The San Diego Chargers of the AFL selected Billingsley as the 14th pick of the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft, the first year that the two leagues held a common draft after their merger agreement. He played for the Chargers for four seasons as a defensive starter. After the 1970 season, he was traded to the Houston Oilers. After another complete season as a starter at Houston, Billingsley experienced problems with an injury and only played in four games during the 1972 season. After 1972, he and Kent Nix were traded to the New Orleans Saints for Dave Parks, Tom Stincic, and Edd Hargett.[2] However, because of the continued problems with his injury, he never played a game with the Saints and retired in 1973. During his NFL career, the 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Billingsley was known for being one of the tallest players in the league.
In the news
On June 15, 2007, Billingsley rescued two fellow residents of his apartment complex in Glencoe, Alabama after one of the units caught fire.[3]
Death
Billingsley died at age 71 in Gadsden in 2017 and was buried at its Crestwood Cemetery.