Of Part Honduran Garifuna Heritage, Scholar, WILLIAM BING JR will go to College in New England to continue his American Football and Academic Development
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Copyright 2025 by Teofilo Colon Jr. (a.k.a. “Tio Teo”) for Being Garifuna. All Rights Reserved. Contact Tio Teo.
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Stamford, Connecticut — On Tuesday, April 22nd 2025, surrounded by Family, Friends, Teammates, etc, William Bing Jr, a standout High School American Football Player from Stamford High School in Connecticut, declared his commitment to continue his athletic and academic journey at Springfield College in Massachusetts.
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This decision marks the closing of a chapter of an adventurous odyssey for the Bronx-born High School Athlete of Part Honduran Garifuna Heritage and his Family.
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In March 2025, William Bing Jr made his announcement via an Instagram post. He wrote,
“Blessed to announce my commitment to Springfield College. I’m very excited to continue my academic and athletic career. I also want to say Thank You to Stamford High School Black Knights Football for helping me to reach my dreams to play at the next level. Go Brotherhood. ” — William Bing Jr
The Announcement at Stamford High School in late April 2025 represented a formal signing of a contract detailing his commitment to go to Springfield College.
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William Bing Jr’s decision marks a significant milestone for the young athlete, whose journey from the South Bronx to Stamford, Connecticut and eventually, to Springfield, Massachusetts, mirrors the resilience, power, flexibility and sojourner-ness of both his Afro-American and Honduran Garifuna Heritage.
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Listed as 5 Feet 11 Inches Tall, weighing 255 pounds and wearing Number 55, William Bing Jr played Guard (on the Offensive Line) and Defensive Tackle while at Stamford High School.
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Mr. Bing Jr, was injured and missed many games in the 2024 Football Season, but from what I understand, showed plenty of athletic promise and potential beforehand, hence his recruitment by Springfield College, a top college in Massachusetts.
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I have known the family for years and in fact, photographed William Bing Jr, his mother and sister in front of Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in the Bronx on Palm Sunday in 2013. William Bing Jr was a LOT smaller then. I believe he was five or six years old. You will have to ask his mother to see the photo.
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Sadly, I don’t have access to video of the games William Bing Jr played in, so I can’t give you a scouting report. All I have to go on are various social media posts that his Mother has posted over the years. Social media posts suggest that William Bing Jr has plenty of character to draw from and is an upstanding young man.
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William’s father, William Bing Sr (African-American) is a police officer and William’s mother, Virgen Ramos (American of Honduran Garifuna Heritage–Rio Tinto, Honduras and Triunfo de la Cruz, Honduras), is a Nurse. With that, William Jr has been taught to respect authority and elders.
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Yet, Will Jr maintains the nasty edge required to be an effective player in a collision contact sport like American Football.
In addition to Household chores, William Jr also held down a part time job after school at a local Goodwill. I am told William Jr dutifully fulfilled his various responsibilities.
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He was raised by caring and strong parents, and William Jr appears to both honor and cherish them, a rare quality found in young people nowadays.
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Hopefully, William Jr is appreciative of his parents efforts to raise, support, nourish, and provide him with a firm foundation for which to live his life. He appears to be.
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I do not know how connected William Jr is to his Garifuna Heritage. When I was in High School, I was not connected to my Garifuna Heritage at all.
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I knew I was a Garifuna, am Black with a Spanish name but is not necessarily Latino/Hispanic with a unique Culture and Language, but I couldn’t express it fully at the time.
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All that to say, if William Jr is NOT connected to his Garifuna Heritage…give him time.
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William Jr’s family’s moving from The Bronx to Stamford, Connecticut in search of better job and educational opportunities appears to have been crucial in his development.
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While I imagine the change in environment was initially disruptive, the move has gotten William Jr to where he is now. Where he is about to Graduate from High School and join a American College Football Program that is UNDEFEATED in Conference play in the last Four Seasons (2021-2024), Winner of 5 NEWMAC (New England Women’s and Men’s Athlectic Conference) Conference Championships since 2017 and whose Head Coach is a Four Time NEWMAC Coach of The Year.
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Springfield College American Football Head Coach is Mike Cerasuolo. He is an alumnus of Springfield College, where he played Center (and was a standout Offensive Lineman) for their Football Team from 1989-1992.
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He was Offensive Coordinator for Springfield College from 2001-2015. He has served as the Head Coach for Springfield College since 2016.
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Springfield College is a Division III College and their Football Program has established itself as one of the Premier Rushing Offenses in Division III American Football.
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In this latest 2024 Season, Springfield College’s American Football Program finished with 5,557 Rushing Yards, the most in Division III history and a new program record. Their 583 points scored and 808 rushing attempts were the most EVER in the 134-year history of the Program.
On the Academic Side, Springfield College is ranked high nationally for Kinesiology, Physical Therapy (#40 out of 584), and Sports Management (#98 out of 448) in America.
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Coach Cerasuolo’s Expertise as an Offensive Lineman may prove essential to Will Jr’s athletic development.
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Offensive Lineman’s main responsibility are to protect the Quarterback and push their opponents on the Defensive Line aside for running plays.
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If William Jr is to continue to play on the Offensive Line, Springfield College may be the PERFECT place for him to be. While Linemen tend to be taller, perhaps William Jr will continue to grow in Height.
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Or maybe a workout regimen will increase his power and enable him to be an even bigger force on the Offensive Line.
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Multiple NFL Super Bowl Winning (NY Giants, Kansas City Chiefs) Defensive Coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo is also an Alumni of Springfield College. He was a Wide Receiver for the Springfield College Football Team.
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Being Garifuna extends a Inebesei (“Respect” in the Garifuna Language) and a Salute to William Bing Jr on this recent development and wish him the best in his Athletic and Academic Pursuits.
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It can be tricky identifying Young American High School Athletes of Garifuna Heritage. Like in this instance here, where the High School Athlete has mixed Cultural Heritage, if I didn’t know the family, I wouldn’t know that this High School Athlete is part-Garifuna.
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A Year ago, I was told of a Standout Bronx High School Basketball Player of Part Garifuna Heritage, Elijah “Choppa” Moore, who went on to play for Syracuse University this past Season.
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It took me a few months to actually confirm that Elijah is part Garifuna, through his mother, who I know, but was unable to contact. I actually photographed Elijah Choppa Moore and his mother in 2012 in the Bronx.
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All that to say, if you know of any High School Athletes or Scholars of Garifuna Heritage or Part Garifuna Heritage that deserve to be profiled, please let me know.
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The Basics that I would need are the name of the High School Student, where his family is from, and a short Biography detailing the students accomplishments.
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