Former Manlius coach treated everyone fair
Bill Jenkins spent most of his life in a gymnasium or on a football field. It was only fitting his friends paid their final respects to him there.
The former Manlius and Polo high school coach passed away at age 76 Oct. 28. Hundreds of friends and former students attended his visitation Nov. 1 that was held in the Polo High School gymnasium with a display of family and school pictures taken over the years.
One of those friends is Kenny Bourquin, who coached alongside Jenkins at Manlius. Jenkins was Bourquin’s assistant for football, and Bourquin was Jenkins’ assistant for basketball.
Bourquin took over the Red Devils’ basketball program in 1960 when Jenkins departed for Polo.
“He was a real a top-notch coach. Really strong offensively and defensively. He had good teams when he was here,” Bourquin said.
Jenkins was good-natured, but Bourquin said he took his basketball seriously.
“He was a joker, but when it came to basketball, he was as serious as can be,” he said.
It is no surprise Terry Jenkins, the athletic director and F/S football coach at Polo High school, followed his father’s footsteps into the teaching and coaching field. The young Jenkins grew up around it.
“I’ve been going to his basketball practices since I was a first-grader, riding the bus to New Bedford,” he said. “I’ve been around him in coaching situations since I was 5 years old. I really never thought about anything else.”
When Terry Jenkins came back to Polo to become varsity basketball coach in 1989, he took over his dad’s driver’s ed classroom. Bill moved across the street to teach seventh grade.
“I didn’t have to change a thing in his room. It was still Mr. Jenkins,” Terry said.
The best attribute learned from his father was how to treat people
“He was always fair with people. He expected things done a certain way and upheld you to those standards,” Terry said.
Bill Jenkins continued to serve as an assistant football coach at Polo well past his retirement, 54 years in all, including nine seasons alongside his son. This past season was the first time Bill had not coached.
“It was fun the whole time. Not many people get to do that with your dad,” said Terry, who also played for his dad at Polo.
Jenkins had some great basketball teams at Manlius with the talents of guys like Chuck Hewitt, Steve Doty, Dean Lubbs and Sam Johnson, to name a few. Doty, who played at Bradley and had a long successful coaching career at Washington High School, spoke at his former coach’s visitation.
In his first season, the Red Devils went 26-3 with a district tittle in 1956-57. He racked up three straight 20-win seasons in his final three years at Manlius with two more district crowns and left with two conference championships and six holiday tournaments.
He left Manlius for Polo in 1965 and continued his winning ways with a 19-5 debut with the Marcos. He continued as head coach there through 1976.
Jenkins, a Kewanee native and Knox College athlete, was inducted into both the Illinois Football and Basketball Coaches Associations Hall of Fame
• I’d like to extend condolences to the Jenkins’ family. I got to speak to Bill occasionally over the years on Bureau County history and found him to be a fine gentleman.
• Parting shots: I was surprised as anyone to see J.A. Happ not win the N.L. Rookie of the Year. He became the best pitcher on the league’s best team, despite a little hiccup in September, following a rib cage injury. His peers had already named him as the league’s top rookie by the Sporting News and Player’s Choice awards. Goes to show you what those writer’s really know. I voted for him, but my vote doesn’t count.
Kevin Hieronymus is the BCR Sports editor. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com.
