William "Bill" Buck

Coach Buck heard the final whistle as time expired February 12, 2025, in Seneca, Kansas after a long struggle with spinal stenosis and then dementia. Bill was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and a football coach to many. He was preceded in death by his parents Rolland and Dorothy Buck and one year to the day by Barbara, his wife of 69 years. He is survived by his sister Rollene Goodloe; son Bill Jr., his wife Susan, granddaughters Alexandra and Lizabeth and great-granddaughters Vivienne, Elodie, and Adeline; son Steven; and son Ronald, his wife Germaine and granddaughters Emilia, Olivia, and Jelisa.

Bill was born July 17, 1934, in Marysville Kansas where he grew up in difficult circumstances due to the Depression and WWII. He lived much of his youth with grandparents Anna and William Kouni while his mother built bombers in Wichita during the war and then while she traveled as a civilian military employee after the war. He attended Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, NE where he met Barbara. He lettered in football, basketball, and baseball and graduated in 1956. He and Barbara were married on August 17, 1954, in Phoenix during his mother’s stint at Luke AFB. After he graduated from college they moved to Phoenix and he earned his master's degree in education at Arizona State University. In 1959 Bill accepted a teaching and coaching position at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix which led to his lifelong passion of coaching football. He steadily learned the game and became head football coach at Sunnyslope. He was an early believer in the benefits of weight training for athletes and volunteered time along with his assistant coaches to run the summer weight training program at Sunnyslope. In 1969 they became the first football team in Arizona to adopt the triple option resulting in a Cinderella season in 1970 during which they upset multiple undefeated opponents and finished State Runner-Up. Bill was named Arizona High School Coach of the Year in 1970. He benefitted from a dedicated coaching staff at Sunnyslope especially Ted Christy and Don Kersey and they remained lifelong friends. Bill took a break from football the following year but remained on the teaching staff at Sunnyslope until 1975. In 1972 he was an assistant coach on his son’s youth football team for one year before becoming an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Phoenix College for 3 exciting seasons. In 1976, he moved back to Kansas and took the job as head football coach and athletic director at Marysville High School, his alma mater, resulting in their first winning season in several years. The following year he left education to pursue business opportunities and he and Barbara established several successful businesses in Marysville and Manhattan Kansas. He continued coaching in Marysville at the high school and junior high school off and on for years. He coached his final season of football at the age of 80 serving as head coach of Marysville Junior High where he continued to use the triple option and led them to an undefeated season. Bill coached football with dedication and intensity and expected the same from his players. He cared greatly about the welfare of his players and he and Barbara took players in temporarily in times of family crisis. He thoroughly enjoyed visits from former players and catching up on their journeys as they moved forward in life.

Bill was also an avid and skilled golfer and coached the Sunnyslope golf team for several years. He practiced regularly, played often, gave lessons, and had many golfing buddies over the years both in Phoenix and Marysville. After leaving education he and Barbara had the flexibility to return to Phoenix during winter months and he enjoyed spending time visiting and golfing with his former coaching colleagues and players. He also became a great fan of Kansas State football as they built their program attending many games and traveling to bowl games with family.

Bill will be greatly missed by his family and his family feels greatly indebted to the many friends and neighbors of Bill and Barbara who assisted them these past several years.

A memorial service was held at 3 p.m., Wednesday, February 19, at Kinsley Mortuary in Marysville. Visitation with the family present continued until 6 p.m. at Kinsley Mortuary. Burial will take place in the Marysville City Cemetery at a later date when the family can travel safely.

If you would like additional remembrances of his football days including Bill roaming the sideline view the YouTube video “Sunnyslope Viking Football 1970.”