From Unity to St. Joseph-Ogden, Billman builds legacy
By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Bill Billman is well aware of the irony of the situation he found himself in earlier in the high school football season.
He was on the football sidelines at his alma mater on a night when the opposing team was the school where he has been employed as a teacher for the past 31 years.
Billman was inducted into the Unity High School Hall of Fame as part of the festivities at a game against St. Joseph-Ogden.
“I am a SJO Spartan now, but my heart and soul will always belong to the Unity High School Rockets,” Billman said. “I was able to celebrate with my Class of ‘80 friends from Unity and my co-workers from SJO at the same time.
“I wore an old Unity football jersey the Thursday before the game and all of the students were questioning why I was wearing the jersey.”
Even though he participated in three sports at Unity – and was the state runner-up in wrestling as a 119-pound senior in 1980 – Billman wasn’t expecting the honor.
“I never thought I would be a Hall of Fame candidate,” said Billman, who also played football and ran track while at Unity.
His Hall of Fame credentials included one feat that makes him unique.
Billman was part of the state wrestling tournament in all three ways that were possible: as an athlete, as a coach and as an official.
“Wrestling and coaching at the state championships was a little different, but still the excitement and nervousness of being there was about the same,” Billman said. “It is just a great privilege to represent the best officials in the state and watch some great officiating and awesome wrestling each year at the state finals.”
When Billman arrived at Unity High School as a student, he considered participating in the other winter sport that is offered.
“I thought about playing basketball because I was quick and fast but I just wasn’t tall enough, so my brothers and Coach (Joe) Summerville talked me into wrestling,” Billman said.
Though he was not a product of a youth program in the sport, he wasn’t a total novice at wrestling.
“I grew up with six brothers of which all wrestled at Unity High School under Coach Summerville,” Bill Billman said.
He took to the sport quickly.
“I liked wrestling because of the one-on-one competition where it was you against someone else,” Billman said. “My first wrestling experience on the mat was my freshman year in high school.”
The lack of experience wasn’t a hindrance.
Billman made the varsity lineup as a freshman at 105 pounds and was eventually chosen as the team’s most improved wrestler.
He would bookend that recognition as a senior with awards as the program’s most valuable wrestler and as the school’s Senior Athlete of the Year.
In sports, Billman absorbed lessons that followed him into adulthood.
“I learned a great deal about self-discipline, honor, strength, integrity, hard work and what it took to be successful in any life situation,” Billman said.
As a senior, Billman missed out on more than a state championship.
“My dad promised me a new car if I won the state championship but I fell one match short,” Billman recalled. “I think he was kind of nervous before that match, but unfortunately my championship match was against a two-time state champion.”
The person who defeated Billman in the 1980 finals went on to make history a year later. Mark Ruettiger, from New Lenox Providence, became Illinois’ first four-time individual state champion in 1981.
“I said to myself if I am going to get beat, I hope it will be by the best and it sure was,” Billman added.
Raised on a farm, Billman delayed attending college for a year after graduating from Unity.
“I worked at a grain elevator,” he said.
As he looked ahead, Billman saw himself as a teacher and a wrestling coach.
“I became a teacher mostly because of my real desire to coach at a local high school and give back to the sport that taught me so much about life,” Billman said.
“I decided to enroll in Ag Education because I was from a farm and knew a great deal about raising livestock and growing crops.”
He entered Illinois State University in the fall of 1981 and joined the wrestling program as a walk-on.
“I wrestled a few varsity matches and did well, but not enough to receive any scholarship, so I decided not to participate my senior year, and focus more on my studies,” Billman said. “Wrestling in college was so much different than high school and I had learned so much, I was eager to show others my wrestling skills.”
He had met qualifications to become a wrestling official by the time he graduated from ISU in 1986, but he mostly just worked club tournaments at the outset.
Billman’s coaching career began at Unity. He worked with football as a volunteer and baseball as the head coach for one year. In 1988, he started a four-year stint as the Rockets’ head coach in wrestling, replacing the legendary Summerville.
“Mr. Summerville was the only head wrestling coach the school ever had,” Billman recalled. “He gave me the opportunity to follow his path.
“I knew what it took to be successful and that is how I coached my athletes in wrestling. You work hard and it will show in the end. Mr. Summerville encouraged me to work hard in high school and encouraged me to wrestle in college.
