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Billy Napier’s Late Father Honored With Special Tribute by Prominent High School

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated May 23, 2025 5:56 PM ET

In 2017, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier lost his father, Bill, to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He passed away at the age of 60.

On Friday, Billy's brother Kurt Napier shared a social media post that included a photo of a memorial to their father located at Murray County High School's stadium entrance. Bill was the head football coach there from 1991 to 2006.

The plaque, which includes Bill's embossed headshot, highlights that he finished with a 94-78-1 record and had the most wins by a coach in Murray County history.

At the bottom of the memorial, a quote from Bill reads, "Execute, play with class and sportsmanship, but when we get them between the pines, they're ours."

Murray County has placed this plaque at the new entrance to the stadium in honor of our father Bill Napier. pic.twitter.com/R5MqhgbjjL
— COACH KURT NAPIER (@NapierKurt) May 23, 2025

During his introductory press conference at Florida, Billy Napier spoke about the impact left behind by his late father.

“My dad died from ALS, right? I think that his ability to handle and manage that with impeccable character. He didn’t flinch,” Napier said. “The impressive thing was that his foundation was his faith, so the example he set for not only me – heck, he inspired a lot of people.”

Napier has been the head coach of the Florida Gators since 2022 and has struggled to find success, compiling a 19-19 record in three seasons.

In a recent spring update to Billy Connelly's SP+ college football rankings on ESPN, he has the Gators slotted at No. 14.

Florida begins their 2025 college football season against Long Island University on Saturday, August 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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