[2] He is the subject of the 2011 Academy Award-winning documentary, Undefeated,[3] which chronicles his career as a high school football coach in the economically pressured[4] area of Shelby County, Tennessee.
[1] He was also a member of two academic honorary organizations – Psi Chi for Psychology and Sigma Tau Delta for English.
At Ole Miss, Bill received the first annual Chi Omega Service Award for Outstanding Community Involvement.
[1][6] Against The Grain teaches the importance of strong character, grace, and other lessons using 14 principle tenets throughout the book.
[8] Yahoo Sports said that Against The Grain was “a smooth read, fit for a range of readers from high school students needing a kick in the pants to executives needing a bit of direction and focus in their lives.”[9] During publication week, Courtney appeared on several well-known national American morning shows[10] and nationwide radio shows.
[11] Bill Courtney and Against The Grain received an outpouring of support from industry leaders including, Jeanie Buss, John Feinstein, and Sean Combs.
During publication week, Courtney was a part of a live webcast with Seattle Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll for a discussion moderated by Yogi Roth.
This live webcast was the first on-air interview with Pete Carroll since their 2014 Super Bowl win.
[5][7] Courtney is the cofounder of Man Rise, an organization that gives financial support to help five city schools with their football programs.
They were introduced by her Aunt, Susan Heider, a fellow employee at the time of Rosemark Academy.