“Using that experience in college wrestling, I coached and trained the athletes to be the best that they can be. Unity High School gave me the opportunity to coach multiple sports, but wrestling was my true love. If they could have had an agricultural program back then, I might have been still teaching agriculture at Unity High School.”
Instead, for the first four years, Billman was on the faculty at SJ-O and coaching at his high school alma mater.
Under his tutelage, Unity qualified teams for the state wrestling dual meet tournaments for the only two times in school history, including a runner-up finish in 1989.
His accomplishments as Unity’s head wrestling coach also included directing 14 Rockets to state tournament berths. Three of his wrestlers became state champions, two were state runners-up and two others placed third.
His last three Unity teams (from 1989-91) captured conference, regional and sectional crowns. Overall, his Unity teams won 60 of 91 dual meets.
“I taught at SJO and coached at Unity which was very difficult to do,” he said. “I would hear it from both sides whenever we played Unity in football and wrestling.
“It wasn’t easy to teach and coach at schools that were rivals in sports. After four years as head wrestling coach at Unity, the position to be head wrestling coach at SJ-O was open, so I had to jump at the chance to coach there.
“It was a hard decision, but easier for me and my family to be at one school.”
By the mid-1990s, when he and his wife, Kathy, started a family, Billman was ready to return to a different aspect of the sport. He stepped aside as the Spartans’ coach after seven seasons.
“I decided to get out of the coaching ranks and start my new career in officiating,” Billman said. “With the help of veterans Ray Cummings, Andy Warner and Bob Jones, I was able to watch and learn from the best as all three were state officials.
“I wanted to follow in their footsteps and became a state official as well.”
In 22 years as a high school official, BIllman has now worked as an official at 17 regional tournaments, 10 sectional tournaments and six wrestling state tournaments.
He credited his time at Unity for setting the foundation for his career.
“As a teacher and coach, I have always been a motivator and encourager with my students and athletes,” he said. “Having been a Unity athlete and coach has given me the leadership skills necessary to inspire others to do the best job they can in whatever they decide to do.”
Billman plans to retire from teaching in three years, but won’t walk away from his duties as a wrestling official that soon.
“I will continue to officiate until my wife and I decide to move to a warmer climate,” he said.
| By FRED KRONER
Bill Billman is well aware of the irony of the situation he found himself in earlier in the high school football season. He was on the football sidelines at his alma mater on a night when the opposing team was the school where he has been employed as a teacher for the past 31 years. Billman was inducted into the Unity High School Hall of Fame as part of the festivities at a game against St. Joseph-Ogden. “I am a SJO Spartan now, but my heart and soul will always belong to the Unity High School Rockets,” Billman said. “I was able to celebrate with my Class of ‘80 friends from Unity and my co-workers from SJO at the same time. “I wore an old Unity football jersey the Thursday before the game and all of the students were questioning why I was wearing the jersey.” Even though he participated in three sports at Unity – and was the state runner-up in wrestling as a 119-pound senior in 1980 – Billman wasn’t expecting the honor. “I never thought I would be a Hall of Fame candidate,” said Billman, who also played football and ran track while at Unity. His Hall of Fame credentials included one feat that makes him unique. Billman was part of the state wrestling tournament in all three ways that were possible: as an athlete, as a coach and as an official. “Wrestling and coaching at the state championships was a little different, but still the excitement and nervousness of being there was about the same,” Billman said. “It is just a great privilege to represent the best officials in the state and watch some great officiating and awesome wrestling each year at the state finals.” When Billman arrived at Unity High School as a student, he considered participating in the other winter sport that is offered. “I thought about playing basketball because I was quick and fast but I just wasn’t tall enough, so my brothers and Coach (Joe) Summerville talked me into wrestling,” Billman said. Though he was not a product of a youth program in the sport, he wasn’t a total novice at wrestling. “I grew up with six brothers of which all wrestled at Unity High School under Coach Summerville,” Bill Billman said. He took to the sport quickly. “I liked wrestling because of the one-on-one competition where it was you against someone else,” Billman said. “My first wrestling experience on the mat was my freshman year in high school.” The lack of experience wasn’t a hindrance. Billman made the varsity lineup as a freshman at 105 pounds and was eventually chosen as the team’s most improved wrestler. He would bookend that recognition as a senior with awards as the program’s most valuable wrestler and as the