National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Transcription

The following program was produced at the media facilities at Hofstra University School of Communication. He's a mentor to all of us here and I learn something every day I'm around him. I think it's a big tribute to Bill Edwards that many of his student athletes have gone on to coaching and teaching. Consistency, commitment to excellence, his understanding of how to work with student athletes, how to prepare them, how to educate them has really never changed. It's not only for me and what I've learned as a coach but for the young ladies that we bring in and it's just a wonderful experience. Our prime mission is that we are teachers and mentors of young people first and that's Bill Edwards. I met Bill twenty years ago, he's starting actually his twenty-first year, and we were looking for a softball coach, we had gone through several softball coaches in the past few years at the time and he came highly recommended as a high school coach to Hofstra University, very successful physical educator in the Commack School District, coached many sports at Commack, also has coached ice hockey at Iona College. The word on the street was that we couldn't go wrong with Bill and that's what we see today. Thirty years ago I got the opportunity to see Bill Edwards coach and it was a 2 to 1 game and right away I knew this guy was a special coach. Early on in the time that we were together he mentioned something to me that sticks with me to this day. He said if you want to assess the ability of a head coach, spend some time watching how they function at games and spend a considerable amount of time watching how they function at practice. Wooh, they will go over every specific detail of every possible situation they could be in. And if you were to watch a softball practice, a practice that is run by Bill, you would see teaching, you would see preparation, you would see attention to detail, all the things that are the foundation of excellence, and excellence is what Bill Edwards is all about. He actually built this softball program from its very beginnings from an unrecognized, unrecognizable program to what is now a nationally recognized softball program. The fact that he is such an educator came out in the interview and we knew we had the makings of someone who would really take our program and move it in the future. It's been wonderful for Hofstra University. To have an educator like Bil, he understands that this is the formative years of many of our students. He's done a lot for women's athletics at Hofstra. Success doesn't come by accident. Success is a result of planning, of being prepared, of paying attention to the little things, doing the little things, and putting oneself in a position to win. They win well and they lose with dignity as well when they lose. They're incredibly affectionate and loyal to him. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. We use an expression all the time here in our arena that this is our classroom. There's no desks but everytime we take an exam, thousands of people are watching. And we consider ourselves educators as coaches and Bill Edwards is the same way on his softball field. He's an educator, he's someone who's teaching life lessons everyday. I was a law school faculty member and I was fortunate enough to develop close relationships with many of my students that went on after they graduated and they still called me for career advise and that's exactly what happens between Bill Edwards and his students. He not only coaches them on the softball field but he mentors them about their academic careers and they stay in touch with him because he's such a valuable asset to their growth and development and it seems to me that's exactly what the best kind of coach should do. What we would want at Hofstra in any of our departments and certainly in athletics is are people that impact students in the most positive way so that when they leave Hofstra they're ambassadors for this institution and every single Hofstra softball graduate leaves here feeling very good about their experience, feeling that they were educated on the field and off the field and that they won, and that they won but they learned how to win. They learned how to win by being prepared, by being disciplined, and by being well trained. Bill accepted the challenge and he embraces it and that's what we see today, the successes that he's had on the field and in the classes with his student athletes, his graduation rates, has been a wonderful wonderful road because he loves physical education, because he loves teaching because he loves coaches and he loves people. If I could have a long title for an athletic coach at Hofstra it would be a teacher-mentor-coach, and that's Bill Edwards. Bill, we appreciate all that you've done for Hofstra University and continue to do in the future. For the entire Hofstra basketball family, we want to say congratulations to Bill Edwards, his lovely wife Janie and the entire Edwards family and every athlete who's ever been a part of his softball family. Congratulations on your Hall of Fame inductance. We celebrate you and the great work you've done with our sport. You're a true student of the game and an excellent teacher. We are truly blessed to have you as our mentor. The family that you have built at Hofstra is an amazing one, you've won a lot of games, but the impact you've had on our family will last a lifetime. Coach Edwards, as you know, you made a great impact on me as a young coach at Hofstra. You set a great standard winning championships, touching the lives of your student athletes and I'm just here to say congrats, miss you, and God Bless. You have always been a great friend, a great coach, you mean so much to Hofstra University and all of us connected with that school, and obviously everyone connected with fast-pitch softball. Bill Edwards, it's just a privilege to have you as our softball coach, you do Hofstra proud and I can't think of any college coach in the country more deserving of Hall of Fame recognition than you, congratulations. Congratulations Bill, you know I love ya. So Billy, here's to you, a special day for you here, a special induction, everybody behind here loves you, adores you, you're so deserving of this, we just want you to know that we're always here for you. We love you. On behalf of Hofstra athletics and our coaches and student athletes, we appreciate all that Bill Edwards has done for Hofstra softball. It's a great day for Hofstra, it's a great day for Bill Edwards. "Paralysis by analysis", "Three two three", "Sally cupcake", "A bloop and a blast", "Take a hike", "Bazooka state", "Get here", "Do you feel that?", "On the hop, gang", "Timeout Greenbay", "You're not Yessing me are you?", "Best thing about a freshman is they become a sophomore", "All that'n a bag o' chips". Hofstra Softball!