September 2000: "The Hillary Legacy" - Cistercian Preparatory School

THIS YEARwas very fulfilling forTom at work and at“IBELIEVEhome,” said SheilaHillary. “He was verycontent. He was comfortablewith the program, his coachingstaff, he felt very happy with theway his football team had performedfor the past five years. And he wasvery happy at home.”“He even began to understand justhow much his step-children adoredhim,” she said. “We were very happyin our faith. His spiritual life wasreally wonderful.”At Cistercian, years of hard workwere paying dividends. The school’sreputation in athletics began approachingits lofty record in academics. “Youhear it all the time,” said SteveMcCarthy, Cistercian’s new varsityfootball coach. “Cistercian teams playwith class.”That reputation was validatedwhen Coach Hillary was named oneof the two head coaches for the firstannual DFW All-Star Classic (seebox, page 9). “He never talked aboutit,” said Wyatt Maxwell, “but it musthave made him happy.”It also would have made himhappy had he been able to listen in asFr. Peter discussed the school’s athleticprograms. Fr. Peter toldprospective Form I parents inJanuary, “Referees and parents fromopposing teams regularly praise thesportsmanship of Cistercian athletesunder Coach Hillary.” He added thatHillary’s teams play with class.“‘Class’ means playing smart, playingtough, and playing with exemplarysportsmanship. Coach Hillary doesnot tolerate cursing or fighting fromhis players.”The program had come a longway in his 16 years. That muchstruck David Patrick, now an actor inLos Angeles, on a visit to the schoolthis past September.“The weight room, locker rooms,and other facilities were amazing,”he said. “but the boys impressed methe most. They showed so muchheart and class in their play and theway they carried themselves. Whilewatching the game tapes theydemonstrated more knowledge of thegame than many of my teammatesand I had. It was clear that whatCoach Hillary had started to buildwhile I was there had grown intoHis commitment tothe boys createdlasting relationships“He couldn’t pick out one special kid over the years,”said Mrs. Hillary. “He loved them all. We received somany cards at Christmas and hetreasured them all.”These cards were a testament tothe years of love and caring heinvested in Cistercian boys.“After each game,” JackPritchett, a captain of the 1992team recalled, “win or lose, hewould walk around to every singleplayer individually in thelocker room and talk to themabout the game, and it might justhave been to say, ‘Hey, we’ll get‘em next time.’”Losses could be devastating andyet proud moments. “To the day Idie, I will never forget our gameagainst Greenhill my junior year[1986],” said Matt Hawkins. “Wedominated the larger Greenhillteam for the entire game. On thelast play of the game as the clockticked to 0, Greenhill completed a‘Hail Mary’ pass and snatched thevictory from us. We were reallyhurting. We had come so close topulling off a monumental upset. In the gym after thegame, Coach Hillary said he had never seen a gameHELPING HAND Coach Hillary madeno secret of his love for his players.Here he helps Dee Walker ’97 off thefield during the 1995 season.played so well with so much heart. He said he wouldnever forget it, and as we all held back tears, we knewhe meant it. What an honor!”“A great memory of Coach was when he took theseniors to dinner, just him and us before our last game,”remembered Wyatt Maxwell. “He talked with us andyou felt like you were the coolest guy in the world, sittingthere getting to talk with him.That was one of thegreatest things. He just wanted totake us out, tell us thanks for whatwe had given him and we thankedhim for all that he gave us.”David Patrick and Matt Walter,both Class of 1986, came back toa game in 1993. “He brought usboth into the locker room andintroduced us to the team,”Patrick recalled. “It was clearwhere his heart was when heremembered details from ourplaying days that many coacheswould forget. He always cared.”Each season, the number ofphone calls and reunions grew. InAugust, Coach Hillary was inundatedwith calls from graduateswanting to catch up, mull over thePhoto by Mark Cochran ’97 team’s prospects, and shoot thebull. Some would take him tolunch or bring a hamburger over tothe school if he was too busy. Oneway or another, they wanted toshare some time with the man. Hewould greet them with huge handshakesand hugs. He still loved them. That was plain.— David Stewart14The CONTINUUM