A-C Valley renames gymnasium after longtime hoops coach Botz
FOXBURG — Against her doctor’s wishes, she sat and listened.
Judie Botz and her husband, Ron, had a third child on the way — and soon. He was coaching a postseason boys basketball game for A-C Valley one March night in 1971. She refused to budge until the final horn sounded.
“I was so pregnant,” Judie said. “The doctor told me in the morning, ‘Do not wait until the last minute to get into the hospital.’ Well, I couldn’t leave the radio until I found out what the outcome of the game was. ... I wouldn’t leave him.”
Ron was soon racing back to her.
“I didn’t even ride home on the team bus,” said Ron, who coached at A-C Valley from 1964-93. “I went straight to the hospital that night. It was in Indiana — I can remember where we were playing — and we went to Butler, the hospital. That was kind of a different night. We lost the game, though. That was bad.”
The sting of defeat was alleviated by the arrival of his third daughter, Leah, the next day.
“I hear it all the time,” she said. “Because everybody thought for sure I was a boy, and then I was a girl. ... But, I ended up playing basketball. I was the little basketball gym rat for him.”
Coach Botz’ family was just as invested in the community’s young hoopers as he was. They spent countless hours inside the same four walls that were named in his honor during a ceremony Monday night.
“Probably from November to the end of February, we were here,” Leah said. “Our mom was a cheerleading advisor and both of my older sisters (Ronda and Paula) cheered. ... When I was little, I would just keep stats for him.”
The support hasn’t ever been lost on Ron, who collected 409 wins, five Clarion County League titles, and three District 9 crowns as a head coach.
“I’m just happy that I had the family I had to understand all the time I’d be spending up here in this gymnasium working with the boys,” he said. “They were always behind me.”
Nearly 20 former players and a number of former assistant coaches were in attendance for the event. After hearing some words from former players and coaching colleagues, Coach Botz received a memento from the school board and was presented plaques that will hang on the gymnasium walls.
“I didn’t realize there would be that many people here,” he said. “I’m very happy with the turnout. ... You coach for 29 years, you’re going to touch some lives.”
Jim Marron didn’t play under Coach Botz, as he graduated from A-C Valley in 1964 — Coach Botz’ first go-round as a junior varsity coach for the Falcons. Still, Marron — whose younger brothers both played for the coach — was the one to initially propose the idea of renaming the high school’s gymnasium in the coach’s honor.
“After he retired, he didn’t get his recognition,” Marron said. “I saw where Union did it, Keystone did it. He was every bit as good — if not better — than both of those coaches.”
Coach Botz hardly ever stopped thinking about the Xs and Os
“It was just so cool to watch him coach at home,” Leah said. “We would be sitting and watching basketball games and I remember him yelling, like, ‘Leah! Go get a sheet of paper! I want to write this play down!’ That’s one of my fondest memories. He was always thinking about how to make the team better.”
His wish is that his name will inspire other youngsters who come through.
“I hope they realize how much hard work went into winning all those games,” Coach Botz said. “We won over 400 games. ... I hope the players will be dedicated enough to work hard enough to get to that place in their lives. That’s a lot of victories, and I’m very thankful for the men that I had play for me.”
One thing is for sure — the fresh signature that now looks down on the hardwood is so much more than a scribble, both to the family and the community.
“I coached for 15 years and I learned a lot off Ron Botz,” Marron said. “Most of it was how to respect your players and how you get respect from your players and the parents and everybody else. It was not even a consideration for me.
“There’s no way this gym shouldn’t be the Ron Botz gym.”
“This is just a special place,” Judie added. “A-C Valley, we bleed white and blue. This community is just so fantastic in their support. I just hope that it continues. I know it will.”
