Creating the final schedule of his tenure penciling in retirement, Moorefield High School Athletic Director Dennis Hill leaves behind a legacy working with student-athletes dating back to 1979.
“Athletics is just an extension of the classroom,” Moorefield Athletic Director Dennis Hill stated.
“Seeing athletes develop, grow and experience success. Not only in athletics, but as students and as a person. Helping them reach their potential. For some keeping them in school through athletics and getting their high school diploma. You have to remember it’s about the kids.”
Retirement will give Coach Hill more of an opportunity to travel to see his son’s family in South Carolina, spending precious time with his grandchildren and scheduling visits to games throughout seasons in the future.
“The big question – What am I going to do? We want to travel some. Looks like I didn’t pick such a good year to try and start this but, we hope to see some places we have not been to. We have three granddaughters two here in Moorefield and one in South Carolina. We hope to make it to S.C. more often to see David’s family and I want to see some of his games. Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. Football has always been a big part of that. Since high school other than a few year’s football season has been the focus and kept me from some of the other reason I love fall. I like to hunt and fish and I love being in the woods in the fall with the leaves turning so I hope I find more time to enjoy these things. I also am going to spend some time working on some things at my home place that I haven’t had time to do and enjoying the outdoors. I do plan on attending sporting event at MHS. Just not nearly as many.”
West Virginia born and bred next door in Grant County, Hill graduated from Petersburg High School in 1975 where his passion for sports grew as an athlete in football, basketball, wrestling (senior year) and track.[private]
Hill played football at Shepherd University and graduated in 1979, the same year he began his coaching tenure as an assistant coach for Moorefield High School basketball with Coach Richard Hiserman and in baseball with Coach Landes during his student teaching time.
Hill has been an ESL teacher in Hardy County for 11 years spanning all grade levels (K-12) in addition to working for Boise Cascade and American Woodmark Corporation for nearly 30 years.
The coaching aspiration never faded working as an assistant for his wife Charlotte, who was the head coach for Moorefield High School girls basketball early in his career.
Prior to Moorefield Middle School being built, Hill was the head coach for the seventh and eighth grade girls basketball teams when his daughter Morgan was in the eighth grade.
Hill has been known for his time on the football sidelines which first started as a scout for several years for Coach Roger See before officially joining the staff as an assistant coach primarily as the defensive coordinator from 1984 through 2004 and a second stint as an assistant was during this past decade ending in 2017.
During his tenure, Coach Hill was a member of the coaching staff as a defensive coordinator during the six state football championships for the Yellow Jackets under head coach Alan Fiddler and all eight state title game appearances including the honor of being the head coach in 2000 and a portion of the 2004 seasons, unfortunately losing to Wheeling Central Catholic in those two years.
“I scouted for Coach Roger See a couple of years on Friday nights before I was actually on staff. The first time I was assistant football coach was from 1984 season thru the 2004 season. With the exceptions of 2000 and part of 2004. The second time I don’t remember which year I actually started but I got out after the 2017 season. I was the Head Football Coach in 2000 when Coach Alan Fiddler went to Marshall for the season. In 2004 I became the Head Football coach a couple of games into the season. In 2000 we played in the state championship and 2004 we lost in the semi-final game. Both times to Wheeling Central. I was the Defensive coordinator for most of my years coaching and worked with the offensive and defensive line. I believe I’ve been AD for seven years. I was on staff for all six state titles and all eight championship appearances,” Hill commented.
There are a plethora of special memories throughout the past four decades including seeing the success of his own children Morgan and David as every state appearance and championship holds a place in his heart.
Another page in the history books is having his daughter Morgan be a member of the first softball team in Moorefield High School history.
“Ten favorite memories? That’s tough there have been so many and so many stories with each. I’ll start with Morgan and David. With Morgan seeing her play in the state basketball tournament, regional volleyball tournament (MHS’s first time) and being on the first softball team. Charlotte and I were part of a group that pushed for the start of the softball program and it’s been watching it grow and seeing their successes. David – it’s hard not to not think about football. He was on the 2000 – 2003 teams and winning the State Titles in 2001 and 2003,” Coach Hill remarked.
Being embraced in a bear hug by his son David after they worked together to win the state football championship in 2001 was one of the most rewarding moments both as a father and a coach.
“At the end of the 2001 game I heard someone yell and turned around and here was David. He had already jumped into the air and landed in my arms giving me a great big bear hug. A really priceless moment. In the 2003 State championship he had a really good game, but on our final defensive set Williamstown was going for two and he made a tackle for a loss that pretty well sealed the win for us,” Hill said.