school’s Senior Athlete of the Year. In sports, Billman absorbed lessons that followed him into adulthood. “I learned a great deal about self-discipline, honor, strength, integrity, hard work and what it took to be successful in any life situation,” Billman said. As a senior, Billman missed out on more than a state championship. “My dad promised me a new car if I won the state championship but I fell one match short,” Billman recalled. “I think he was kind of nervous before that match, but unfortunately my championship match was against a two-time state champion.” The person who defeated Billman in the 1980 finals went on to make history a year later. Mark Ruettiger, from New Lenox Providence, became Illinois’ first four-time individual state champion in 1981. “I said to myself if I am going to get beat, I hope it will be by the best and it sure was,” Billman added. Raised on a farm, Billman delayed attending college for a year after graduating from Unity. “I worked at a grain elevator,” he said. As he looked ahead, Billman saw himself as a teacher and a wrestling coach. “I became a teacher mostly because of my real desire to coach at a local high school and give back to the sport that taught me so much about life,” Billman said. “I decided to enroll in Ag Education because I was from a farm and knew a great deal about raising livestock and growing crops.” He entered Illinois State University in the fall of 1981 and joined the wrestling program as a walk-on. “I wrestled a few varsity matches and did well, but not enough to receive any scholarship, so I decided not to participate my senior year, and focus more on my studies,” Billman said. “Wrestling in college was so much different than high school and I had learned so much, I was eager to show others my wrestling skills.” He had met qualifications to become a wrestling official by the time he graduated from ISU in 1986, but he mostly just worked club tournaments at the outset. Billman’s coaching career began at Unity. He worked with football as a volunteer and baseball as the head coach for one year. In 1988, he started a four-year stint as the Rockets’ head coach in wrestling, replacing the legendary Summerville. “Mr. Summerville was the only head wrestling coach the school ever had,” Billman recalled. “He gave me the opportunity to follow his path. “I knew what it took to be successful and that is how I coached my athletes in wrestling. You work hard and it will show in the end. Mr. Summerville encouraged me to work hard in high school and encouraged me to wrestle in college. “Using that experience in college wrestling, I coached and trained the athletes to be the best that they can be. Unity High School gave me the opportunity to coach multiple sports, but wrestling was my true love. If they could have had an agricultural program back then, I might have been still teaching agriculture at Unity High School.” Instead, for the first four years, Billman was on the faculty at SJ-O and coaching at his high school alma mater. Under his tutelage, Unity qualified teams for the state wrestling dual meet tournaments for the only two times in school history, including a runner-up finish in 1989. His accomplishments as Unity’s head wrestling coach also included directing 14 Rockets to state tournament berths. Three of his wrestlers became state champions, two were state runners-up and two others placed third. His last three Unity teams (from 1989-91) captured conference, regional and sectional crowns. Overall, his Unity teams won 60 of 91 dual meets. “I taught at SJO and coached at Unity which was very difficult to do,” he said. “I would hear it from both sides whenever we played Unity in football and wrestling. “It wasn’t easy to teach and coach at schools that were rivals in sports. After four years as head wrestling coach at Unity, the position to be head wrestling coach at SJ-O was open, so I had to jump at the chance to coach there. “It was a hard decision, but easier for me and my family to be at one school.” By the mid-1990s, when he and his wife, Kathy, started a family, Billman was ready to return to a different aspect of the sport. He stepped aside as the Spartans’ coach after seven seasons. “I decided to get out of the coaching ranks and start my new career in officiating,” Billman said. “With the help of veterans Ray Cummings, Andy Warner and Bob Jones, I was able to watch and learn from the best as all three were state officials. “I wanted to follow in their footsteps and became a state official as well.” In 22 years as a high school official, BIllman has now worked as an official at 17 regional tournaments, 10 sectional tournaments and six wrestling state tournaments. He credited his time at Unity for setting the foundation for his career. “As a teacher and coach, I have always been a motivator and encourager with my students and athletes,” he said. “Having been a Unity athlete and coach has given me the leadership skills necessary to inspire others to do the best job they can in whatever they decide to do.” Billman plans to retire from teaching in three years, but won’t walk away from his duties as a wrestling official that soon. “I will continue to officiate until my wife and I decide to move to a warmer climate,” he said.
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