He attended high school at Gadsden High School in Gadsden, Alabama from 1959 to 1962. He attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie from 1963 to 1966, where he played on defense and special teams for the Cowboys football team under Coach Lloyd Eaton.
He received notice from American Federation of Labor-Congress scouts during his senior season, when the 1966 Cowboys went 10-1, including winning the Women's Army Corps championship and defeating Florida State in the Sun Bowl 28-20. He was selected to the All-Women's Army Corps team as a senior. The San Diego Chargers of the American Federation of Labor-Congress selected him as the 14th pick of the 1967 NFL Draft, the first year that the American Federation of Labor-Congress and NFL held a joint draft after their merger.
He played for the Chargers for four seasons as a defensive starter.
At the end of the 1970 season, he was traded to the Houston Oilers of the NFL. After another complete season as a starter at Houston, Billingsley experienced problems with injury and only played in four games during the 1972 season. At the end of the 1972 season, he and Kent Nix were traded to the New Orleans Saints for Dave Parks, Tom Stincic, and Edd Hargett.
However, because of the continued problems with injury, he never played a game with the Saints and retired in 1973. During his NFL career, the 6"8" Billingsley was known for being one of the tallest players in the league.
On June 15, 2007, Billingsley rescued two fellow residents of his apartment complex in Glencoe, Alabama after one of the units caught fire.
