William James "Bill" Archer graduated from Huntington High School in 1966 as the school's first state wrestling champion. He received his BA from Marshall University in 1971, MA in counseling in 1978, and MA in administration in 1982.
Archer has dedicated his life to working with students in Cabell County, retiring as assistant principal in charge of athletics at Huntington High School. During his 35 years as the head wrestling coach at Huntington High School, Archer coached 26 individual state wrestling champions, four individual national champions, one Olympian and 25 regional wrestling team champions. He had a career record of 486 wins and 83 defeats. Archer's work in wrestling has brought the WSAZ Wrestling Tournament and West Virginia state tournament to Huntington for the past 23 years.
As one of the most respected coaches in the nation, Archer has received recognition as West Virginia State Coach of the Year (3 times), West Virginia Regional Coach of the Year (10 times), District 2 Coach of the Year (4 times), USA Wrestling Magazine's State Man of the Year (3 times), Big Green Athletic Award 2005, 2006 Lowell Cade Citizen Award, Elks Coach of the Year (2 times), and National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1998. He also has been inducted into the Huntington High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame.
