R. I. P. Bill Green
B.C. baseball legend Bill Green passed away on Thursday after a courageous battle with cancer. Photo: BCPL/Twitter
March 26, 2020
Statement From the B.C. Premier Baseball League Website
It is with great sadness that we have to announce that Bill Green passed away this morning after a battle with inoperable cancer.
As you are all aware, Bill dedicated a significant portion of his life to the sport and to working with young men who wanted to learn how to play the game. Bill was very passionate about the game and tried to pass this passion to the players he coached. He wanted to make sure they had the fundamentals down and kept focused on what was happening when they were on the field and in the dugout watching the game.
He was always available for any player that had a question or wanted to work on some aspect of his game. There are a number of players who were very successful in the MLB, MILB, and university and college programs that worked with Bill in developing their skills.
Bill joined the Coquitlam Reds as assistant coach in 1984 and took over as coach and general manager in 1985, a roll that he continued to hold until his retirement in 2015. In addition, he also spent time as a regional scout for the MLB and was head coach of B.C.s Canada Cup Select team for many years. The Reds joined the BCPBL in 1999 and Bill was a member of the executive of the league for a number of years.
In his younger years, Bill worked for the transit division of BC Hydro (now BC Transit) and was tasked with producing drivers schedules for the lower mainland. This skill was very beneficial to the BCPBL as he served as the person who produced the league schedules – a tireless task trying to match team availability dates with locations.
During his career, he was named to the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in 2013 and was named Baseball Canada’s coach of the year in 1988.
We will always remember Bill as the coach that took the slow walk from the coaching box to his dugout.
The sport will miss you Bill.
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*Many also paid tribute to Bill Green on social media yesterday. Here’s a sampling: