Coach Dick Hill 1929 - 2017

Our beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend Richard G. (Coach Dick) Hill passed away peacefully on December 9, 2017 surrounded by his family. He was the son of William Winslow Hill and Alta Petty, born March 16, 1929 in Latuda, Utah.

Dick graduated from Carbon High School in 1947 after serving as the senior class president. In 1947 he attended Brigham Young University on a football scholarship where he excelled in three sports: football, baseball and wrestling. In 1951 Dick earned the J. Edwin Stein award as BYU’s “all around athlete” lettering in all three sports. Although, his greatest accomplishment in college was marrying the love of his life Donna Beth Steadman on June 1, 1950. Their marriage was solemnized after football season on November 27, 1950.

After graduating from BYU in 1951, Dick accepted his first coaching assignment at Grand High School in Moab, Utah. This started his love affair with coaching and teaching young men and women. He is beloved and respected for the service and dedication he continually showed to the athletes and students he coached and interacted with during his career.

Respectfully remembered as “Coach Hill”, he coached at Grand High School from 1951-1954. In the fall of 1954, he was hired by Provo High School as the head football coach. He was proudly associated with the Provo High “Bulldogs” for the remainder of his professional career, which spanned over 33 years, retiring in 1987.

During his career at Provo High, Dick served as the head football coach and the assistant basketball coach from 1954-1972. In 1968, he became the head golf coach and in 1972 assumed the responsibility as athletic director serving in both those positions until he retired in 1987. During his tenure as the head football coach, Dick never had a losing season and is to this day the “winningest” football coach in Provo High’s history, leaving a wonderful legacy.

However, to Dick it was always about his players, in winning or defeat he cared more for the athlete than he did himself. And although he never sought recognition, Dick was inducted into three separate Utah High School Hall of Fames for coaching, refereeing wrestling and again for his dedication and ground breaking service to his school and the state of Utah as an athletic director. In 1984, Dick was 1 of 5 athletic directors to receive the National Athletic Association’s Recognition for Service Award and was very instrumental in founding the Utah Athletic Directors Association. For his ever-present positive influence on young men, Dick has also received special recognition awards from Brigham Young University and Southern Utah University.

During his athletic years at BYU he was converted and baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he remained active all of his life. He has served in many positions including the bishopric and high council. After retiring he and his wife Donna served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Houston Texas Mission.

Although Dick loved coaching, he viewed his most important role in life as that of a husband and father. He and Donna loved to golf and travel together and enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren. He was married to his sweetheart for 67 years, having 2 sons, 14 grandchildren and over 40 great grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Hank and grandson Jeffrey Ryan Hill. He is survived by his wife and two sons Michael Richard (Nancy) and Jeffrey William (Sherrie) Hill, as well as his brother Bill (Colleen) Hill from California.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday December 16th at the Grandview 9th Ward located at 1555 North 1350 West, Provo, Utah. You are also invited to attend a viewing from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday December 15th at Nelson Family Mortuary located at 4780 N. University Ave. Provo, Utah. There will be an additional viewing from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the 9th Ward Chapel before the funeral services. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the “Five for the Fight” organization fighting cancer. To express condolences visit www.NelsonMortuary.com