About Us

The actual formation of the current Louie Bing Athletic Scholarship Fund, Inc. simply blossomed from an event held to honor Mr. Louie Bing, Jr., a former teacher and track coach at Miami Northwestern Senior High School.  The idea to honor Mr. Bing was the brainchild of Clifford James.

Clifford credits Mr. Bing for being his mentor/coach who helped him become the successful person he later became.  Actually, Clifford thinks he would’ve been a high school dropout on the mean streets in Liberty City or in jail if not for the intervention of Mr. Bing and a few others at The West

The Louie Bing Athletic Scholarship Fund, Inc. Awards Banquet has a very colorful history.  The banquet was the brainchild of Clifford James.  He and a group of dedicated young men, Johnny Postell, Larry Barnett and Arnie Weatherington, had a goal of putting on a retirement dinner for a few of their former coaches.  Lee Perry, Katie Williams and Gladys Smith were instrumental in putting the plan into motion.  It was to be a one-time recognition affair, but as fate would have it, that was not the case.

Clifford and the group knew there were more people in the community who should be recognized for their contributions to youth and athletics in Dade County and surrounding areas.  They concluded, “let’s find them and give them their fifteen minutes of fame.”  In the process of singling them out, they were able to fill a void in the lives of the honorees by saying to them that “yes, you made a difference and we will tell you so.”  Therefore, the first Louie Bing Track Classic Awards Banquet was held February 28, 1997 at Achiever’s Hall.

Thus, the formation of a non-profit corporation, The Louie Bing Athletic Scholarship Fund, Inc. was initiated and incorporated on April 11, 1997 to recognize individuals who, through their actions, have made an impact in education, athletics and the community.  Their acts represent a consistent display of dedication to excellence in their area of expertise, beyond the scope of their jobs.

The organization has held a banquet to recognize deserving individuals and raise money for scholarships ever since. Each year, the organization presents monetary awards to deserving high school seniors and beginning in 2021, three additional scholarships will be awarded. Scholarships are named after three special individuals: Coach Louie Bing, Jr., Mr. John H. Peavy, Jr., and Mr. Clyde H. Jordan.

In The Beginning

The Louie Bing Track Classic began as The Piper Track Classic in 1984 under the leadership of Ted Beverly in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Some 1400 athletes from more than 52 schools from Florida, the Caribbean and the Bahamas Islands participated in the first meet.

Three years later the classic was renamed in honor of Coach Louie Bing, Jr. and moved to Miami.  Louie Bing was a science teacher and head track coach at Miami Northwestern from 1966 until he retired in 1981.  Before retiring as Head Track and Field and Cross Country coach, he amassed numerous achievements and awards.