SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
William "Bill" Rasbeek

Bill came from the "suburbs" of East Guilford, where he spent many a sunny day playing sandlot baseball ... entered Sidney in 6th grade. From Junior High Sports, Bill went right into varsity action playing football as a freshman, lettering all four years .... By senior year made all-league and was selcted to play in the All-Star game at Oxford .... Played Varsity Basketball & lettered two years... was also a Varsity baseball player & lettered four years, serving as captain during senior season ... Was selected to play in the annual Cooperstown Baseball Game for seniors at Doubleday Field.

When the Triplets were the Yankees Eastern league team, Bill tried out by invitation though, in his words, I should have stayed home; [I was] good hit - no field"...when there was no baseball game or practice, Bill took up the idea of Coach Fran Redmond (Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2003) to participate in track, mainly in the high jump and 880 yard run ... Among numerous summer jobs, Bill set pins at 20th Century Lanes ... College athletics were secondary to academics at SUNY Cortland (BS in Health and Physical Education) ... Bill played two years of JV Football then made the Varsity team, seeing limited action ... he was forced out by Knee problems and broken ribs Also played intramural basketball and was head manager for the Baseball team ... Military career culminated as a medics in the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky... there Bill played football with the division team ... Married B. Pauline Martin a fellow graduate of SUNY Cortland.... later was shipped to Heidelberg, Germany. and officiated basketball, Baseball and Boxing in his spare time ... First teaching position upon discharge from USA was in Hancock, where Bill taught Health and Physical Education, served as Athletic Director, and coached all four boys varsity sports - Football, Basketball, Baseball and track ... Attended Colgate University to work on Masters program in Science and School Administration ... He secured a position in Camden, NY teaching Science and was able to coach Varsity Football as well as JV Basketball ... Was appointed in 1961 by Superintendent Cody to be Junior High Principal ... Bill also served as back up to the Pleasant Street Teaching Principal if and when needed. Was urged (again) by Athletic Director Fran Redmond into coaching the Ninth Grade Basketball Team for two years .... During that time, Bill received a second Master's Degree, this one from SUNY Oneonta in Guidance and Elementary Education ... Was appointed High School Principal at Sidney for the fall of 1965, however in an unusual series of events ended up in Madison as their Superintendent instead .... Over the next few decades, Bill added Tully and Fulton to the list of schools for whom he served as Superintendent ... Participated in many professional and community activities, including youth and family sports programs. Among these were: President of the (Section III) Onondaga League & Athletic League's Executive Committee; Superintendent Representative to the NYSPHSAA; and inducted member of the Section III Wrestling Hall of Fame ... Bill gives credit here to the interest in athletics he says was formed at Sidney... How special it must be, after all this time, to be honored by his Alma mater and with his fellow classmate Lee Murdoch, as a member of the Class of 2010 of the Sidney Sports Hall of Fame!