European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                August 1985 the stars and stripes Page 25 Bill Merrill 4decade Dynamo us Reurs sports godfather keeps on battling i wont accept if you cant do ill come up and do it for Bill v corps sports if you go to the dictionary and look up the word you might find Bill merrills Van merrills by Bucky Fox staff writer Germany forty years As army sports dawned in eur Bill Merrill persisted with the tact of a baseball he had orders from George Pat ton build a baseball Field in As a master sergeant with the Newborn 3rd army sports office out of Merrill had to help build the Field in time for the european theater baseball championships in late August he had six Patton came up to see How we were Merrill recalled in a recent he told me if we needed any get it under his he he hit the Hospital for he pushed for bleachers and paint to cover a colonel frustrated by merrills Maneu vers said to an give that anything he wants and get him out of with All that Merrill still needed men to contract the he went after nazi is the prob Lem was watching them Merrill had no troops to Post i told the pow officers to guard their own with baseball Merrill i told if one Man you better go with him because ill beat the hell out of you with this you know what we didst lose one when the stadium was it was christened soldiers it Coul Dve been called soldiers because troops flowed in from throughout Europe to pack some gis filled the stands every Day to see a baseball tournament eventually won by a team from Oise base in that was definitely the Peak of army sports in Merrill troops were already starting to rotate we would never have that Many troops Here Bill Merrill he ran army sports from offices in Hei Stuttgart and where he works today As the v corps physical activities at Merrill hints at retiring within the next few yet he keeps a fast in Early August you could see him marching around the Usa eur track and Field championships dressed in his uniform of Blue Blazer and Gray advising athletes and Many of whom Learned under Tom Nemmers of the 21st support who worked under Merrill in the 1970s Bill Merrill is the godfather of sports in he taught us so Tom the Vii corps physical activities director Bills the Guy who has the historical link on the army in i still respect i always Lis Larry Parker of the Usa eur sports who worked under Merrill As the Mainz sports director Bill is the corporate when he Hes the last of the old Warren army sports publicist who worked under Merrill from 1948 to 52 Bill developed More company level sports officers and cos than any one in the Hes Worth More to the army than Hes been Harold the army record breaking Long jumper and v corps track coach under Merrill in 1983 the 1 priority of Bills is reminding Guys there soldiers then merrills sports career in Europe included corp level football in the late 40s left and the 1985 Usa eur soccer Jim who succeeded Merrill As v corps sports director in 1983 i Learned More in two years Here than All the other years in army Bills a Library of not Only but pro How to do Joe the v corps Western regional sports coordinator Bill has he does what has to be the pos world War ii sports program in Europe was born when fresh off shrapnel wounds in the Battle of the joined a 3rd army sports depart ment that included Pete an All american football end at the University of and Lloyd who would win the open Golf championship in who had run the recreation pro Gram in new York City before the turned his Talent toward starting a wide sports program Basket track and you name it Merrill even turned Munich Deutscher museum Congress Hall into Jubilee Hall for basketball and some of the 3rd army athletes were Harry Walker of the Louis Ewell Blackwell of the Cincinnati reds and Vic who followed his army basketball career with a 10year coaching stint at Duke Bubas now Heads the Sun Belt they were forerunners to other army athletes and coaches in Europe who reached the big time Back Home Ernie Banks of the Chicago football coach Bill Yeoman of the University of hurdler Willie Davenport of the 1968 olympics and boxers Bon Crusher Smith and David who lost to Larry Holmes within the past in Merrill moved to Heidelberg to become the athletic director of the the new organization for cavalry units comprising much of the army in among the big events that year were the inter Allied track and Field championships in which Drew and the army football title game in nether which Drew i still remember John Ryan of the 14th army Cav sitting on the Bench with his team in 1949 cleaning his i never met a commander who didst sup port his it was just a matter of Merrill in 1947 Merrill became a civilian but stayed in his his next move came in when the constabulary folded in favor of 7th which was reactivated during an army buildup in Merrill moved South to where he served As 7th army athletic director through his proudest moment came in when he organized the 7th army soccer team that lost 32 to an egyptian military squad that included nine Mem Bers of the egyptian National in when 7th army merged with Merrill travelled farther South to become chief of Usa eur sports clinics in by Merrill had been married nine his was an artist who tried to keep Pace with Bills hot she got involved with said who brought clinicians Home to Rosemarie that came to an end in Rosema died of a brain it was very Tough on Merrill to help ease the Merrill hit the he bounced from clinic to helping to teach army at one Stop he watched As Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp and assistant Joe Hall led troops through i want Merrill re Mem i wanted them to teach fundament not so i told them and they did it then i heard Rupp Tell Joe maybe we ought to do a Little of this with our own would Merrill blink at pushing the legendary Rupp Bill Doest Back off to pacify Lawrence said in a Tough Guy and in a Only a Workaholic could keep going this Many if Ever Merrill looked like he was Hurt it was the entire army sports program collapsed under us Reurs commanding Michael who ordered the division level setup slithered into an mass participation goodbye goodbye Europe wide goodbye they thought the emphasis was on too few Merrill we were play ing division level football and even division commanders didst want i vision level football because everyone was too spread from the glory Days of 48 army foot Ball teams came even Bill Merrill was out of work for half a year As sports officials fell by the Merrill came Back in he headed North to Frankfurt to become sports director of v then in army sports crept wanting to turn Barracks fights into sports circulated a message asking How Competition could return to the company Merrill advised his v corps Willard to push for intr Adivi Sion and corps no divisional championships in individual Type activities and team sports at company All con ducted during of duty on Davidson authorized that sort of Nemmers lauds Merrill for fighting for army sports he ushered in a new Nemmers said Bill did a lot of work talk ing with commanders saying Why sports on this level was he did a lot of work until we got Usa eur sports Back in added its More Bill taking generals by the Arm and not letting go until he gets his 2 cents 1 never Duck an Merrill after Davidsons army sports slowly rebuilt with clinics and championships on the command every thing went Merrill in Usa eur reorganized into Community championships the momentum carried into 1975 with the Start of major command championships and the Usa eur boxing championships into 1976 with Usa eur see Merrill on Page 26