Bill Derbyshire, longtime Wildcat Baseball icon, dies at 83

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Although many faces have passed through Wildcat Baseball, few people have put as much time and effort into the league as William “Bill” Derbyshire, who passed away Thursday at 83 years old.

A mainstay of Wildcat Baseball, Derbyshire joined the league as a coach in 1969 and stayed until his retirement in 2021.

“He was a big part of keeping it going for so long,” said Matt Harmon, a teacher and baseball coach Blackhawk Christian School who saw Derbyshire as a mentor and leader.

With Wildcat Baseball being established in 1961, Derbyshire saw the league grow from its early foundation while working as a director to what it became during his time as president of the organization in the latter part of his life.

Harmon said Derbyshire worked to ensure the goals of Wildcat Baseball, ensuring everyone has a place to belong and have fun, were at the forefront of the operation.

“Wildcat wouldn’t be what it is without him for sure,” Harmon said. “What’s unique about that program is it’s historic, and those guys down there who run it — and he was central to that — wanted to make sure it stayed true to its roots … what’s great about that program is I talk to people who played in the 60s, and their experience was like mine who played in the 90s and kids who play here in the 2020s.”

Mark Koos, the head baseball coach at Woodlan Jr./Sr. High School and a director for Wildcat Baseball, said Derbyshire’s infectious attitude and leadership skills influenced all who have donned the Wildcat Baseball logo.

“He is one of the best mentors and leaders I have ever known, and he was able to instill in his workers a desire for excellence without demanding it with an iron fist or anything like that,” Koos said. “He inspired it. He inspired excellence. He wanted you to be the best you could be because Wildcat Baseball deserved nothing less.”

In addition to his lengthy tenure with Wildcat Baseball, Derbyshire also coached baseball at middle schools and high schools across Fort Wayne for several years.

His most notable stop was at Elmhurst High school, a former high school in Fort Wayne where he had a successful coaching career and the baseball diamond bore his name until its closure.

Koos — whose career as a head coach started at Elmhurst High School — told WANE 15 that Derbyshire had a tremendous impact on the National Pastime in the Summit City between those two lives.

“Bill Derbyshire is as much a man associated with baseball in Fort Wayne as anybody,” Koos said.

Harmon and Koos also felt Derbyshire provided a positive influence on the countless people who crossed his path well beyond the amount of runs scored and games won.

“He was like George Bailey from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life ,'” Koos said. “He impacted so many people in either direct or massively indirect ways.”

According to his obituary, Derbyshire is survived by his wife, brother, two sons, five grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

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