Salem’s Billy Miles was one of five new members in the Franklin County High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The Class of 2021 was recognized at halftime of the Franklin County football game against William Byrd in Rocky Mount last Friday.
Miles is a graduate of Andrew Lewis High School and was a long time coach in Salem. He coached at Andrew Lewis Middle School and then at Salem High from the 1981 to 1999 seasons. During his time at Salem Billy was regarded as one of the top offensive line coaches in the state. His sons Chad, Shaine and Travis all played on the line for the Spartans.
In 2000 Billy made a difficult decision to leave Salem and accept the head coaching job at Franklin County. He took a team that was 5-15 in the two years before he arrived and coached the Eagles for six years, posting a 39-24 record. In 2002 his Eagles went 9-2 and made the Division 6 playoffs for the first time in school history. The Eagles made the playoffs three times in his six years as head coach, and among his assistants were current Salem High coach Don Holter and Lord Botetourt head coach Jamie Harless.
Miles was nominated for the Hall of Fame by Melvin Clark, a long time Franklin County football supporter and a former broadcaster with Cable 12. Joining Billy in the Class of 2021 were Margaret Parcell-Bisnett, Jerry Saleeby, Travis Walter and David Angell, who was a standout member of the Roanoke College.