Interlake Football Coach Takes Bellevue Job -- No More `Living Out Of A Briefcase'

BELLEVUE - After five years of commuting between Sumner and Bellevue, Bill Heglar finally landed the teaching job that will end his road weariness.

But he had to quit both jobs to do it.

Heglar, who spent the past five football seasons as Interlake High School's head coach, has been hired across town to replace Bellevue High Coach Dwaine Hatch. Heglar also will teach physical education.

"God, I'm a real teacher now," said Heglar, who has taught at four schools in the Sumner School District the past five years. "I'm not living out of a briefcase."

Heglar and his family moved from Sumner last year, reversing his hellish commute for a few months.

"I think I was trying to wear out the other side of my car," he said. "And making that 405 drive, I'm either 20 minutes early for school or 10 minutes late - never on time. . . . I won't know what to do now."

Heglar had sought a teaching job in Bellevue since taking the Interlake coaching job.

"I feel real good for Bill. I feel real bad for us and our players," said Mike Hennech, Interlake athletic director. "He really hated to leave, and we hated to lose him, but everybody in this business has to do what's best for you and your family. He was hoping something would open up here, but there's nothing there and we don't anticipate anything."

Heglar's Interlake teams were 15-30 the past five seasons, most recently going 7-2 last fall.

"He has vast experience in teaching as well as coaching football," said Al Strand, Bellevue athletic director. "He was a sound person who would make a good transition for us, and we were real happy to get him. So we're excited."

Hatch resigned last winter after 18 seasons, 109 victories and a 1983 state championship at Bellevue.

"I'm obviously not going to improve on anything he did, but I just hope I can keep the flame kindled," Heglar said.

In addition to the chance to coach and teach at the same school, Heglar said he was attracted to Bellevue because of its strong tradition of running the Wing-T offensive formation - the same offense Heglar tried to emulate at Interlake.

He hopes to change the second-strongest Bellevue football tradition: low turnout. The entire program has had fewer than 30 players at some points in recent seasons.

"I don't understand what that's all about," Heglar said. "That's going to be one goal we have, to get more kids out. I hope that's something that just evolves. The Bellevue schools have new weight facilities going in, and we're going to use that as a focal point."

Perhaps the only thing tougher to face during his transition was his Interlake players.

Yesterday "was the day I went in and told the kids," Heglar said. "I thought I was ready for it. We got the kids out of class, and I thought I was going to be OK . . . they came into the weight room, and I lost it. I'm not quite sure what I said, but that's probably the hardest thing I've ever done."

He wouldn't have left, he said, if it wasn't such an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"That's part of it," he said. "There was nothing negative to Interlake at all. . . . I tried to let the kids know there was no dissatisfaction at all with Interlake, but it was the instability with the teaching situation at Sumner."

Heglar had taught at four schools, at the high-school, middle-school and elementary-school levels just in the past five years.

"I've been an Emerald Hills Laker, a Sumner Spartan, a Lake-ridge Hawk and a Sumner Junior High Fighting Bobcat - and an Interlake Saint," he said. "I tell you , I've got more sweatshirts - I could probably start a sweatshirt shop with all I've got."

Coaching notes

-- Hennech said he expects Pat Knight, a football assistant and head wrestling coach at Interlake, to apply for the Heglar vacancy. Anyone else interested in the job should call Hennech at 455-6171.

-- Strand said another head-coaching vacancy opened at Bellevue when boys soccer coach Paul Meehan resigned after six seasons. Anyone interested in applying for that job should call Strand at 455-6215.