Shillings fit in with the best centers at Brownsville
Brownsville High School had a run of outstanding centers on the football squad, guys like John 鈥淪hag鈥� Wolosky and Don Kostelnik. Bill Shillings fit right in with the best of them.
Shillings was a standout football and baseball player at Brownsville in the late 1950s. He was on Brownie squads that posted records of 7-2-1 in 1956, 2-6 in 1957 and 3-6 in 1958.
鈥淲e changed coaches when I played,鈥� Shillings said. 鈥淲e went from Alex Barantovich, who coached my sophomore and junior seasons, to John Pringle, who was head coach my senior year. Barantovich was more of an old school coach and Pringle was more of a modern-day guy. He could get along with young players. I respected coach Pringle. A lot of people at the time said he was too young to be a coach. He played college football, he knew the game.鈥�
Shillings didn鈥檛 really get a lot of playing time until his junior season.
鈥淚n 1956 when I was a freshman we went 9-1 and we had Andy Sepsi, who I thought was one of the toughest guys around.鈥�
鈥淚 really didn鈥檛 get a lot of playing time as a sophomore鈥� Shillings recalled. 鈥淚t was like a caste system down there at that time. Don Kostelnik held down the center position until he graduated in 1956 and he was a hitter.鈥�
Schillings developed into a fine two-way player at center and linebacker for the Brownies and pulled down some nice honors as a senior in 1958. He first team All-Big 6 Conference at center, All-Fayette County first team, East-West All-Stars first team, 1958 Associated Press honorable mention All-State, and United Press International third team All-State.
鈥淚t might seem like I was bragging, but our team was not really that great except for quarterback George Baker and me,鈥� Shillings said. 鈥淏aker was probably one of the best offensive backs at Brownsville.鈥�
Shillings also played baseball for coach Charlie Slick at Brownsville.
鈥淚 did play baseball and as a matter of fact, I thought I was better at baseball than I was at football,鈥� Shillings offered.
鈥淚 really liked baseball, it was just a fun game to me. We won the section I think every year that I played. I went out when I was a freshman and a guy that had a lot to do with me going out for baseball was Paul 鈥淏uck鈥� Redzanic, he was a heck of an athlete. I was a catcher.
鈥淐oach Charlie Slick was the man, a great coach. I learned more from that man about self discipline. He was a legendary coach.鈥�
When Shillings graduated from Brownsville in 1959, he had some interest for baseball.
鈥淚 had interest from a school out West for baseball,鈥� Shillings said. 鈥淚 had numerous offers from schools like North Carolina and Miami. West Virginia would take me up to the basketball games to watch Jerry West play and that place was crazy when he played. That sold me on West Virginia and coach Art 鈥淧appy鈥� Lewis got me to commit.鈥�
Shillings never got to play for Lewis. After a year on the freshman squad, when Shillings joined the varsity in 1960, Gene Corum replaced Lewis as head coach.
鈥淭hat was a big drop off,鈥� Shillings lamented. 鈥淚 liked coach Lewis鈥� style and enthusiasm.鈥�
Shillings was a three-year letterman for the Mountaineers at center and linebacker. Playing on teams that went 0-8-2 in 1960, 4-6 in 1961 and 8-2 in 1962, the losses coming to Oregon State (51-21) and Penn State (34-6).
鈥淲e lost Oregon State and Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker,鈥� Shillings stated. 鈥淭he bottom line is we didn鈥檛 change anything in that particular game going against an All-American quarterback. We came back in the second half and scored 21 points and that was it, but we didn鈥檛 make any adjustments against Baker.鈥�
Shillings beat Pitt twice during his career at West Virginia. The Mountaineers downed the Panthers 20-6 in 1961 and 15-8 in 1962.
鈥淎ctually, our big games were Syracuse and Pitt,鈥� Shillings said. 鈥淲e beat Pitt when I was a freshman, so I actually beat them three times during my career. I started getting significant playing time when I was junior and played center and linebacker. We had good talent, probably the best football player we had in my class was Ken Herock, who played for the Oakland Raiders. We also had Tom Woodeshick, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles.
鈥淥ne problem we had was the quarterback position. We went through quarterbacks like they went through toilet tissue. It was unbelievable; they got hurt in practice they never got hurt in the games.鈥�
Shillings was pleased with his decision to attend West Virginia.
鈥淚 thought about transferring as a sophomore,鈥� Shillings said. 鈥淢y dad said you gave your word so stay and play.鈥�
When he graduated from WVU Shillings went into teaching.
鈥淚 started at Fairchance Georges in 1964,鈥� Shillings said. 鈥淚 was an assistant football coach for Joe Barkley. I became the head coach in 1968.鈥�
Shillings guided the Runners to records of 2-7 in 1968, 4-5 in 1969, 2-6-1 in 1970 and 1-7-1 in 1971.
鈥淚 also coached as an assistant for Joe Sepic,鈥� Shillings said. 鈥淢y dad was suffering from cancer and I stepped aside as head coach. I continued to help with Sepic. I retired from teaching in 1998.鈥�
Shillings married Terry Karpiak in 1964, she passed away in 2001. They did not have any children. Shillings, 73, resides in Uniontown.
鈥淚 enjoyed athletics very much, I enjoyed the whole ball of wax,鈥� Shillings said.