Quincy's Alexander to be immortalized by Hall of Fame
After years affiliated with the Quincy High School athletic program and just as long as being known as simply "Alex," William Alexander is about to become a man of forever.
QUINCY - After years affiliated with the Quincy High School athletic program and just as long as being known as simply "Alex," William Alexander is about to become a man of forever.
On Saturday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Bellevue Hilton, the Quincy Athletic Director will be inducted into the Washington State Football Coaches Association (WSFBCA) Hall of Fame.
The nomination and selection was based on longevity in coaching, successful tenure, and contributions to the WSFBCA.
He will enter as a man of Quincy.
"Quincy has given my family and me a wonderful place to raise our family and pursue our professional and coaching goals," Alexander said. "Quincy has always supported their teachers, coaches and athletes through the years."
"Coach Alex" graduated from Leavenworth High School in 1970 and received his Bachelor Degree from Central Washington State College in 1975 where he played two years of football.
After coaching stints at Twin Falls, Idaho and Sequim, Alexander received his first head coaching job at Bridgeport, where he led the program to state title in 1988.
Two years later he moved to Quincy, where he was the head coach from 1990 to 2006, upon which he retired from the profession.
During his time at Quincy, he took the Jackrabbits to their first ever state playoff game and they would qualify 10 more times, including a third-place state finish in 1992.
They also recorded an unbeaten regular season in 1998 when he was named the WSCA Coach of the Year that same year.
Alexander ended up with 147 overall victories.
"I don't know if anything was easy, but it was all enjoyable," Alexander said. "Hours and hours of weight room supervision, camps, clinics, working with my coaches. I just love working with young adults and helping them with lifetime decisions and working as a team."
Even with his school's long-time rivalry with nearby Ephrata, Alexander gained plenty of appreciation from the Tigers.
"Alex is so deserving of this honor," Ephrata athletic director Michelle Webb said. "His contribution to the sport of football in North Central Washington goes unmatched. Alex has done it all from playing, coaching, mentoring, officiating, and promoting the game of football at the high school level across the state at every opportunity. I believe his success as a coach stemmed from his love and enthusiasm for the game and his ability to share that enthusiasm and knowledge with his players."
Current Quincy football coach Stephen Wallace grew up watching his hometown Bridgeport teams coached by Alexander.
"What amazes me most is his absolute love of the game and all that he has done to improve the sport as a coach, athletic director, board member of the Washington State Coaches Association, including two years as president, and starting up and running the 2B-2A East/West All Star game," Wallace said. "The sport of football has done so much for so many individuals. It is rare that you find someone that has given back to the sport as much as Coach Alex. He is an ambassador of the game and truly has earned is spot in the Washington State Football Coaches Hall of Fame."
Now as he celebrates the moment with his wife of 38 years, Jan, and his two sons Michael and Scott, he can still look back at all the challenges his career with pride as more are sure to come.
"I think that the greatest challenges came later in my career when there began to be other things that kids wanted to do than participate in sports," Alexander said. "It was tough when kids that I had worked with for years just didn't want to play because of the hard work and dedication that was involved in building competitive squads year in and year out.
Despite all of his times - great and challenging - in athletics, Alexander can't help but pinpoint a few specifics.
"My most precious moment as a coach would be winning a state championship at Bridgeport and achieving the first play-off team in Quincy history," Alexander said. "Also any time that I got a chance to coach my sons was important to me."
Webb believes the Hall of Fame is just the right place for the Quincy athletic director to travel next.
"Alex leads the way in creating successes, memories, traditions, and instilling values in hundreds of young athletes throughout his years of coaching," Webb said. "This induction is a great way to honor him for his exceptional contribution to high school football in Washington state."