Family, SFHS Players Gather for Celebration of Life for Coach Bill Marsh

Family, friends and former players of the San Fernando High School football team filled the pews of the New Christ Memorial Church in the City of San Fernando, all gathering to remember the life of William L. “Bill” Marsh.

To the Northeast Valley community, Marsh was most widely known for his success as the football team’s head coach. Using the wishbone offense, considered the most productive offense in college football, led the Tigers to back-to-back Los Angeles City Section championships in 1974 and ‘75. 

But to those who knew him personally, he was more than just his success on the field. 

“I thought about how I could talk about the person that you know as a coach, a mentor, a community member, but I know as daddy,” said Kris Marsh, the youngest of Bill’s three daughters. Using football terms, Kris took the time to talk about the many “touchdowns” of his life.

Born on April 24, 1947, in Pacoima, Bill grew up the eldest of three children. He attended San Fernando High, where he played football, baseball and ran track and field. He was a pivotal part of the Tigers’ football offense, accumulating 1,637 rushing yards.

Bill earned a full scholarship to attend Arizona State University in 1965, where he majored in physical education. In 1966, he married his high school sweetheart, Deborah, and had his first child, Kim.

After graduating in 1969, Bill landed a job at his old high school as an assistant varsity football coach. Three years later, he was listed as one of the school’s athletic coordinators. 

And between 1972 and ‘73, Bill welcomed his next two daughters into the world: Kelli and Kris. 

Then came the school’s famous back-to-back championship wins. Although the Tigers began the 1974 season with a loss, they bounced back with 12 straight victories. And in 1975, he coached several players who all made names for themselves, including Charles White, Kenny Moore and Kevin and Raymond Williams. 

After Bill retired from coaching in 1979, he founded his construction and real-estate development business, Marsh Enterprises, in a vacant lot that was gifted to him by his grandmother after his college graduation. Through his business, Bill managed and developed several properties in his family’s name and provided affordable family housing for many in the Northeast Valley.

In his later years, Bill was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. On Aug. 5, he passed away at the age of 79.

A Loving Father

Kris described her father as someone who never missed an opportunity to support his children. When she was a cheerleader for Kennedy High School, Bill attended every game she was a part of, even though he was in “rival” territory. 

She recounted one story of going to Los Angeles for a game when she noticed her father was unusually late. Bill told her afterwards that all the lights in his car went out.

“But my father was so emphatic about showing up for me, he drove from the San Fernando Valley to LA with no lights on in his luxury car to see his baby girl,” said Kris. “As I age, I understand the level of harm my father put himself in, but he was still willing to put himself in harm’s way just to show up for his daughter.”

That willingness to be there for others is something Kris inherited, as she does the same for her students as an associate professor at the University of Maryland. 

Kris recounted a moment during the last few weeks of her father’s life when she was at his Porter Ranch home and the power went out. After turning on the flashlights on their phones and waiting in the family room for the caretaker to arrive, Bill turned to her and simply said, “Thank you, Kris.”

“The way I interpreted the thank you … was [him saying], ‘Kris, Kelli and Kim, thank you for the daughters you became. Thank you, Kris, Kelli and Kim, for carrying my legacy forward. Thank you, Kris, Kelli and Kim, for allowing me to be your father. And thank you, Kim, Kelly and Kris, for showing up for me.”

It was one of the last “thank yous” she received before he passed away two days after her birthday. 

“But the story does not end here. My father did not get to execute his point after his final touchdown,” Kris said. “We, the three Kays, are left with the task to execute the point after touchdown [PAT] of my father’s legacy. … And with the blood of Coach Marsh running through our bones and our faith in God, we know that anything is possible.”