Billings plays role in Wake Forest's march to Orange Bowl

~ The ex-Redhawks coach has been rejuvinated by the best season in the 105-year history of Wake Forest football.

It's safe to say that Tim Billings landed on his feet well after resigning as Southeast Missouri State's head football coach in November 2005.

Without a job at the time, Billings ultimately was hired as an assistant at Wake Forest, which usually is mired toward the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

Not this year, however.

The Demon Deacons have been one of the biggest surprises of the major college football season, winning their first ACC title in 36 years and qualifying for the Orange Bowl, marking their biggest bowl game in school history.

"God has really blessed me," Billings said in a recent telephone interview from Winston-Salem, N.C., where Wake Forest is located.

The Demon Deacons, coming off a 4-7 season that included a 3-5 ACC record, were picked to finish last in the conference's Atlantic Division this year. Wake Forest was picked next-to-last overall in the league, ahead of only lowly Duke.

And, to apparently make matters worse, the Demon Deacons lost their starting quarterback to a season-ending injury in the first game, then lost their starting tailback to a season-ending injury in the third game.

But that did little to slow down the squad, which won a school-record 11 games against just two losses heading into the Jan. 2 Orange Bowl game against Louisville.

"It's been exciting. It's really a special year for this place," said Billings, 49, who coaches the wide receivers on Jim Grobe's staff at Wake. "A lot of places expect to win every year. We're basically making history is what it is.

"And with those guys going down with injuries early in the year, it's made it all the more special."

Billings said he often marvels at how things worked out for him after he resigned from his position at Southeast, where he coached for six years and led the team to an 8-4 record in 2002 that marks the program's best season since 1969.

But Southeast struggled in Billings' final two years, going 3-8 in 2004 and 2-9 in 2005. His overall record at Southeast was 25-43.

"I was tired and worn out. I needed a change," Billings said. "But it turned out to be a blessing."

With a few unusual twists.

After leaving Southeast, Billings was initially offered an assistant coaching position at East Carolina.

"It's kind of a neat story how it all worked out," Billings said. "After East Carolina offered me the job, I said let me go home and think about it.

"When I was in the airport on my way home, coach Grobe called and offered me the job. It was a bigger program and more money, so I decided to take it."

Grobe is Wake Forest's sixth-year head coach. Billings believes he was attractive to Grobe for a few reasons.

"Coach Grobe was the head coach at Ohio University when I was the defensive coordinator at Marshall. We played them in the MAC [Mid-American Conference] championship game. They led the nation in rushing and we just shut them down," Billings said.

"Plus, [Wake Forest linebackers coach] Brad Lambert and I coached together at Marshall, and I'm good friends with [defensive coordinator] Dean Hood. I think those two guys really got in coach Grobe's ears about me."

Billings admits that he never envisioned his first season at Wake Forest resulting in the Demon Deacons being among the nation's premier teams and earning a spot in the Bowl Championship Series.

"I took this job for a lot of reasons," he said. "I've always loved North Carolina, coach Grobe is a great man to work for, and the university intrigued me."

Added a laughing Billings, "And, when you don't have a job. ..."

Billings said he has mostly fond memories of his time in Cape Girardeau, which had been like a second home to him even before he took the Southeast coaching job following a 10-year run as an assistant at Marshall.

Billings' late first wife was from Cape Girardeau and her family still lived there. In addition, his current wife is from Jackson, where her family still resides.

"I have no hard feelings. I still love Cape. I made so many great friends there, and some of them are coming to the Orange Bowl," Billings said. "My kids' grandma lives in Cape and my wife's family lives in Jackson, so it's a second home."

Billings, who has a son and a daughter, hasn't had the chance to visit recently -- not that he's complaining.

"I planned on coming home for Christmas for a few days, but we're too busy now getting ready for the Orange Bowl," he said. "Hopefully I'll be able to get back there in the spring."

As for his future career plans, Billings did not rule out trying his hand at being a head coach again. But right now he's not thinking about that.

"We had some very successful years at Southeast, then things turned south," Billings said. "I learned a lot of things that would help me in the future if I do become a head coach again.

"But I don't have any thoughts about that right now. I'm just really enjoying what's going on here and looking forward to the Orange Bowl."

Added Billings: "I got into a great situation and my family loves it here. It's a beautiful place. Like I said, God blessed me."