By Dan Powell
Head softball coach Bill Edwards is retired. Well, sort of.
After 33 years of teaching physical education and coaching a multitude of sports at just about every level, he has finally decided to hang it up.
“When you retire, you go and do something that you want to do, that you’ve waited your whole life to do,” Edwards said. “I have the best of everything here at Hofstra. I’m coaching at a collegiate level with a great bunch of kids, at a great university. It’s something I’ve waited my whole life to do.”
The common thread that ties Edwards’ life together is athletics. As a child, he played virtually every sport and eventually went on to play ice hockey at Northern Michigan University and also in the U.S. Professional Hockey League. Still, it was during the pick-up games of his childhood that Edwards learned leadership. With no coaches or referees, Edwards and his friends were forced to pick their own teams, make their own line-ups and officiate their own games.
Throughout his life, Edwards never lost his passion for any sport. He has coached high school football and softball, college softball with the Pride and college ice hockey at Iona College, all with astounding success.
In three years as the offensive coordinator for Commack High School’s football team, he helped lead the team to two conference championships and one Suffolk County championship. From 1968-79, Edwards compiled a 174-58-14 record and won four Metropolitan Collegiate championships.
This success has continued with the Pride, as the team has posted a winning record in all 16 seasons under Edwards and has won either the regular season or conference tournament championship in each of its last 14 seasons. Edwards explained that the key to success is recognizing the similarities that all sports have in common.
“There are simple common denominators in all sports, whether it’s hockey or football or softball,” Edwards said. “An athlete is an athlete. There are certain athletic movements that transcend from each sport to another. Teaching kids to become aware of their bodies and their athletic movements is so crucial.”
During his years as an elementary school teacher, Edwards said he developed a keen eye for coaching these athletic movements. Whatever his secret is, it has translated into victories for the Pride. Currently, the team has won its conference championship the last eight years in a row, and two years ago was only one win away from making it to the Women’s College World Series.
Despite all of its success, the softball team remains one of the most overlooked teams on campus. During the spring season, the University is consumed with basketball’s March Madness fever and the ongoing lacrosse season. Edwards does not concern himself with that, though. All he can focus on is what he and his team can control. Aside from that, he is a self-proclaimed Pride sports nut.
“I’m at basketball games, I try to make it to every lacrosse game and football games when we’re not playing or recruiting,” Edwards said. “I feel like the other coaches feel the same way about softball. I can’t worry about newspapers andpublicity, I just have to focus on my own little wold.