B.J. Payne Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame
B.J. Payne was a 2-year varsity starter for Massillon in 1992 and ‘93, excelling as a defensive lineman.
As a junior, under first-year head coach Jack Rose, the team went 5-5 against a very formidable schedule, including Cincinnati Moeller and Indianapolis North Central. In fact, seven of the ten opponents finished with seven wins or more. But the Tigers did manage to defeat 8-2 Alliance, 7-2 Walsh Jesuit and 9-1 Bloomington South, Illinois.
His senior year, as co-captain, went much better with a 10-2 record, outscoring the opposition by an average of 42-11. Along the way they bested 8-2 Akron Garfield, 7-3 Austintown Fitch and 8-2 Mansfield Senior, once in the regular season and then again in the playoffs, before falling to Walsh Jesuit 30-20 in the second round of the Division I playoffs.
Following the season, Payne was named 1st Team All-Ohio. In addition, he played in the Ohio North-South All-Star Game and the Big 33 All-Star Game, the latter of which pits the best of Ohio against the best of Pennsylvania.
From 1995 through 1998 Payne suited up on the defensive line for Mount Union College. During that time the Raiders compiled an unprecedented 54-1 record and captured three Division 3 national championships.
Then he spent a couple of years participating in World Wrestling Entertainment, before trying his hand at high school coaching.
The first stop was Lexington, Ohio, where coached from 2006 to 2011, compiling a record of 37-26.
In 2012 he left Lexington and assumed the head coaching position of Hilton Head Island and has been there as of this writing through fourteen seasons. During that time Payne compiled a record of 83-65. His best seasons were:
- 2015: 10-2 record; South Carolina Class AAAA Coach of the Year; Carolina Panthers Coach of the Year; finalist for National High School Coach of the Year
- 2024: 9-3 record
- 2025: 11-2 record; lost in Round 3 of the five round state playoffs; South Carolina Class AAAA Coach of the Year
Congratulations to B.J. Payne.
