William McLaughlin

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Bill graduated from Montrose High School in 1951, where he earned 12 varsity letters in four different sports: baseball, basketball, track and volleyball. Bill entered the U.S. Army in 1953 and while serving in Europe was assigned to Special Services where he was player-coach in baseball and basketball for two seasons. He traveled around Europe and in 1954 pitched his team to a doubleheader win over Nuremberg. Upon discharge, Bill attended East Stroudsburg State Teachers College. He started his teaching and coaching career at Northern Potter School District in Coudersport, PA in 1959. As head basketball and track coach, in four seasons Bill took a losing program and turned it into a Western PA State contender. In the Fall of 1963, Bill was hired as the varsity basketball coach of Mountain View High School, where the Eagles became an instant force. Bill developed his famed 1-3-1 trapping defense. While teaching at Mountain View, Bill also coached track, cross-country and volleyball. Bill had numerous District championships in track and his teams hold many district records. He coached varsity basketball from 1959 to 1979 and again in 1984, when he made the playoffs his first season back. Bill’s overall record was 361 wins and 227 losses. He coached two district championship teams and seven class “A” league champions. His teams played in the PA Quarter-finals twice. Bill won ten different Christmas tournaments. From 1974-1994 Bill worked numerous basketball camps as coach and clinician. For ten years Bill was director of varsity players at Villanova University under legendary coach Jack Craft. For twenty years Bill was a high school soccer official and for forty years a baseball umpire. He is currently umpiring girls’ softball. In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, Bill pitched baseball for many town teams, followed by modified softball then slow pitch softball. Bill retired from teaching and coaching at the high school level in 1989. Bill and his supportive wife Esther, who never missed a game, live in Montrose. They have one son, William, two daughters, Marsha and Kelly. They lost a son Robert at age 3 in 1963. They have four grandchildren. Joshua and Ashley Jones, and Jackie and Danny Fluegel.