Former ACU?director of athletics Wally Bullington re-joined ACU athletics in September 2001 as director of athletics emeritus, and then became the director of athletics in March 2002 when Stan Lambert announced his resignation.

He serves the athletics program in a fund-raising capacity.

Bullington, elected to the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor in 1999, served ACU for 39 years as a football player, assistant football coach, head football coach and athletics director before he retired from the university’s athletics staff in 1988.

After graduating from Athens, Ala., High School in 1949, Bullington came to Abilene to play. He was a four-year letterman at then Abilene Christian College, helping to lead the Wildcats to the only undefeated, untied season (11-0 in 1950) in school history. He was named all-Texas Conference in 1950, 1951 and 1952, and received first team all-America honors at center in 1952.

While Bullington was an assistant coach at Abilene High School, the Eagles won three state championships in football. When he took over the helm at Abilene High, he led his team to an outstanding record of 40-19-1 in six years (1960-65).

And in nine years as the head football coach at Abilene Christian (1968-76), his teams had a 62-32-2 record.

Four of his nine teams were nationally ranked, he coached ACU to its first NAIA Division I national championship, and coached six first team all-America players, including eventual all-pro running back Wilbert Montgomery.

In 1969, Bullington became the school’s athletics director and presided over the Wildcats’ transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. While Bullington was the athletics director, ACU won 17 national titles, including another football championship in 1977, and 41 Lone Star Conference titles.

The former Wildcat was inducted to the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 for his service to the university and its athletics program.

Bullington also has served as program coordinator for Herald of Truth, an elder for Highland Church of Christ in Abilene and a member of the board for the Abilene Independent School District.