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FEATURES (This article, reprinted with permission, featuring Bill Hoyer, class of 1961, appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on May 18, 2004) 06/07/04 LOU BERLINER AWARD
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JEFF HINCKLEY | DISPATCH |
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Bill Hoyer is retiring after spending 37 years helping athletes gain a sense of accomplishment. |
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As Bill Hoyer walks the halls of Bexley High School, his love of sports — all sports — is evident.
First, he grills a freshman baseball player about an opponent that afternoon.
‘‘They beat you the first time around, didn’t they?" Hoyer says. ‘‘That ought to give you guys a little extra incentive this time."
Then he offers encouraging words to a distance runner on his way to track practice.
‘‘This kid just broke 11 minutes in the 3,200 (meters) for the first time two weeks ago," Hoyer explained, ‘‘and he just ran 10:20 the other day. That’s a remarkable improvement."
Hoyer would know.
A man of all seasons, the 61-year-old Hoyer coached basketball, track, cross country and football during a diverse career spanning 37 years — all at Bexley. He coached boys and girls from the middle-school level through varsity and was successful at every stop.
Hoyer, who in February announced his retirement from coaching, was presented the Lou Berliner Memorial Award for his longtime and significant contributions to high-school athletics last night during the Dispatch scholar-athlete banquet in the Aladdin Shrine Temple.
A native of Bexley, Hoyer was groomed to inherit his family’s insurance agency. But in the back of his mind, he always knew he wanted to teach and coach. After graduating from Florida Southern in 1967, he was hired by Bexley as a middle-school physical education, health and science teacher. He immediately became a football, basketball and track coach.
‘‘At that time, they expected phys ed teachers to double up as coaches and that was fine with me," Hoyer said. ‘‘It didn’t really matter to me which sports I coached or what level it was. I just enjoyed working with the young people."
Hoyer’s success at the middle-school level led to high-school positions.
After spending 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator in football, he stepped down in 1981 to become head boys and girls cross country coach for 11 seasons. During that span, Bexley qualified seven teams for the state championships.
In the winter, he made his mark on the basketball floor. After a 13-year stint as a boys assistant, he became girls coach, compiling a 220-72 record in 13 seasons. He became boys coach in 1997, going 110-46 in seven seasons. All told, his boys and girls teams won 15 league championships and four district titles.
‘‘That was a really hard decision to make because I had gotten pretty attached to the girls in those 13 years," Hoyer said.
‘‘To tell you the truth, it was my two sons who convinced me to go for the boys job. Obviously, that program has a long and storied tradition and is a staple of our community. They thought I owed it to myself to try for it."
Hoyer said coaching his sons Bill, 36, and Scott, 35, as JV basketball players was a shining moment of his career.
‘‘A lot of coaches today get out of it because the grind takes such a toll on the family," he said. ‘‘It didn’t bother me as much because I was able to spend so much time in the gym with my sons. They were ballboys, then players."
During the spring, Hoyer coached track for 18 years, the final seven at the high-school level and four as boys head coach. He helped coach a 3,200-meter relay team to a state championship.
Although he won plenty as a coach, those wins were merely byproducts of a simpler grand scheme.
‘‘Coaching is merely an extension of the classroom," he said. ‘‘I’m not really about wins and losses. My biggest goal is to make kids feel good about themselves through hard work. This is a community where the kids and parents truly appreciate the hard work teachers and coaches put in, and that’s a big reason Bexley has been able to achieve so much academically and athletically."
Senior basketball forward Brian Levine said in spite of the generation gap, Hoyer held the respect of his players.
‘‘Even though he can be oldschool at times, I’d call him a player’s coach," Levine said.
‘‘He always tried very hard to create a family atmosphere. When we’d go away to summer camps, he’d always plan these big barbeques and picnics. He always seemed to have just as a good a time as we did throwing the frisbee around and that kind of stuff."
Retired Bexley boys basketball coach and athletics director Gene Millard said Hoyer built a distinctive bond and trust with his athletes.
‘‘In basketball, he always believed in playing everyone so they could feel like an equally important part of the team," Millard said. ‘‘He always related well with the kids and in turn they gave him their respect. I think that is a big reason why he always was able to get the best out of his kids."
Newly appointed Bexley coach Dave Gustin, who coached against Hoyer and with him, called his predecessor even-keeled and always prepared.
‘‘His demeanor is something I can learn from," Gustin said. ‘‘He never gets too high or too low, and that’s how he’s survived in this business so long.
‘‘He knows the game as well as anyone in the area. He keeps a detailed book charting every team’s field goals, free throws and three-pointers. And his ability to map out a tournament draw is uncanny. He’s almost right on with his picks every year."
Hoyer, who retired as a teacher in 2003, returned to the district as a teaching assistant. He works primarily with special needs students.
‘‘I’m going out with absolutely no regrets about anything," he said. ‘‘My biggest joy is watching the kids I worked with accomplish things, and that will continue to happen for years to come."