Remembering the rock of a man, Willard Hirschi
What I’ll always remember about Willard Hirschi is his humility.
His modesty and honesty is something the world could use a big dose of these days.
Hirschi, a former Utah state hurdle champion and all-conference track athlete at BYU, who later replaced legendary Clarence Robison as the school’s head track and field coach, died Aug. 5 at the age of 89.
There’s an enduring scene etched in my mind of Hirschi. He’s standing near the finish line of a collegiate track meet in Provo or the famous BYU invitational for high school athletes. He has a stopwatch around his neck and in his hands. Whether hot, windy or cold, Hirschi was there working until the last event, kind of a statue that wouldn’t move until the last shadow of a runner, thrower or jumper disappeared from the field.
Hirschi was a kind man who feared God. He always seemed to tie everything into some spiritual note or event because in his world, everything was tied to a higher power and faith was the access point.
I remember informal chats after interviews with Hirschi. He wanted to talk about other sports, coaches and players on campus. He was a fan. He was prying, poking and trying to mine an opinion out of me. Maybe to see if it matched his own.
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In all the years of talking with him, he never departed from the simple values of his roots, which were firmly anchored in southern Utah, where he grew up in Rockville near Zion National Park.
You know the type. They just have this certain accent. They have an unassuming way about them, like they haven’t been spoiled by the world at large. Kind of a raw purity.
Current BYU head track and field and cross-country coach and former Olympian Ed Eyestone had a front-row seat to how Hirschi operated as a mentor and coach.
“Coach Hirschi was a master technician, motivator and mentor,” said Eyestone.
“As the men’s sprint and then head coach, Coach Hirschi ushered in a sprint era like no other that included the making of Olympic medalists and national champions such as Frank Fredericks, Leonard Myles-Mills and Ralph Mann.
“He was a no-nonsense coach who required much and always got the best out of his athletes. His athletes respected him for his determination to make them better and they knew that he was proud of their accomplishments. His legacy lives on through current BYU sprint coach Kyle Grossarth, whom he coached and mentored. He will be missed.”
Grossarth claims Hirschi had a huge influence on his time at BYU as his hurdles coach.
“I often reflect on so many great moments that I had with coach Hirschi as we would travel across the country to various competitions. Coach Hirschi was a coach that was easy to respect because of the respect that he had for himself as well as his athletes.
“His style was very simple, yet effective,” said Grossarth.
“I will be forever grateful for the experience that I had while being coached by Hirschi, the lessons learned, and the belief that he showed in me as an athlete. I am hopeful that I can carry some of his legacy forward as the sprints and hurdles coach at BYU.”
Hirschi’s obituary declared how he loved growing up as a farmer, rancher and cowboy among the red rocks of southern Utah.
“He never lost his love for this corner of the world. The majority of his adult family vacations were spent in Rockville visiting his parents and his sister Warda’s family, who lived across the street from their parents. His idea of fun was going out to the ranch to fix fences, work cattle, ride horses and take Grandpa Hirschi (and anyone else he could trap) for long scenic drives. He also conducted historical research on the southern Utah and Arizona Strip areas, which included collecting oral histories from elderly residents of those areas in order to write biographies on all of the World War II and Korean War veterans from Rockville, Utah.”
Not only was Hirschi an all-state track champion, but he excelled in football, baseball and basketball. He met his wife, Barbara, in 1956 when they had dance classes together.
Barbara died in August 2022, shortly after celebrating their 64th year of marriage.
Hirschi joined the BYU faculty in 1964 as a health science teacher. He also assisted Clarence Robison in building the BYU track and field program and trained numerous successful athletes. In 1988, he was appointed men’s head track coach.
Under his direction, BYU’s track teams dominated the Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences. In his 12 years as head coach, the Cougars won 11 straight indoor conference championships (1990-00) and nine outdoor conference championships (1989-93, 1995, 1998-00). Due to his team's successes, Willard was named the indoor or outdoor WAC/MWC Coach of the Year 14 times in his 12 years as head coach. In 2015, he was inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1999, he was the recipient of BYU’s Circle of Honor award, which is given for being an “Exceptional example of honor, integrity and commitment to Christ-centered principles.”
Hirschi really was a rock, a kind of statue on campus. He was dependable, loyal and loved to work with young people and enjoyed visiting with people, including this reporter. I always got more from talking to him than he ever got from me, but he made me feel important, like my opinion mattered.
That’s a gift. And Hirschi had it.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15, at Lakeview 8th Chapel at 155 W. 1600 South, Orem. There will be a viewing prior to the services at the church from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Interment will be at the Orem City Cemetery.
