OT: RIP Warren Witherell (Olde Coach)

[vtcwbuff]

Long time BY contributor Warren Witherell passed away May 26th. LINK

 

[LesMis89]

So very sorry to hear this sad news. He will be missed. Prayers and blessings to his loved ones.

 

[JimGunther]

I remember the coach and many of his posts but, not certain of his screen name. Anyone?

 

[jimazee]

I remember the coach and many of his posts but, not certain of his screen name. Anyone?

Olde Coach

He had some pretty impressive credentials, smart as a whip, and was once a big contributor to the BY with many great posts.

Eternal Memory!

 

[Kibitzer]

The printed obituary could not possibly include everything this knowledgeable and gifted Olde Coach had accomplished, so his Boneyard and UConn ties were victims of space constraints.

In addition to volumes of wit and wisdom doled out a post at a time, he wrote a treatise on the art of shooting free throws; the change in technique and the significant improvement in this area by Tina Charles provides circumstantial evidence that Warren's tome had reached Geno.

It was a testimony to his basketball savvy and scholarship that Mel Thomas called on him to provide his wise counsel when she wrote "Heart of a Husky."

He was wise, he was witty, he was beloved. R.I.P., Warren.

 

[HuskyNan]

OC had many more impressive achievements that are listed in the short obit. He had a great deal to do with the development of the modern water ski, for example. An impressive man but also a kind and generous soul.

Bon voyage, Warren. You will be missed.

 

[HuskyNan]

In addition to volumes of wit and wisdom doled out a post at a time, he wrote a treatise on the art of shooting free throws; the change in technique and the significant improvement in this area by Tina Charles provides circumstantial evidence that Warren's tome had reached Geno.

Here is the link to Warren's Exploring The World of Free Throw Shooting.

 

[JS]

-- Coach When Not So Olde --
​

His last post was March 1, asking what time the UConn game would be.

A true Husky fan to the end. RIP OC.

 

[Tonyc]

God Bless OC. You will be missed. I remember before one of the UConn Tenn games in Hartford a group of Boneyarders met at City Steam upstairs for lunch. OC was with us. He entertained us with his wit, and knowledge on WCBB and UConn. His posts were those that everyone looked for and read. If there was a Boneyard Hall of Fame he would be in it. I will miss him.

 

[Biff]

Ski Racing Story

 

[MilfordHusky]

Oh no! I knew OC had experienced some medical issues and that he hadn't posted in a while. I was hoping he was rehabbing and would be back.

Warren was a great guy and incredibly knowledgeable and accomplished. To say that he will be missed is a gross understatement. The BY will never be the same.

May OC find eternal peace. The Huskies' stellar FT shooting last season was a tribute to OC.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

One of the saddest threads I've seen on the Boneyard.

 

[Icebear]

Warren had become a dear friend for over a decade. A great deal of the joy I have had with UCONN women's basketball was through our conversations after games. Conversations that were often an hour or more.

Life had been a struggle since the stroke last year but in typical OC fashion he pushed ever onward with several projects, including one with Dave Evard on his pride and joy Burke Mountain Academy. The newest being on the neuroscience of athletic performance with a couple of experts. Hopefully, the project will be completed.

His pieces on the impact of footwear in athletics and Shooting Free Throws were epic. When working on such pieces he had no shyness in approaching the best experts he could identify. He spoke to specialists coaching NBA teams on shooting technique.

I am truly glad he had the chance to see Michala's Olympic and World Cup success. His impact on the US ski scene will continue through his impact on the Burke Mountain Academy and his insights into the importance of even small variations in boot/canting.

I was without internet yesterday and I am deeply sorrowful to read this news this morning. He is quickly working his way into today's message which I thought was done yesterday.

Blessings to OC and to his family and to all of us who will miss him so much.

 

[huskyblooz]

RIP OldeCoach. Will miss his thoughtful, intelligent, positive posts.

 

[DaddyChoc]

wow... sorry to hear RIP

Im sure him and HuskyBill will have some heavy conversations about UConn Womens Basketball

 

[winlots]

We had some nice phone conversations during his illness/rehab; and though I didn't come to know him well, my sense is that he is the sort that we as a society can ill afford to lose. With a final tip o' the cap to Olde Coach, Barbara and I send our prayers and thoughts in support of his family. May they "stay well."

 

[RadyLady]

Tears....

 

[ThisJustIn]

Oh, to be sitting nearby when Olde Coache, LaserT and Bill start discussing the potential of the incoming recruits.....

 

[CL82]

Warren a great guy and a fantastic addition to the board. As an example, he had great observations regarding the possible cause of ACL injury and the optimal way to shoot a free throw. The latter arose from his curiosity as to why some free throw shooters were more successful than others. He watched a number of good, and less good, shooters until he worked out an optimization strategy. He a had a great mind.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. He will be missed.

 

[UConnChapette]

Such sad news for a beautiful sunny start to June. While the sky has no clouds in it, the day has taken on a gloomy feel. I always appreciated Olde Coach's insights into the technical, physical and mechanical aspects of basketball, and I learned a great deal about basketball from him.

Life is short, but OC will live on in our memories as we were fortunate to know him - even if for some of us only as an anonymous poster.

RIP, Warren.

 

[EricLA]

Ugh. That is so sad. Unfortunately, the older we all get, the more often we will see acquaintances, friends, and loved ones pass on. RIP, OC - you will be missed...

 

[ChicagoGG]

Sad news. A beautifully written obituary in the link. If a man is measured by the number of lives he touched in a positive way, Olde Coach was a great man indeed. Prayers and thoughts to his family and friends.

 

[schmendrick]

Is there a way to do a compilation of his BY posts? (I tried to do a search which was fruitless.)

 

[Zorro]

Another good man gone.

 

[itsasport]

Probably most of us are of the age who bemoan the disappearance of letter writing. We remember the effort we would take in getting the words just right, balling up failed efforts in frustration, and throwing them at a waste basket (the origin of basketball?)

Thinking about OC's posts made me realize that the art and passion of letter writing is being preserved in places like the Boneyard. Mr. Witherell put time and effort into his posts. Clearly, he did not do so out of the lack of other things to do with his time. It was a place to share his thoughts with people who he felt would appreciate them. We should fell honored that he held us in such regard, because he was a remarkable man.