[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 59 (Wednesday, May 4, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF WILLIAM ``BILL'' MUNSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 4, 2011

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
memory of William ``Bill'' Munsey of Pompano Beach, Florida, who passed 
away on April 3, 2011 at age 86 after a valiant struggle against 
cancer. Bill had a long and celebrated career in athletics. As a young 
man at Fleming High School in Roanoke, Virginia, he played football, 
basketball, tennis and ran track. In 1942, Bill enrolled at Roanoke 
College on an athletic scholarship. Following football season, he 
entered the U.S. Navy as a member of the Amphibious Forces and served 
as a ``frogman'' in both the Atlantic and Pacific commands. After his 
military service, Bill returned to Roanoke College, where he played 
basketball.
  Bill and his wife, Jane, moved to Florida in 1949, where he began 
teaching and coaching at Riverside Military Academy in Hollywood. 
During that time, he attended the University of Miami, graduating in 
1950 with a degree in Physical Education. He loved Miami football and 
was always proud to be a ``Hurricane.''
  Bill Munsey began his career in high school coaching in 1954 at Pine 
Crest School, where he was known as the ``cornerstone'' of the athletic 
program. He coached Pine Crest's first football team and served as its 
first Athletic Director. He built a legendary and very successful 
career, serving as coach and Athletic Director for 38 years. As head of 
the football program, Coach Munsey led his teams to nine conference 
titles, eight district titles and four regional titles. His football 
teams won 61 of 63 games during the 1987 to 1993 seasons. He compiled a 
career record of 216-92-2 that included four undefeated seasons.
  Bill Munsey loved all sports, and during his 38 years at Pine Crest, 
he also coached basketball, baseball, golf and track. His excellence as 
a coach was recognized with numerous awards. He was voted Broward 
County Football Coach of the Year six times and won the 1988 Football 
Coach Gold Award, a scholastic award. Besides the prominence of his 
football teams, his basketball teams won four district titles and a 
trip to the state Final Four in 1961.
  During his career, Coach Munsey was inducted into the Florida Coaches 
Association Hall of Fame, the FHSAA Hall of Fame and Pine Crest's own 
Athletic Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Broward County Sports 
Hall of Fame and was named Athletic Director of the Year. Coach Munsey 
was also a football and basketball official and actually held the first 
Broward County officials' meetings in his home. Bill Munsey was known 
to say that he never recruited a player from another school and that a 
Pine Crest student-athlete had to be both smart and a good athlete to 
play for him.
  Mr. Speaker, Bill Munsey's absence will be felt by the many players 
he coached, the people he coached with and against and all who knew and 
admired him for the honest, dedicated sports professional that he was. 
I am pleased to honor his memory.

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