Longtime local coach Bill Mispley passes away at 60

One of the most important things to any coach is the legacy they leave behind and the impression they leave on their former players. Longtime coach Bill Mispley wore many hats over his coaching careers in the area, coaching the Placer Jr. Hillmen and several sports at Placer and Bear River high schools, and always made a positive impact on his teams. Mispley passed away June 27 in Spokane, Washington, following a battle with cancer. He was 60. "He was tough, but at the same time, he was always joking. He was funny enough, and he was sensitive enough to where he could go to boys or girls," said Lisa Fortier, Mispley's daughter. "He was my first basketball coach in kindergarten. He's not Bobby Knight. He was more current and relevant, and he always wanted to make practice fun because that's going to make them want to be out here, and sports are supposed to be fun." Fortier followed in her father's footsteps as a coach and is now the head women's basketball coach at Gonzaga University in Spokane. Fortier credits her father for instilling his values into her and said she models some of her coaching after his. "I think that's certainly my style of coaching. I believe what he believes in that we're playing sports and sports should be fun," Fortier said. "It's not so serious where you can't do that. I fully believe that you can be successful by being demanding and also being goofy and laughing a lot. Enjoy what you're doing." While Mispley had his start in coaching with basketball, football captivated him. "I think his heart was always with football. He liked all sports, but football was a big deal to him. He loved it," said Jim Gray, the head coach at Bella Vista High School and one of Mispley's longtime colleagues. "He was a father figure type of coach. Kids could come to him and they could talk to him. He could get real serious at times, but he always had this little laugh about him. He was quick-witted." Mispley coached at all levels, but he thrived coaching eighth-graders for the Placer Jr. Hillmen, including his daughter, who put on the pads to play for her dad. Gray credits Mispley's coaching style and his schemes to many of the local high schools' success on the gridiron. "When he started, the Jr. Hillmen program was the only junior program in the whole area. There were no Jr. Falcons or Jr. Bruins, so he was the eighth-grade feeder coach for years for all of those schools," Gray said. "His kids wanted to keep playing football when they were done with Bill as their coach. He just had something about him that made it really fun." "He came in at a time where I had actually experienced a bad coaching year and had considered quitting football," said David Fulty, who played for Mispley from 1992-94. "He brought me back in and re-motivated me and re-energized me in the sport." Fulty said Mispley was his favorite coach and is a huge part of his love for the sport today. He also explained his kids are going through a similar experience today with coaches that are making them want to quit, and noted how he wishes there could be a Bill Mispley in their lives. "As a parent, you want there to be a coach like Bill for your kid," said Fulty. "It's huge to have someone besides your parents, to have someone on the outside who believes in you and encourages you and gives you confidence. It's just tremendous, especially at that age." Mispley not only inspired his returning players but welcomed new players with open arms and taught them to love the game the same way he did. He didn't discriminate or play favorites and treated every player with the same level of respect, no matter their experience or skill level. "My first ever exposure to football was as a Placer Jr. Hillmen, and that was when I was going into eighth grade around 1994 with Bill as my coach," said Kelly Hulcy, who went on to play four years of football in high school. "I don't know that I ever saw him get frustrated. He was always a calm to the storm. He always found the positive in everything, and he's helped everybody come back to that no matter what. He was a great leader." Hulcy said one of his first interactions with Mispley would stick with him. During his first week of football practice, Hulcy bought a pair of tennis shoes for football thinking they would suffice as his footwear for the season. When it became obvious right away they wouldn't work, Mispley saw to it he was properly equipped for the rest of the year. "We didn't have a lot of money and he actually hooked me up with a pair of cleats," Hulcy said. "He brought them to practice after the first week so that I wasn't slipping all over the place. He didn't have to do that, but he was always looking out for his players." Mispley was just as easygoing and influential off the field. Fortier said he could often be found playing basketball with her and her siblings, or playing games with his children and grandchildren. "He was just easy to hang out with. He would be happy to play a game with my kids. A couple of weeks before he passed we were all playing cards. My dad was just an easy person to be around," Fortier said. "I think that that's one thing that I definitely miss. I've told my husband a few times that I just miss hanging out with my dad." "We were always joking with one another. I could give him a bad time or criticize him in a joke and he'd laugh about it but did he come back and get you later," Gray said. "He is the kind of guy you are proud to call your best friend. He made me really enjoy a lot of years in coaching that I won't ever forget." Gray, a board member with the Auburn Recreation District, said there have been discussions about a park bench to honor Mispley for his work with youth in the community. As a coach herself, Fortier touched on what it meant to see the outpouring of support and former players reaching out to share their memories of her father, saying, "As a coach, I love to see the impact that my dad had. He coached for a long time and he coached a lot of sports. It made me proud to be the daughter of someone who made people's life better and made an impact."