Tippecanoe Valley coach can become just fifth to win 700 games
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
AKRON – Bill Patrick admits he wasn’t a great high school basketball player. The 1956 graduate scored a modest 433 career points as the Sidney Wildcats won a total of just 10 games during his junior and senior seasons. Few, however, have been more successful than Bill Patrick the coach. Friday night, when the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings host the Fairfield Falcons at 7:30 p.m. in the Winning Edge Holiday Tournament, Patrick can become just the fifth varsity boys hoops coach in state history to win 700 games. Jack Butcher holds the state record with 806 wins, followed by Howard Sharp (723), Pat Rady (716) and Bill Stearman (714). Of the four coaches that have won more games than Patrick, only Rady is still coaching. Now in his 44th season – 29 in the Whitko School Corporation and 15 at Valley – Patrick has an impressive record of 699-275. In a Hall of Fame career that started at his alma mater in the 1963-64 season, the humble, old-school coach has won an impressive 72 percent of the game he’s coached. For Patrick, though, it’s not about the numbers – rather the chance to use sports as a way to make a difference in kids’ lives. “I like sports, and I like working with kids,” said Patrick, whose current Valley team is 6-1 and on a six-game win streak. “I wanted to make a difference in kids’ lives, using discipline and teamwork and hard work. Sports are competitive, and it’s one of the few things today where you have to work hard and have discipline.” While the times have changed, Patrick, who also won 310 games as a varsity baseball coach, hasn’t. He still requires his players to keep their hair cut short. His players wear dress shirts, ties and suit coats while sitting in the stands during the JV games. To this day, Patrick’s teams still do a drill in practice where a 2x4 board sits 24 inches off the floor and players are required to jump back and forth over it for a minute. Some may believe Patrick’s ways are out-dated. But he’s proven they work. “With the way society is, it’s getting tougher to get kids to work,” said Patrick. “I’m hard to play for. You have to work hard, and you have to be disciplined. I think it’s good for kids to have some discipline.” The three coaches that Patrick admires most – John Wooden, Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski – are cut from the same cloth. “I’m a fan of Johnny Wooden, Bobby Knight and Mike Krzyzewski,” said Patrick, who said he’s been fortunate to shake hands with all three of them. “Johnny Wooden is probably the best coach ever, at any level. And Bobby Knight and Coach K do things the right way. I don’t like Coach Knight’s language, but as far as his players graduating and the way he was there for them, he did things the right way. And Coach K is just a great person. He really understands people and how to get it out of his players.” Patrick coached his first varsity game on Nov. 1, 1963, and the end result was an 83-61 win over the Leesburg Blue Blazers. Patrick said he remembers two things vividly about the game. “Well, we won, and my wife Nancy, was crying,” said Patrick. Not much has changed, well, maybe Nancy isn’t as emotional these days. But Patrick’s teams are still winning, and his family is still very much by his side. Chad Patrick, Bill’s youngest son, is an assistant coach at Valley, and behind the team’s bench you’ll find Nancy, Chad’s wife Cori and some of Patrick’s grandchildren. Patrick’s oldest son, Brett, is a highly-respected IHSAA official. To say the least, basketball is in the Patricks’ DNA. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and Nancy has supported me,” said Patrick. “She still washes the game uniforms at home after every game. I’ve been fortunate that my family has supported me, and I’ve coached in two communities that supported me, both in the Whitko corporation and at Valley. When I started, I didn’t set out to win 700 games or coach a certain number of years. I wanted to do something I enjoyed, and I still enjoy it.”