Playing in the elements dealt by mother nature is something to remember and how quickly it can change.
“Our first playoff game in 1987. Snowed the week of the game here and we were forced to practice inside. When we played on Saturday it was 70 degrees. The following week we played in the snow at Weir after spending the Night at camp Piedmont Lake. The physical beating, we took at Valley Wetzel in 1995 which led to our players developing the correct work ethic that led to the eight championship appearances from 1996 to 2003,” Coach Hill noted.
“The first championship was so special. As a coach I always wanted to coach in a state championship game. I always said I wouldn’t be greedy and have to win but once your there you want to win it bad because you never know if you’ll make it again. You may be a part of better teams but you may not get the chance to win it all. All of the championships games were really special and the six that we won were unbelievable.”
During his time as an athletic director, Hill witnessed many athletic achievements including two state baseball championships and a pair of individual state wrestling titles.
“As an AD you don’t coach the players but, you’re working on things behind the scenes and at so many of their games and matches. You feel proud when they succeed. All-conference, all-area, and all-state awards. The only down side to these is someone always seems to get left out. Then baseball wins a state title and another. Wil [Schoonover] and Isaac [Van Meter] win their state titles in their weight class in wrestling. Special times for all involved even the AD,” Hill commented.
Both of Hill’s children competed athletically at Fairmont State University.
“As a parent it is always nice to watch your children be successful and compete. We wanted Morgan and David to be student/athletes. I think they did that they both had success in athletics, did well in the classroom, and both were able to go on to college and continue their athletic playing days (Morgan softball and David football at Fairmont State) and get their undergrad degrees and go on and obtain their master degrees. Those were special times that went by way too quickly,” Hill explained.
There are many similarities between the classroom and the athletic venues.
“Athletics is just an extension of the classroom. You’re doing the same things in many ways it just the content that’s different. My classroom with my ELL students the last eleven years to many would be looked at as being very different to many I’m sure. I have had students from twenty different countries speaking twenty different languages. I still say it is very similar. You have to support both the student and the athlete, they have to trust you, you have to push them to improve, and you must know them as a person in order to find how you can motivate them,” Hill said.
A number of Hill’s former students have become coaches and teachers including his children.
“I have no idea how many former students are coaches and teachers. The MHS and MMS football staffs are mostly former players. Morgan is coaching volleyball at MHS and David coaches at Goose Creek High School in South Carolina,” Hill added.
Seeing student-athletes excel to the next level or want to fill your shoes as a teacher is a rewarding aspect of coaching and teaching.
“There are so many memories of students and players. Brian Washington, Justin and Reed Williams going to WVU and playing. Others that have played at the next level are obvious. The ones that come up to you their senior year and tell you they want to teach/coach and have an influence on others like you had on them. The ELL students that tell you they want to become an ELL teacher because of you. It is humbling many times because many times the ones telling you this you have wondered if you did enough for them and what are they going to do,” Hill stated.
One of the things that most coaches recall are bus rides, but fortunately for Hill as an assistant coach his responsibility was driving the equipment van and not having to deal with the bus turbulence.
“Bus rides was one thing I didn’t do much of for the number of years I’ve been at this. I usually drove the equipment van,” Coach Hill noted.
Over these decades as a coach and athletic director, Hill has developed many friendships both at Moorefield and among the staff of opposing schools.
“The relationships you form with other coaches and AD’s is one of the great things about coaching and being an AD. There have been friendships made that will last a life time formed from coaches and AD’s that I have meet. It is a special group. The interaction with them is the one thing that I believe I am going to miss the most after I retire,” Hill commented.
Hill has advice for student-athletes and for fellow coaches and athletic directors:
“Advice – for student athletes would be do your work and display good behavior in your classrooms, work in the classroom like you do in athletics. There is NO Excuse for not having a 2.0 GPA. You make it hard for a coach to feel they can depend on you if you can’t maintain a 2.0, they know you will let them down at some point in time. See line one, if you do those things a 2. 0 will not be a problem for you. Coaches and AD’s – make sure that you’re in this business for the right reasons. To do it right it is very time consuming and demanding and becoming more so every year. If you’re married, you will need a very supportive spouse. I’ve been lucky for the last almost 40 years to have had Charlotte’s support and understanding of what I have done. Without her support I would not have been able to do everything I have. Just remember it is about the kids,” Moorefield Athletic Director Dennis Hill concluded.
Most will remember “Coach Hill” for his time on the football sidelines, but his legacy stretches throughout the athletics department and the school system as he closes this chapter to enter the retirement phase of his life with sports still on the horizon.[/private]