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SoCal Prep & High School News

Former Crespi Coach
Hedlund Dies--(October 28, 1997)

William D. Hedlund, 54, former basketball coach of Crespi High School during their CIF League Championship run in 1974, and 1975, died last Thursday of a massive heart attack while jogging around the Crespi High track. An autopsy revealed that he suffered from hardening of the arteries. His fellow teachers had regarded him as one of the most physically fit members of the faculty, and he could be seen early every morning running at the Crespi track.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 am tomorrow morning (Wednesday, October 29, 1997) at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, located at 5011 White Oak Avenue, Encino (directly east of the Crespi campus). The family has asked that donations be made to the William Hedlund Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Crespi Carmelite High School, 5031 Alonzo Ave., Encino, CA 91316.

Hedlund only coached the Crespi varsity for two years, but they were probably the best years Crespi has seen to date in basketball. In 1974, Hedlund led the team to the Del Rey Leauge title, and the second year the team was ranked no. 1 among all Valley high schools. A member of those teams was NBA player Paul Mokeski, who later played for the Bucks, and was himself a two-time MVP in the Del Rey League [Crespi now competes in the Mission League in Basketball, against schools such as Harvard-Westlake, Chaminade, Notre Dame, Loyola, etc). Mokeski issued a press statement, offering his condolences, and stating that the coach was "a big part of my life, on and off the court."

Hedlund was considered one of the finest basketball coaches in the area, but gave up the game to concentrate on teaching math, which he did at Crespi for 25 years. He reportedly went 4,700 consecutive teaching days without a single absences from the classroom. The Crespi Varsity team will wear black armbands throughout the season in honor of Coach Hedlund.

We at SoCalHoops offer our condolences to the Crespi community and to Coach Hedlund's family.

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