In this file photo from June 2005, former Lawrence High football and track coach Bill Freeman, front, visits with a former player during a celebration in honor of his induction into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame.

Free State High football coach Bob Lisher, who played for Bill Freeman at Lawrence High and later worked on Freeman’s coaching staff at LHS, used one of Freeman’s old sayings during a motivational talk with his Firebird team last season.

“It was his ‘sparrows and starlings’ story,” said Lisher, who is sure to share some stories with friends today at Freeman’s funeral, set for 2 p.m. at First Christian Church in LeRoy.

“I told the kids, ‘You’ve got to be like the sparrows and starlings. You don’t want to be like the whooping crane.’ There are millions and billions of sparrows and starlings. They adapted to the environment. The whooping crane didn’t adapt and is almost extinct. You’ve got to adapt!” Lisher told his kids, adding, “Some of them probably thought I was crazy, but it’s true.”

Freeman was known for his ‘Freemanisms’ — funny, folksy sayings — during a 16-year LHS coaching career that produced a 134-38 record and five state titles.

“I was a tight end/linebacker my sophomore year. One day he told me I ran like a dry creek. The next day I was on the offensive line,” Lisher said.

“He told me one time, ‘Lee-sher’ — he pronounced it Lee-sher — ‘You are satisfied. You’ve got a car. You’ve got a girl. Your belly’s full. You’re not hungry!'”

Another one was: ‘If your brain was dynamite, you wouldn’t make a pop.’ I could go on all day.”

But seriously folks … “He was not only one of the greatest high school football coaches but track coaches as well (two state titles at LHS). His strength was his motivation. He could get guys to do things … no way they should be able to do them. He always tried to show them, ‘You can do this,'” Lisher said.

Ron Commons, who worked on Freeman’s staff during his entire 16-year tenure, will speak at the memorial service today, along with Bob Whitehead, who played for Freeman at LeRoy High and coached with him at Osawatomie High. Also speaking will be two of Freeman’s grandchildren, Bryson and Kaitlyn Meats.

“The list of things he was … husband, father, environmentalist, arrowhead collector, coach, farmer, banker. There are stories of Bill the banker,” Commons said. “During the season, we were a little superstitious. If you found a coin laying in the hallway or parking lot, you could only pick it up if it was heads up. Nanny Duver (longtime Lawrence junior high coach) started that. It was hard for us to convince a banker he’s not supposed to pick up money,” Commons joked of Freeman, who owned a bank in LeRoy.

“He and (wife) Joan went to New York City on vacation. Bill didn’t take any money. New York is a pretty big city to not take any cash. He goes to some bank, gets a cashier’s check, fills it out, takes it to the teller. The teller calls the bank in LeRoy, and the president of the bank said, ‘Yes, there’s money in his account, and he OWNS the bank here.’ Bill got his check cashed,” Commons added, laughing.

Commons hopes for more smiles than tears at the service today for Freeman, who died Friday at the age of 84.

“It’s been fun to reminisce on all the stories and to remember him in such a positive way,” Commons, former AD at Lawrence High, said. “What a good mentor he was to his coaching staff and the kids he had an opportunity to coach, whether football players or track athletes. As far as I was concerned, Bill was that impact person in all of our lives.”

Chuck Holley, who coached alongside Freeman at LHS, states, “I’m a better person — husband, father, grandfather, teacher, friend — today because of his influence on me.”

And, yes, he has a story to share.

“I recall Bill’s halftime speech to the team when we played Wichita Southeast in the championship game at Haskell in 1979,” Holley said. “We were up 7-0. Southeast had five Div. I players on that team. Just imagine Bill’s high-pitched voice when he gets really excited: ‘I’d fight a tiger. I’d fight a bear. I’d fight a lion before I’d let them take this game from me.’ Most of the assistants coaches suddenly had to go to the restroom. The kids were big-eyed and focused in on coach, and us coaches did not want to smile listening to his voice. When he retired and would come up to see a game, I would be walking across the field, and I’d hear this high-pitched voice yelling, ‘Chuck, Chuck.’ Up until the last three years (when Alzheimer’s hit Freeman), I would look around expecting to hear that voice.”

Current Lawrence High football coach Dirk Wedd said: “It’s a huge loss for not only Lawrence, but it’s a huge loss for the state of Kansas. He was truly one of the great high school coaches of all time.

“He set the bar very high. He was followed by coach (Dick) Purdy, who won five (titles), also. Coach (Al) Woolard started it all off back in the 50’s and 60’s. Then the school hit a little lull, and coach Freeman came from Osawatomie and just brought a lot of toughness and discipline to the program, and it just took off again. Lawrence High has a big thank you to that man.”