Billy Jack Ray

Billy Jack Ray was born February 3, 1976 in Lubbock, Texas. His father was attending Texas Tech University at the time and after graduation his family moved around as his father taught at various high schools. When his father accepted a job at Huckabay High School his family moved to Stephenville where he began going to school. The path his life would take started in 1987 when he entered Stephenville Junior High School and began playing football.
From this time, the sport of football became his passion. As he matriculated through Stephenville High School, his love for football grew more and more. Not only did he love playing, but he loved all aspects of the game and knew that was what he wanted to do as a career, in one fashion or another. Of course at this age, 17-18, he had aspirations making a career of playing, but in the back of his mind knew coaching would be his career, and playing for legendary coach Art Briles showed him that with hard work and passion he could achieve his dreams.
His high school playing career culminated with helping win the 1993 Texas Class AAAA State Championship. After graduation, he accepted a scholarship to play football at Tyler Junior College. He played there before transferring to Tarleton State University, where he started at guard in the 1995 season. At the end of the season, with the firing of the head coach, he decided to transfer again to Texas Tech University. He played there for one season before leaving school and playing professional indoor football.
He spent the 97-98 seasons playing for the Texas Bullets of the Professional Indoor Football League and the 99-00 seasons with the Bismarck Blaze of the National Indoor Football League. From the 01-04 seasons he played for the Lubbock Lone Stars, also of the National Indoor Football League. After the 2004 season he decided that it was time he began a coaching career. This decision started what would become quite a journey across the state of Texas.
In 2005 he became the offensive line coach for the now Lubbock Gunslingers, and followed the head coach in 2006 to the Katy Copperheads, both of the National Indoor Football League. In 2007, the Copperheads changed to the Arena Football League 2 and became known as the Texas Copperheads, and he retained his position as offensive line coach. He accepted a position coaching offensive line for the Frisco Thunder in 2008. In 2009, he became the head coach and defensive coordinator for the San Angelo Stampede Express, both of these teams competed in the Indoor Football League.
In the fall of 2009 he decided it was time to finish his college degree. He enrolled at Tarleton State and began as a student coach with the football program, working with the tight end position. That season the Texans finished 10-3 with a share of the Lone Star Conference championship and made it to the second round of the national playoffs. He continued this position until he graduated in December of 2011 and then began working towards his master’s degree, which he earned in May 2013. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Educational Leadership and serves as a Doctoral Graduate Assistant with the Tarleton State University Kinesiology Department.