When Bill Vorsheck was born, his family lived at the corner of
East Lake Road and Highmeyer Road in Harborcreek Township. Shortly thereafter
they moved to the City of Erie where Bill attended St. Ann’s School, and later
his family moved to Lawrence Park where Bill continued his education and began
his athletic career. Bill grew up in a time when he and his friends played
football with a ball fashioned of rolled- up newspaper. They improvised and
played for the fun of the sport. He joined his first organized football program
in the seventh grade.
In 1951 Bill began playing right end for Coach Ed Poly of Lawrence Park High School. Playing his first varsity game, Bill scored the first two touchdowns in a 20-13 victory over Girard, who were defending champions.
Bill graduated from Lawrence Park in 1953 where he earned seven varsity letters; three in football, one in basketball, and three in track. Bill had two personal experiences with the Save-an-Eye football game, the first as a player and the second as a coach. Bill played in the 1953 Save–an-Eye game, the 15th running of the spectacle, at Erie Veterans Stadium, where the County lost to the City by a score of 12-6. Over 8,000 fans attended despite inclement weather. “Bill Vorsheck,” Lawrence Park’s sensational end, was the big guy for the County. He set up the County’s only TD in the fourth quarter when he blocked a punt and the County recovered the ball. Bill Vorsheck then hauled down two straight passes for valuable yards. Passing was the County’s strong point with Bill catching five passes for 105 yards. Bill was selected as MVP of the 15th annual Save-an- Eye football game.
Bill Vorsheck was the County coach for the 1967 Save-an- Eye game also played at Erie Veterans Stadium. History tells us that The Minute Men had a plan to tell the countryside just where the British were going to attack back in 1776. It was “one if by land . . .. Two if by sea,” but they didn’t have a signal if the attack should come through the air. And neither did the City All-Stars. The County All-Stars striking through the air... turned the 29th Save-an-Eye All-Star football game into a rout as they ripped the City secondary apart for a 25-0 victory. The largest Labor Day crowd in history, estimated at over 16,000 sat in on the show.
Bill’s participation on the Lawrence Park track and field team Coached by Russ May was equally spectacular. He captured the 120-yard high hurdles, 220 yard run, and the high jump in numerous meets.
After graduation, despite having been the recipient of numerous college offers, Bill chose to join the work force. He graduated on a Thursday in 1953 and started working on the following Monday. Bill learned a lot that summer; specifically he learned that he wanted the opportunity to have a college education. When he was named MVP, in the 1953 Save-an-Eye football game, it was a pivotal experience in Bill’s life as he again was offered five football scholarships. He chose Youngstown State University.
At Youngstown he earned his Bachelors in Education and Psychology. He began his teaching and coaching career in Ohio where he taught and coached for two years. In 1959 he became the head football and basketball coach at Ripley High School, Ripley, NY. Bill’s football predecessors at Ripley had won only one game in five years. Bill won three the first year and four the second year.
Bill shifted his coaching and teaching career to Girard where he was head coach for five years. In response to Joe Moore’s insistence Bill joined the McDowell coaching staff where he served for six years. Highlights in his coaching career were the All Star teams he coached. The 1967 team he coached attracted the largest crowd ever in attendance. Bill has an endless supply of stories, anecdotes and touching mementos from those years.
During this time Bill was pursuing his postgraduate studies in psychology and medical hypnotherapy. In 1974 he and Dr. Daniel S. Snow opened the Erie Institute of Hypnosis. In addition to his clinical and forensic practice Bill used his hypnotic and coaching skills to teach aspiring athletes how to concentrate and focus on execution of their skills.
His skills and talents have landed him in numerous college settings as lecturer, workshop facilitator or guest speaker, on regional TV shows as a guest, and on the Notre Dame football field as a consultant and guest coach.
He has made it his mission to offer incentives to young people who are willing to work hard, make good choices, are honorable and courageous, and who help make life better in some way for others. For the past 12 years, each year he has sponsored four years of scholarships for two graduates of Iroquois High School who exemplify these qualities. Within the last three years, he has begun the same annual award of a four-year scholarship at Ripley High School, Ripley, NY.
He was honored to serve as President of the Erie County Coaches Association in the late 1960s. He has been privileged to serve on several Boards of Directors. Years ago he served with Father Jim Fahey at Harborcreek School for Boys, now known as Harborcreek Youth Services. For years he has served on the Emmaus Ministries and the Vorsheck Family Foundation boards and most recently as a Charter member of WILP. Working with the other charter members of the WILP board, he has helped foster yet another forum for encouraging and inspiring young people to devote their time and energies to meaningful and positive pursuits. Bill Vorsheck is the WILP.