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Coach Earl Bill graduated from Deerfield Academy and attended Dartmouth College before joining the US Air Force in December 1959.
Coach’s Air Force career was mainly at Lackland AFB as a Drill Instructor. However he also did tours of duty in both Korea and Vietnam. He also served as the Head Lacrosse Coach at the US Air Force Prep School in Colorado Springs from 1974 to 1976 drawing on his High School and college experience.
When he retired in November 1983 he’d risen to the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. Coach then continued working at Lackland running the base Fitness center until 1994 when he began his “second” career as the Athletic director and Head lacrosse Coach at St. Mary’s Hall in San Antonio. Coach had always been a great athlete in both High School and college often boasting he’d played against Jimmy Brown when both were in High School.
This athletic background resurfaced when he played on the inaugural San Antonio Lacrosse Club (SALC) team in 1974. Coach played Defense for the half of each game and then Goalie when the starter had to leave each game at halftime. He continued playing through the mid 70s before turning to Coaching the SALC full time leading them to League titles in 1990 and 1993.
As if that wasn’t enough he also coached many All Star teams in tournaments across the country including Memphis, New Orleans, Chicago and his favorite The Vail Lacrosse Shootout. Coach’s teams won that tournament 4 times over a 25 year period in 2 divisions. He regularly “held court” during the tournament regaling all his lacrosse “family” with stories and imparting his unique “wisdom and philosophy.” All who met him did not soon forget him.
Perhaps Coach’s greatest legacy though was the impact he had on Texas high School Lacrosse. Taking over at St Mary’s Hall in 1993, he formed a lacrosse team and with 2 years had them playing at the highest level going to the State Final Four 8 times in his ten (10) years as coach. His crowning achievement was the team’s 3 State Championships in 1998, 1999 and 2000. His team also won the SPC title in 2002. His overall record at SMH was 150 -23. Total Lacrosse record was 369-100 and was recognized by US Lacrosse as a Member of their 300 win coaching Club.
To honor him and his legacy to lacrosse especially in San Antonio, we named the team,“Team Bill”
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