All-Time Winningest Basketball Coach in Florida Tech History, Billy Mims Notched 600th Career Win In 2018

SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME 2018 INDUCTEE

ABOVE VIDEO: The all-time winningest basketball coach in Florida Tech history, Billy Mims notched his 600th career win in 2018.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Florida Tech Panthers Men’s head basketball coach Billy Mims has traveled the world and is well versed in a wide variety of topics.

The one topic Coach Mims knows more about than most is basketball. And while win-loss records are important, the biggest reason for Mims’ induction is how he conveyed his knowledge of the game across the world to so many.

Born in Moncks Corner, South Carolina to Marvin and Esther Mims, Billy graduated Valedictorian from Berkeley High School in 1978 and then was a 1981 Magna Cum Laude graduate of The Baptist College at Charleston.

His first job came the year after he graduated, as he became the assistant coach at the College of Charleston. Mims was also an assistant at two other South Carolina colleges before accepting his first head coaching position in 1987 for the Neptune Basketball Club in Cork, Ireland.

He led Neptune to the 1987 Irish National League Championship and the 1987 National Top Four Championship, the first time achieving the prestigious post-season title in their club’s history.

Loving life in Ireland but wanting to return to college basketball coaching, Mims returned to the States as an assistant before getting his first college head-coaching job.

Ironically, that call came from his current team’s biggest Sunshine State Conference rival, the Barry Buccaneers. Mims spent six seasons as the head coach of Barry where he was the first coach to guide the Bucs to the SSC Tournament Championship Game.

In 1995 Mims went back overseas where he spent the next 10 years in the British professional league. He served as head coach and director of player personnel for two different clubs, the London Leopards and the Leicester Riders.

In the U.K., Mims captured three national championships in 1997, 1998 and 2001 and was named league coach of the year twice in 1998 by the BBL and 2001 by The Sun, England’s largest daily newspaper.

It was in England where Mims’ life would become complete as he met his beautiful wife Lynne, and their three very talented children Courtney, Callie, and Joshua were born.

Mims returned to the U.S. following an 11-year professional career record of 317-238 and after one year at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin was hired by Florida Tech.

During his 13-seasons at FIT, Mims has become its all-time winningest coach (196) and led the program to their first-ever Sunshine State Conference title in 2012. Mims has coached 16 All-SSC players and two All-Americans.

In February 2018, Mims achieved the big career milestone of reaching 600 wins.

AMAZING JOURNEY

In addition to his impressive coaching background, Mims has spoken and coached at countless clinics and has been extremely active in various community service projects, such as his “Read to Succeed” program and highly popular “Slam Dunk Smoking” program.

To know Billy Mims is to know how much he loves his family, Florida Tech and the Space Coast or “Paradise” as he calls it. Most coaches want to be remembered for wins and losses, not Mims.

“I just want to be remembered as someone that used basketball and a little southern hospitality to bring smiles to a lot of faces,” said Mims.

“Basketball has been my ticket to see the world and every person I’ve met along the way has been just as special as each victory on this amazing journey.”

THE 2018 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 11. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2018 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

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