PROVO, Utah – BYU Athletic Hall of Fame men’s head track and field coach, Willard Hirshci, passed away on Aug. 5 surrounded by family. Throughout his life, Hirschi made a meaningful impact in the lives of others, especially those in his program.
“Coach Willard Hirschi was a master technician, motivator and mentor,” said current Cross Country/Track and Field Head Coach Ed Eyestone. “As the men's sprint and then head coach, Coach Hirschi ushered in a sprint era like no other, that included the making of Olympic medalists and national champions such as Frankie Fredricks, Leonard Myles-Mills and Ralph Mann. He was a no-nonsense coach who required much and always got the best out of his athletes. His athletes respected him for his determination to make them better and they knew that he was proud of their accomplishments. His legacy lives on through current BYU sprint coach Kyle Grossarth whom he coached and mentored. He will be missed.”
“Coach Hirschi had a large influence on my time at BYU being my hurdles coach,” Grossarth said. “I often reflect on so many great moments that I had with Coach Hirschi as we would travel across the country to various competitions. Coach Hirschi was a coach that was easy to respect because of the respect that he had for himself as well as his athletes. His style was very simple, yet effective. I will forever be grateful for the experiences that I had while being coached by Hirschi, the lessons learned, and the belief that he showed in me as an athlete. I am hopeful that I can carry some of his legacy forward as the sprints and hurdles coach at BYU.”
A Rockville, Utah, native, Hirschi was a hurdler at BYU. He also attended Arizona State and Stanford, where he completed coursework toward a doctoral degree. Following various teaching and coaching positions, he joined the BYU faculty in 1964 as a health science teacher and volunteer track coach. After years of helping Clarence Robison build the BYU track and field program and training numerous successful athletes as an assistant, Hirschi was appointed men’s head track coach in 1988.
Under Hirschi’s direction, BYU’s track teams dominated the West Athletic and Mountain West Conferences. In his 12 years as head coach, the Cougars won 11-straight indoor conference championships (1990-00) and nine outdoor conference championships (1989-93, 1995, 1998-00). Due to his teams’ success, Hirschi was named the indoor or outdoor WAC/MWC Coach of the Year 14 times in his 12 years as head coach.
Hirschi’s teams also achieved great success on a national stage. He coached three athletes who claimed a total of six titles at the NCAA championships and 29 of his athletes combined to earn 57 All-America honors. He led his teams to three top-15 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships and three top-15 finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In addition to his many years coaching at BYU, Hirschi was also a two-time USA Track and Field coach in the Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996) Olympics. Several of the athletes Hirschi coached as an assistant and head coach at BYU athletes also went on to compete in the Olympics, including four-time silver medalist Frankie Fredericks, silver medalist Ralph Mann, silver medalist Oluyemi Kayode and Leonard Myles-Mills.
Hirschi became the recipient of BYU’s Circle of Honor award in 1999 and was inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015. He served in numerous church callings, including bishop and stake presidency counselor. Hirschi also served a service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Welfare Services Department and was an ordinance worker at the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple.
Willard Hirschi was 89.