Born and raised in Trenton, Bill was involved in sports his whole life. There was no ‘Little League” in the “old days,” so he and the neighborhood kids spent hours at Hetzel Field playing their own version of baseball. From age 10 to 16, he played in Hetzel’s “Playground League” and on the Lithuanian Soccer (State Champs) and Baseball (AllCity Champs) teams. Starting at age 17, Bill played soccer for the Kearny Scots and continued with the American Soccer League (later the Newark Portuguese), and the Kearny Irish.
Bill played several sports on teams sponsored by the New Brunswick Hungarians and the Olden Bar. In 1947, he launched his dream of playing professional baseball with the semi-pro team, “NY Giants”. From 1950 to 1960, he played baseball for Fred Scully, winning a total of five batting titles.
After Bill’s “playing days” were over, he stepped onto the fields as coach, manager, umpire and referee. He was one of St. Anthony High School’s first coaches in boys’ soccer and baseball. Bill also managed the Trenton Statesman professional men’s softball team and the Royal Ladies softball team. He spent over a decade at Mercer County Community College as a very successful head coach for the girls’ soccer and softball teams. He was also an instructor for MCCC summer athletic camps.
Bill’s special accomplishments over the years include inductions into the Kearny Soccer Hall Fame, Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame, USSSA Hall of Fame. He also earned JUCO Coach of the Year (Soccer). He was affiliated with several officiating organizations and was instrumental in their success - he was also one of the oldest members of the CJSRA (50 years). Bill spent several decades with the USSSA and ASA.
Bill was an avid Trenton Thunder fan and “coached” from his seat in the front row along the visitor’s dugout. He was also a long-time Phillies fan and enjoyed spending spring training with his family in Florida each year. After retiring, Bill kept active in sports by teaching his grandsons “the mechanics” of baseball; he then enjoyed watching them play at the high school, legion and college levels from his quad chair in the outfield, or in his car pulled up onto the nearby grass. He especially enjoyed watching his great-grandson participated in the sports he loved best.
Bill passed on March 5, 2013, just one day after his 85th birthday. He has undoubtedly left his mark in the athletic arena as a player, referee, mentor, and coach. Bill “Drakie” is truly missed.
