In the Beginning. . .
Billy Chiles was born in the little town of Terrell, Texas, December 15, 1939. He became a housepainter like his father. After he entered the service, he took up boxing, he said, so he would have some extra perks.
He was a veteran of the Viet Nam war. During his lifetime, he tried many different things, many in the arts, such as leathercraft, jewelry design, and beadwork. He even tried his hand at raising birds.

His Shuffleboard Career Began. . .
Billy Chiles used to hang around with his older brother Jerry and his friends. Earl Lukins remembers that at that time, the bars in San Bernardino had only shuffleboards, while he preferred pool tables. Most of the guys had probably learned shuffleboard from a guy named Swifty at the Knothole.

Earl says he spent two weeks playing with Billy, practicing, before they played against Al Meade and Tommy Workman. They didn't win, but it was close and Bill delighted in the thrill of it. From then on, he would always play shuffleboard and loved traveling to do it.

At the time I met Bill, he was headed for a tournament. It was December of '67. Not long after, I also met Gerald Gregory, one of Billy's closest friends at that time. The word was out, no one wanted to play
board against Gerald because he was such a good player. >>> Booklet