Willie Diamond, a native of Dunoon, Scotland, is best remembered for playing during the greatest era of soccer to date at Barton College and for being the first Bulldog named NAIA All-American in the sport.

Under the direction of head coaches’ Dave Adkins and Mike Smith from 1978-81, Diamond and his teammates captured successive NAIA District 26 championships in ’79, ’80 and ’81 and Carolinas Conference titles in ’78 and ’81. Playing a rigorous schedule that featured a handful of NCAA Division I opponents, the Bulldogs posted a phenomenal 15-6 record in 1981, winning both the Carolinas Conference and District 26 titles.

The talented Diamond, who played alongside 1995 Hall of Fame inductee Sharhibil Humieda and former head coach and current director of athletics Gary Hall, was named second-team All-American after scoring 16 goals and recorded 10 assists as a freshman in 1978, when he was the leading scorer in the conference and district. He also was an honorable mention All-American, named All-South, All-District 26 and All-CIAC during his tenure at Barton, where he remains one of the school’s all-time leading scorers with 55 goals and 40 assists.

Diamond moved to the United States in 1976. His impact was immediate, evidenced by the selection as Most Valuable Player at First Colonial High School in Virginia. After a great career for the Bulldogs, he excelled at the club level, winning two state championships, and has been instrumental in teaching youths the finer points of soccer as a coach at all levels.

Diamond and four others started the American Youth Soccer Association (AYSO) program in Wilson.

He worked as a technical specialist for Nal-Tex, a division of Nalco Chemical Corporation based out of Chicago, Ill., but still spends hours a day on local soccer fields parlaying the knowledge to local youths as a coach.

He and his wife, Valerie, make their home in Wilson. They have three children: Spencer, Ian, and Emily.