Where he belongs
FREEPORT — Cecil Willoughby definitely was a coach ahead of his time.
Willoughby led the Freeport boys basketball team to the WPIAL playoffs for five of his 15 years — through the 1960s until the early 1970s — but under today's format, he would have guided the Yellowjackets to the postseason all 15 years.
With a WPIAL runner-up team in 1966-67 and a hefty winning percentage of better than 75 percent, it's easy to see why Willoughby will be inducted into the Armstrong County Hall of Fame April 26 at Laube Hall.
Willoughby, 80, who resides in Lakeland, Fla., retired from Freeport in 1991 as a social studies teacher. His teaching career, which included a two-year stint at Franklin Township in Murrysville in 1951-52 and 1952-53, lasted 39 years.
"I joined the staff (in 1954-55) as an assistant coach for football and basketball under John Karrs and Tom Perry," said Willoughby. "I was an assistant for seven years before I became the basketball coach."
Willoughby, a 1947 graduate of Beaver High School, was all-Beaver County and a WPIAL all-star in football and basketball. He also starred in baseball.
He graduated from Clarion State College, where Willoughby was named to the state conference all-star team in basketball.
Willoughby's 1964-65 team won the Class B Section title but his 1966-67 team has gone down as one of the program's best. The Yellowjackets went 23-3 and defeated basketball powers Rankin and Braddock, but lost to Turtle Creek in the championship game.
For his efforts, Willoughby was named WPIALCoach of the Year.
His 1971-72 team went 21-2 and 12-0 in the section, which gave Willoughby a 61-9 record in section play in a six-year span. His five WPIAL playoff appearances were consecutive.
Willoughby retired as a teacher in 1991 and, along with his wife Martha, began heading to Florida for the winter.
"My wife was a schoolteacher and we traveled all over the United States," said Willoughby, who plays golf twice a week.
"We'd go back to Mercer every summer, but now we're (in Florida) permanently since we sold our summer house last Aug. 7," Willoughby added.
They will be making a trip back north for the induction ceremony, which will begin at 5 p.m.
"I was thrilled when I found out," said Willoughby. "I know some of the players I remember had a lot to do with it. People like Bob Isenberg, Bill Dillen, Clyde Conti."
Also in this year's class are Brian Swartzlander (auto racing), Dennis Harriger (baseball), Donald Williams (wrestling), Douglas Charlie (football), Larry Montebell (hockey), Laura Hall (volleyball), Mark George (special award, football), Steve Aungst (football) and Tim Buffone (football).
The Hall of Fame Committee's high school student honorees include Freeport's Kayla Eckman and John Douglas, and Karns City's Hannah Beck and Anthony Stimac.
