Pine Bluff High Head Football Coach Temporarily Removed Amid Academic Integrity Investigation
Pine Bluff High School Head Football Coach Michael Williams has been temporarily removed from his leadership duties, according to an announcement made Tuesday, October 8, by the Pine Bluff School District.
In a statement, Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Barbaree said the district “cannot comment on specific personnel matters,” but confirmed that the situation involves issues related to academic integrity.
“The District is aware of concerns related to these issues and is actively investigating the matter in coordination with appropriate agencies,” Barbaree said.
No final decision has been made regarding the football program’s long-term leadership, the district noted. In the meantime, Coach Tyrone Jones has been appointed interim head coach.
Williams, a Pine Bluff native, began his coaching journey in 2005 when he returned home to care for his grandmother and volunteered with local football programs. After moving back to Texas, he resumed volunteer coaching in 2009 but initially chose to pursue a career as a chemist due to limited pay opportunities in entry-level coaching positions.
By 2012, however, Williams realized his passion was on the football field. While in Dallas, he became certified to teach in 2013 and joined the staff at W.T. White High School, where he served as offensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and interim head coach until 2017.
He later joined the coaching staff at Texas powerhouse Duncanville High School, helping lead the Panthers to back-to-back Class 6A Division I state championship appearances in 2018 and 2019. The 2018 title game gained national attention when Duncanville lost in heartbreaking fashion — 41-36 — on a last-second Hail Mary by North Shore.
After the COVID-impacted 2020 season, Williams made a family-based decision to move to Wylie East High School, where he served as offensive coordinator for the 2021 season.
Williams eventually returned home to Pine Bluff to lead one of the most storied football programs in Arkansas history. The Pine Bluff Zebras rank as the state’s second-winningest football program, claiming 23 state championships and two national titles (1925 and 1939). The 1925 squad still holds the national record for rushing yards in a season (8,081), according to the National Federation of High School Associations.
The Zebras are currently 1-4 (1-1 5A South) in the 2025 season. Williams holds a 16-13 record as head coach of the program.
Pine Bluff School District officials said further information regarding the investigation will be shared when it becomes available.
