The passing of the highly respected Bill Marsh as head coach of San Fernando High School football team during their glory days has brought back fond memories and praise from those who were there.
During his tenure, Marsh brought great success. He brought the wishbone offense, considered the most productive offense in college football in the 1970s and ‘80s, to the city, leading the team to back-to-back Los Angeles City Section championships in 1974 and 1975.
He coached many notable players, including Charles White, Kevin Williams and Kenny Moore – who all enrolled in the University of Southern California (USC). In particular, White would win the Heisman Trophy in 1975, the award given to the most outstanding player in college football.
The Pacoima native, who also played football at San Fernando High, retired in 1979, becoming a businessman and later moving to Porter Ranch. And on Aug. 3, Marsh passed away.
The example of an inspiring coach is remembered by Charles Burnley, the current head coach of the San Fernando High football team, but was once a player during Marsh’s time with the team. Burnley described him as a legendary coach and how he, even now, tries to emulate what Marsh did with the football team.
“He was a no-nonsense guy,” Burnley said. “He was the kind of guy that was a true leader by example. He was the kind of coach that would tell you exactly how it was with no punches pulled. He set the standard.
“Everything about the way the program ran when I was here as an athlete, I try to inject into our program,” he continued. “How the program should go, how players should interact with the coaches and how coaches should interact with the players. That is a huge part of how I run this program here.”
Even as both grew older, they kept in touch from time to time, as Burnley said that Marsh got into the real estate business.
Burnley said he first heard about Marsh’s passing through a group chat with other former players. As he was just coming back from a vacation, he didn’t receive any notifications until Tuesday. Reflecting on their time together, Burnley expressed just how important a figure Marsh was in his life.
“Marsh was a true innovator and a true leader, not just on the football field, but even in the community,” Burnley said. “With his real estate prowess and his ability to take his situation and show us young guys how to get into the real estate game and how valuable it was, it speaks volumes. He was just almost like a father figure.”