Texas Wrestling Coach Resigns, Faces Allegations from Former Athletes, Attorney Says

A Houston-based lawyer posted allegations of grooming against former Texas high school wrestling coach William “Billy” Durning.

He was no longer employed at The Woodlands High School, as of May 6, according to various media reports.

Attorney Says Multiple Women Came Forward

Tony Buzbee announced he is representing 10 young women who allege grooming, harassment and sexual exploitation of Durning, who spent only one year as the head coach of The Woodlands, this past 2025-26 season.

He coached a state champion this year in his only season with the Highlanders.

Longtime Presence in Texas Wrestling

Durning has been involved in high school wrestling and USA Wrestling in the Houston area for some time. He has coached at Katy ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Bellaire High School in Houston ISD and St. Thomas Catholic High School in Houston. The Texas Scorecard shows that Durning has been certified to teach since August 2007.

Buzbee said in a video that if anyone has additional information about Coach Durning, to contact his office.

Buzbee’s social media post said that his office has collected hundreds of videos of young women that Durning coached. He said

According to reports, Conroe ISD and Cy-Fair ISD are both looking into the allegations. Buzbee confirmed the Conroe ISD investigation.

Buzbee’s posts show two letters alleging misconduct against Durning, who had been named Texas High School Wrestling Coaches Association and UIL assistant coach of the year multiple times.

He was the girls assistant coach of the year in 2018 and the boys assistant coach of the year in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

He also did a number of camps around the area, as shown in this post from last summer.

Allegations Detailed in Public Statements

One former athlete alleged she took lessons from Durning because “he had a strong reputation in the wrestling community,” but felt violated after being invited to his house for private practice.

This victim, who wrestled at Cy-Fair ISD, said that he took her into his bathroom and told her she needed to cut weight. He turned on the shower and told her to undress, which she did, down to her undergarments.

He allegedly then swiped a credit card across her body to remove wet to help her ‘cut weight’ before telling her, “It’s so hard for me to wait until you turn 18.”

This victim reported it to her coach, but said the police were never informed of what Durning did

Another victim says she was a student of his at Cy-Ranch High School. She alleged Durning communicated with her through Facebook before asking her to download another app to send photos and Durning said he was counting down the days until she turned 18.

This additional victim also went to Durning's house for lessons.

Buzbee, on another social media post, said grooming is a predatory practice— a deliberate, manipulative process where a coach (or other authority figure like a teacher/trainer) exploits their position of power and trust to build a relationship with an athlete (often a minor or young adult) in order to sexually exploit or abuse them.

On am X post, Buzbee posted screenshots that he described as text messages from Durning to his former wrestlers, requesting daily workout videos, telling one “you are built like a brick s** house and how he is Dom in the BDSM lifestyle.

Investigations Continue

Buzbee said his firm is launching an investigation into Durning, USA Wrestling and the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which investigates abuse allegations in Olympic and affiliated sports.

Program Moves Forward

The district has already replaced him at the helm, hiring AJ Lyczkowski as the head coach. The District announced that move on May 14.

He was an assistant last year and was a former wrestler at Division I Tennessee-Chattanooga. He’s coached at Olney High School in Philadelphia before coming to the Houston suburb.

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