Bill McCreary of Gordon, Wisconsin is the second of four sons born to Roy and the late Leda McCreary in West Grove, Pennsylvania. He is a 1958 graduate of Indiana Joint High School where he won three letters in football, four in wrestling and two in track. Bill wrestled at 127 pounds his senior year and was one of four wrestlers in his weight class at State. Bill stayed at home and wrestled one season for Indiana State Teachers College. His first match was against West Virginia's Southern Conference Champion and his first loss of the season was in the Wilkes Open Tournament against Pitt's NCAA Champion Paul Powell by a 4-2 decision. Wisconsin State College, Superior was Bill's next stop. As a transfer student he had to wait till the second semester to wrestle. He received a season ending injury in his second match. The next two years, Bill won the Sate Intercollegiate and Conference Championships and was a two time all American. He had to defeat Wisconsin's Big 10 Champion to win his first state title. Bill was not granted a red shirt, but did stay on as an assistant to the late Hall of Famer Mertz Mortorelli. Mertz's first assistant, Ron Pifer from Penn State and Bill entered the tough Wilkes Open Tournament that December and both came away with championships at 158 and 123 pounds respectively. After graduating in 1963 with an Earth Science major and Phy Ed minor, Bill joined the Army and spent the next 3 years in Germany and West Point, New York. His three seasons at West Point were spent wrestling for Uncle Sam on the All Army Team under the late National Hall of Fame coach LeRoy Alitz. After winning the North East Olympic Trials Tournament, Bill qualified for the Final 1964 Olympic trials, in which he fell short. His overall record stands at 151-21-2. In the fall of 1965 Wurzburg American High School, in Wurzburg, Germany decided to start a wrestling program. Orders were cut to get Bill to start their program. He was more than willing. The team went 9-0 winning Regionals and third place in the All European Championships, and the 103 pound champion. Upon being honorably discharged on May 13, 1966, Bill began his teaching and coaching career. First at Bruce, then onto graduate school and assisting Mertz Mortorelli at UWS. Bill also had stints at Monroe and Neillsville before landing at Beloit Turner where he spent his last 22 years in education and coaching. After the regular season, Bill would get the Junior High kids wrestling, if there wasn't a program, and then move on to the elementary kids. This he did for 26 years. As a head coach, Bill had 215 wins, with 30 wrestlers qualifying for State. 17 were place winners. 2 won State Championships and 1 was USDESEA or All European Champion. 8 teams were Conference Champions and 5 teams were Regional Champions. 68 individuals were Conference Champions and 64 won Regionals and 19 won Sectionals. After being certified as a personal trainer in 1997 he became involved in giving nutrition presentations to high school wrestling teams. This later spread to church groups and fire departments, etc.. He has worked with the Beloit Fire Department and Superior Fire Department as their personal trainer. Becoming involved with the National Wrestling Coaches Association has led to Bill writing articles on the decline of wrestlers participating at the high school level and what we need to do to bring it back. There is much concern by those in the top positions of the NWCA. Bill is married to the former Bonnie Smith of Superior. Bonnie has been coaches top supporter for over 32 years. They've been married for 41 years and have three great children, a wonderful daughter-in-law and two precious grandchildren. Bill was inducted into the UW Superior hall of Fame in 1985 and the Indiana County Hall of Fame in Pennsylvania in 1998. A strong faith and trust in God is what has sustained Bill and still motivates and sustains him today.