The coach, his brother, and late father all are members of the Section V Basketball Hall of Fame.
Compiled by CRAIG POTTER / C&C Worldwide Sports Director
Retired Webster basketball coaching legend Bill O’Rourke Jr. died on Tuesday at age 72.
He coached high school basketball in Webster and was known as the Mr. Rogers of high school basketball for his class act for more than 3 decades.
“When you played for Mr. O’Rourke, you felt like you could do anything,” said former Webster basketball player Matt Spadoni, a 1992 graduate who played for and later coached against Mr. O’Rourke Jr.
“He believed in people. He always made a special effort to who ever he was talking to, to No. 1, feel comfortable, and No. 2, feel better.”
Mr. O’Rourke Jr. and his brother Tom joined their father, Mr. O’Rourke Sr. in the Section V Basketball Hall of Fame on Nov. 20, 2010.
Mr. O’Rourke Jr., a draft pick of the New York Knicks coming out of college, coached from middle school and up for 44 years, including 35 seasons with varsity squads after his father coached at Webster Thomas for 28 years. He rolled up 468 victories and a pair of Section 5 championships before retiring in 2013.
One of the more telling O’Rourke stories involved the 1986 Section 5 Class AAA semifinals at the Rochester War Memorial. Coaches at Aquinas, an upstart with little history of success in the basketball tournament but fresh off an upset of East High, misunderstood the procedure for assigning home and visiting teams in each round and showed up for the game against Webster wearing the wrong uniforms.
By rule, Webster was entitled to a pair of technical free throws for every Aquinas player who entered the game, beginning with the five starters. That could have put Webster ahead by 10 points before the opening tip, but O’Rourke would have none of it. He declined the opportunity to shoot the free throws.
Webster lost that night, 63-60.
There are plenty of memories of a man who spent his life in Webster to pass around Friday during calling hours, 4 to 8 p.m. at Anthony Funeral Chapel, 1031 Ridge Road in Webster. The funeral Mass for Mr. O’Rourke Jr. is 11 a.m. Saturday at Saint John of Rochester, 8 Wickford Way in Fairport.
Mr. O’Rourke Jr. coached teams in Webster from middle school and up for 44 years. His time at the varsity level spanned 35 years and began when he followed his father, Bill O’Rourke Sr., into the role as the coach at Webster Thomas.
The O’Rourkes coached a combined 63 years. Mr. O’Rourke Jr. was the JV coach in his father’s program for 7 years, but said he would have been happy to stay in that role for 30 if his father led the varsity.
When Mr. O’Rourke Jr. retired as the Webster Thomas coach in 2013, he had 468 of the 811 wins which came in his family’s era. That currently still is the most wins by a father and son duo at one school in the nation.
Two of Mr. O’Rourke Jr.’s teams won Section V championships.
Mr. O’Rourke Jr. coached teams in Webster from middle school and up for 44 years. His time at the varsity level spanned 35 years and began when he followed his father into the role as the coach at Webster Thomas.
Mr. O’Rourke Jr. taught Spanish, and after retiring from teaching, was the principal at Willink Middle School in Webster.
The O’Rourkes, Bill Sr. and Jr. and brother Tom, were the subjects of a sports biography book, “A Basketball Love Story, the O’Rourkes of Webster” in 2011 authored by then Messenger Post sports writer Craig Potter.
“I wanted to leave something behind,” Mr. O’Rourke Jr. said of the book.
Ron Malley, who was a friend of Bill Sr., wrote the Foreward to the book. Mr. O’Rourke Sr. and Tom each have a chapter devoted to them as well.
Copies of the book were donated to the Webster Public Library, Webster Thomas school library, and the Webster Schroeder school library several years ago.
Mr. O’Rourke Jr. is survived by his three daughters, Laura, Sarah, and Erin; brother Thomas; wife Marsha Barber; grandchildren Colton and Reese.