goods store which developed into Brumley Sporting Goods. During this time, he continued to officiate and worked the state tournament from 1952 through 1970, one of the youngest officials to ever start working the event. Bill officiated the Grand Slam tournament from 1955 through 1970 and worked JUCO games from 1960 to 1873. Bill began working as an official in the Southeastern Conference where he called games from 1965 through 1973. He was also a football official, having started in 1963 including the All-Star game in 1968, and worked many JUCO games. Bill was also a track official who directed meets from 1956 to 1960 and served as a starter for meets from 1963 to 1979. Brumley was an accomplished speaker and educator who gave back his time to the professions of coaching and officiating. He was a charter member of the Mississippi High School Officials Association that was created in 1971. Bill was active in his church and created a Columbus Christian Forum where he served as director from 1966 until 1992. He was a member of the Columbus Rotary Club and the YMCA Board of Directors for 22 years and he served the Chamber of Commerce on the Recreation and Streets and Highway Committees and officiated games for the March of Dimes.