Hall of Fame Athletics Director, Willie Washington Passes
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Benedict College family and all of the HBCU family is heartbroken by the passing of Willie Washington, a legendary leader, coach, mentor, and devoted servant whose more than 50 years of service helped shape the history and legacy of Benedict and HBCU athletics. He passed last Monday, August 31.
Washington, 79, a graduate of Tougaloo College with a Masters from Jackson State University, joined Benedict in 1988 as head men’s basketball coach after spending 12 years as head coach at Allen University just across the street in Columbia, S.C.
He later devoted himself fully to leading Benedict’s athletics program as athletics director.
His extraordinary leadership helped usher in the return of Tiger football in 1995, the development of the Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in 2006, and an era of unprecedented athletic success, including 50 SIAC championships and 10 SIAC Commissioner’s Cup trophies.
In recent times, he hired Chennis Berry, who led the Tigers to their first-ever and eventual back-to-back undefeated SIAC football championships in 2022 and 2023 before becoming head coach at South Carolina State. He also hired one of his former players, Fred Watson, as head basketball coach at Benedict, who won five SIAC men’s basketball regular season and tournament championships during a 16-year tenure before becoming head basketball coach and athletics director at Miles College.
Washington’s tenure spanned Benedict’s transition from the NAIA back to NCAA Division II competition in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). He also served on NCAA committees and was named the 1999 NAIA Southeast Region Athletic Director of the Year.
Washington also built a winning record on the basketball court. His Benedict teams never posted a losing season, won nine straight Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and reached the NAIA national tournament four times during the 1990s.
He surpassed 200 career wins during the 1997-98 season.
While his accomplishments on the field and court are remarkable, Coach Washington’s greatest legacy is found in the generations of student-athletes, coaches, colleagues, and alumni he mentored and inspired. He believed deeply in the power of athletics and education to develop character, create opportunities, and prepare young people for lives of purpose.
His contributions were recognized through his induction into the Benedict, Allen, Laurinburg Institute and SIAC Halls of Fame, among numerous other honors. The SIAC’s establishment of the Willie Washington Athletic Director of the Year Award stands as a lasting testament to his impact on collegiate athletics.
The BCSP extends its deepest condolences and prayers to Coach Washington’s wife, children, grandchildren, family, loved ones and all those that he provided opportunities for advancement.
Black college sports has lost another legendary leader, but his legacy will never be lost.
