There may be no one more definitively Naperville Central than Bill Seiple. A deeply proud Redskin and Redhawk, Seiple gave himself unconditionally in serving a home he loved at each stage of his life. A quick perusal of pictures from his career as player and coach reveals a competitor with an easy, warm grin, and eyes set seriously on what’s ahead. That uncommon blend of twinkle and edge point to a heart that’s both perpetually youthful and reflectively analytical. His unique and powerful presence intimately shaped the experiences of all who learned from and worked with Bill.His love for NCHS began as an eager student-athlete in the basketball gym and on the baseball diamond. He remembered, “I played on two very good high school baseball teams. In 1970, we finished 16-7, and won district and regional championships. We fell 4-2 in 8 innings in the sectional championship to Bradley-Bourbonnais. In 1971, we finished 18-5 and won the Upstate Conference, district and regional championships. Again, we fell one game short of the state finals, losing 1-0 to eventual state champion Waukegan. Those two losses haunted me until we broke through in 2006.” That competitive young man never lost the fire or feeling of those seasons, channeling them in his later years as head baseball coach. Seiple was a talented and focused athlete fully committed to team. As a senior, he was named an All- Upstate Conference second baseman.Seiple’s passion for baseball continued as a four-year letterman at Monmouth College, where he won the Southern Division of the Midwest Conference in 1972 and the Midwest Conference Championship in 1974 and 1975. He was named an All-Midwest Conference second baseman as a senior. A hardworking student and athlete, Seiple focused his studies on history and prepared for a career in education. Seiple had known since he was a little boy that he wanted to coach. As he explained, “I don’t know that I ever seriously considered anything else. I grew up in a house that was always playing, competing, keeping score […] If there wasn’t a game available, we would invent one.” While life as a brother to three very competitive brothers and a sister may have ignited his interest, his experiences with his high school coaches solidified his decision to coach: “My charge, when it came to choose a vocation, a career, was to find a venue which would allow me to coach.”Coaching proved to be a powerful calling for Seiple. He began his career at Jefferson Junior High School, where he coached basketball, while also serving as an assistant baseball coach at Naperville North. Seiple was named head baseball coach at Naperville Central in 1982 and went on win over 700 games in his career. Amazingly, Seiple never coached a losing season. In fact, he posted 25 twenty-win seasons and 3 thirty-win seasons. His teams won 10 DVC titles, 13 Regional titles, three Sectional titles, two Super Sectional championships, one IHSBCA State Summer Championship and two IHSA State Championships (2006 and 2010). He was a three-time IHSBCA Coach of the year and collected honors as the Wheaton Daily Journal Coach of the Year (1983), IHSBCA Les Miller Man of the Year (1987), and Naperville Sun Coach of the Year (1990). In 1996, he was elected to the IHSBCA Hall of Fame, and in 2004, he earned the IHSBCA President’s Award. He gave back to the sport he loved so deeply by serving a term as president of the IHSBCA and ten years as a member of the Board of Directors.While immensely successful, Seiple does not dwell on accolades, choosing instead to focus on the heart of it all: working with young people and great coaches. His favorite memories center on his relationships with athletes and coaches, the contests (over 1000 in 30 years!), preparing for the post-season, and the very first day of practice – all 30 of them. He remembered “the thrill of the early morning wake-up. The anxiety of being over-prepared for the first day. The shared excitement of the coaches, the prospective players, the families,” all of it tied to the rhythm of the spring, the unfolding of predictable yet unpredictable seasons. Seiple was drawn to the purity and depth of high school athletics, finding any and every way to enhance the experience for athletes, colleagues and fans alike. An IHSA basketball official since 1974, he also felt very fortunate to serve as the public address announcer for Redskin/Redhawk football games for twenty years. As the voice of Naperville Central booming over the PA, Seiple never failed to simultaneously capture and celebrate the magic at the heart of high school sports.Seiple’s energy and influence extended well beyond the diamond, basketball gym, and press box. As a Social Studies teacher, Transition Coordinator and Dean, Seiple took great pride in shaping student learning and growth, both inside and beyond the classroom. He explained, “I am very proud of my role as a teacher and an administrator at Naperville Central. It was very important to me to be viewed as a teacher/dean first and a coach second. I loved the impact you could have as a dean, involving yourself with students and their families. I also have great memories of working with teaching staff […] working to support and guide them in their educational journeys.” Inarguably, Seiple’s support, experience, and wisdom have left an indelible fingerprint on the professional and personal lives of his fellow Redhawks. Married 32 years to wife, Nancy, Seiple is embracing the gifts of retirement, especially time with his two children, their spouses and his four grandchildren, who undoubtedly widen that grin and deepen the twinkle. Though still tremendously loyal to, invested in, and fond of his alma mater, his eyes are now set firmly on his own home.