Joe Billingsley was a standout football player at Millport High School. Billingsley was named to the Birmingham News All-State team his junior and senior seasons. His team won the 1983 Class 1A State Championship with a 3-0 win over Brantley.

Billingsley played guard at Jacksonville State from 1984-87 and was a coach on the Gamecocks staff from 1989-96.

Upon leaving the college ranks, Billingsley landed the head football coaching job at Gordo in 1997. He stayed for four seasons and in 2001 his Green Wave team won the Class 2A State Championship with a 14-7 win over Leroy.

Billingsley coached the Green Wave to a 40-18 record in five years and his teams were in the playoffs three times. Following the 2001 championship, he resigned from Gordo in December to take the head coaching job at Gadsden.

He moved to Gadsden in the offseason, replacing Joel Williams, who coached the 2001 team to a 7-4 record before moving to Delta State as offensive coordinator. After four seasons at Gadsden the school consolidated with Litchfield and Emma Sansom to form Gadsden City.

The combination of three schools proved to be an instant winning formula for Coach Billingsley. Over the next seven years his teams went 58-26, winning three region titles and making the playoffs each year.

Coach Billingsleys overall coaching record is 117-68 in 16 years as a head coach at three schools. His area and region record stands at 67-33. Six of his teams won area and region titles.

Billingsley was named Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association in 2001. In 2003 he was named to the Jacksonville State All-Century team as a guard.