Long time Midwestern State University and 1967 Galesburg-Augusta High School graduate Billy Maskill is pictured above.
(Photo provided by Midwestern State University Athletic Communications Dept.)
By Bruce Rolfe
While 1967 Galesburg-Augusta High School graduate Bill Maskill, Jr. developed his own coaching style over 55 years in the football coaching profession, he felt his father, the late longtime Hall of Fame G-A football coach Bill Maskill, had an influence on him along the way.
Hard work was something the 1967 G-A graduate said his father instilled in him and the G-A alumni’s hard work over his long coaching career garnered him some noteworthy recognition October 19 when he was inducted into the Midwestern State University Hall of Honor prior to Homecoming festivities at halftime of MSU’s football game against Angelo State.
According to the Midwestern State University Athletic Communications Department, Maskill, who arrived at Midwestern State in the Spring of 2002, is Midwestern State University’s all-time leader with 160 wins, while leading the Mustangs to five Lone Star Conference championships with nine NCAA Division II postseason appearances. He directed the Mustangs to 19 winning seasons, including in each of his first 17 years in Wichita Falls.
“Over 22 years it means a lot that you had a lot of good players and a lot of good coaches that bought into the program and had ownership in it. Had a lot of pride in the program. Because they did, they made the program better and I was able to be selected to the Hall of Fame,” said Maskill.
The Midwestern State Hall of Honor represents the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the MSU Department of Athletics. The accomplishments of those enshrined exemplify the character, spirit, commitment, high level of achievement, and reflect on the honor, excellence, and traditions of the university.
Individuals are recognized for their contributions as student-athletes, coaches, administrators or outstanding advocates of Midwestern State Athletics.
Maskill, who retired January 1, said “absolutely” when he was asked if he felt his father’s influence as he journeyed through a long coaching career.
“He (his father) was kind of non-traditional. Just the way he handled the kids. What he instilled in me, is I was always going to be an underdog and I was always going to work hard and not complain and just put in more time then anybody else. That’s kind of been my M.O. and it’s been my two children’s M.O.,” said Billy.
“Some where along the line, coach (his father) established work ethic. And I’m sure he did that with not just me, but with everybody. I’m sure when you’re young you don’t realize it. Coach had that special something to get kids to follow him. I don’t know that I ever had the specialness that he had. But we had something,” adds Maskill, who certainly did bring something special, with his 160 wins as a head coach in the Lone Star Conference being the second most in the league’s storied history trailing only Ron Harms, who won 172 games at Texas A&M-Kingsville from 1979-1999.
The legendary G-A coach’s son said his father had a unique way of making everyone feel special.
“That’s who he was. I think that’s why kids played so hard for him. Even if you were a guy that was never going to play, but you were on the team, he made those kids feel special. It didn’t make any difference who it was. He tried to get everybody involved,” said Maskill.
The G-A graduate said he’s looking forward to having the sculpture of his father dedicated at the beginning of the season in 2025 at the new Maskill Field at G-A High School after the family was told the sculpture would not be done for the final regular season game this season.
A MSU online article by Trey Reed of the MSU Athletic Communications Department notes Maskill directed the Mustangs to 19 winning seasons, including in each of his first 17 years in Wichita Falls. Put in perspective, the Midwestern State football program posted winning ledgers just eight times in 25 years of football prior to Maskill’s arrival.
The article adds under Maskill’s tutelage, Midwestern State thrived. The Mustangs averaged nearly eight wins a season while logging at least eight victories 12 times. The program managed to post eight-or-more wins just three times in its previous 23 seasons of existence, claiming 10 victories in 1949 and nine wins in 1946 and 1991.
Maskill guided Midwestern to five Lone Star Conference titles (2009, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2021) including a pair of LSC South Division titles in 2004 and 2009. The Mustangs also claimed the LSC Playoff title in 2015.
Maskill earned his first LSC Coach of the Year honor in 2009 leading the Mustangs to their first conference title with a 9-3 mark then earned the accolade again following the 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2021 campaigns.
No other coach in Lone Star Conference football history has earned the league’s top coaching honors as many times.
In all, Maskill coached 33 All-Americans, 57 all-region selections, and 78 All-Lone Star Conference first-team performers in his 22 seasons in Wichita Falls.
Maskill served 55 years in the football coaching profession. His coaching experience included stops as a Division I assistant at Vanderbilt (twice), Southern Methodist, Wake Forest, Oregon, Tulane, Louisville, Arizona State, Bowling Green and Iowa.
He served as a head coach at Southeast Missouri State University in 1988 and 1989. During his two-year stint, the Cape Girardeau, Missouri, school went 13-8 with his 1988 squad winning a share of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. While at SEMO, Maskill helped two men, Jon Gruden and Marty Mornhinweg, who later became head coaches in the National Football League, get their start.
The MSU online article adds during his time, MSU had three players hit the field in the NFL including Amini Silatolu, Marqui Christian and Joe Unga. Silatolu was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, while Christian was taken in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
Christian, who enjoyed a six-year professional career, won the Cliff Harris Award as the best small college defensive player in the country following the 2015 season.
Maskill also mentored a trio of Harlon Hill finalist quarterbacks building on MSU’s strong tradition of offensive potency including Phillip Boggs in 2002, Zack Eskridge in 2009 and Brandon Kelsey in 2011. That’s not to mention a pair of All-America signal callers in Daniel Polk and Layton Rabb. Both men led MSU to postseason showings.
According to long time G-A statistician Dale Martin, Billy Maskill was a four year starter at quarterback for G-A. He missed five games in the 1964 season, however the teams he played on finished with a 24-5-1 record. He passed for 100+ yards 9 times. He passed for 200+ yards 4 times. He completed 168 of 387 passes for 2688 yards, 34 touchdowns and 13 point after tries. His junior and senior years combined he completed 118 of 261 passes for 1973 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight point after tries. In 1966 he was All-State 1st team and the Rams won the State Class C title. In the 1965 Paw Paw game he completed 9 passes for 224 yards and five touchdowns.
Billy’s father is considered to be one of the greatest high school football coaches in the State of Michigan.
Maskill began his coaching career with a six-year stint at Sheridan High School where he compiled a 31-18-1 record. However most of his 40 years teaching and coaching was spent at G-A High School where he coached football 34 years, taught physical education for 25 years and spent 18 years teaching science.
According to Martin, Coach Maskill coached at G-A from 1957-1990. He coached five undefeated teams, won 19 league championships and guided four G-A football teams to state championships (in 1962, 1966, 1967 and 1970), two state runner up finishes in 1990 and 1958 and compiled a 241-66-1 record at G-A.
Maskill’s final win-loss record stands at 272-84-2 over a brilliant 40-year career.
According to Martin, Maskill was named coach of the year on numerous occasions and was elected to the Michigan High School Football Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 1983. Galesburg Augusta named the football field “Maskill Field” in 1986. In 2009, Maskill was the first person inducted into the Galesburg-Augusta High School Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1992, he won the Charles E. Forsyth award and the NHSACA and Federation District Coach of the year. Then in 1996, he was elected to the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 2003, Maskill was elected to the De La Salle Collegiate Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2005, he reached the highest election to the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
(Trey Reed of the Midwestern State University Athletic Communications Department contributed to this article.)
