On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, Virginia High School sports lost a true coaching legend. William 'Bill' Hale Littlepage passed away at the age of 87 following a battle with colon cancer.

Littlepage roamed the sidelines for 44 seasons as the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Hopewell High School, compiling a remarkable record of 755-320. That victory total places him 2nd in VHSL history on the boys side, trailing only Paul Hatcher, who won 897 games at the helm of then Robert E. Lee High in Staunton.

The accolades and accomplishments are innumerable. Under his watch, Hopewell won the 1972 Group AAA State Championship and twice finished runner-up, 1986 to Booker T. Washington and 1996 to GW-Danville. In total, the Blue Devils made the State Tournament on six occasions under his direction, winning four regional titles and qualifying for the postseason at the regional level 26 times.

A native of King & Queen Country, Littlepage was chosen as National Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association in 1993. His induction into five different Hall of Fames - the inaugural VHSL Hall of Fame (1990), the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1997), the Bridgewater College Hall of Fame (1998), the Hopewell Athletic Wall of Fame (2004) and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (2011) - make it easy to see why he's so revered statewide.

"Not only was he a great coach, but he was truly a great man Coach was a Hall of Fame person," declared William 'Reggie' Simon, a 1981 Hopewell grad that later spent 15 years on Littlepage's staff and followed him as the Head Coach of the Blue Devils for six seasons through the 2012-13 campaign.

"He was a very loving, caring man, and a man of integrity. I respected and admired him greatly. He also loved Hopewell, Hopewell High Athletics, and everyone who stood for Hopewell. I was honored to have the opportunity to be by his side. He opened doors for me that I could not see for myself."

Littlepage spent 27 years as Hopewell's Athletic Director, retiring from the post in the summer of 2007. The stories and memories from those that knew him best are priceless.

Simon, who is getting ready to embark on his 7th year at the helm of Carver Academy, got the unique experience of playing for him and then coaching with him. It allowed him to see up close and personal what made him so unique.

"As a player, you never see what a coach sees. But having the opportunity to work next to him as a basketball coach, he was able to broaden my horizons," Simon explained.

"I guess one of the most important things I took from Coach Littlepage is something that is so common and so simple. That is to treat everyone with respect and treat everyone the way you would like to be treated. I thought he was real good at that, and for a man that had as much wisdom and knowledge as he had, he was always willing to listen himself. You can always listen to others and learn from others as well."

One of Simon's favorite moments and biggest thrills was getting to be an assistant to Littlepage in the 1998 McDonald's All-American, which featured Hampton High alum and former NFL player Ronald Curry. As Littlepage often did, his team prevailed. Their East squad went on to defeat the West 128-112.

"Coach Littlepage tasked me with the responsibility of subbing the players in and out, making sure they got equal and sufficient time. I really enjoyed and cherished that opportunity to meet those High School All-Americans," recalled Simon, still touched to this day by the generosity he showed.

"One of the things that really stands out to me was he allowed me the opportunity to be there. He could've selected anyone. I asked why did he choose me. He said that as a young coach I reminded him of himself. I was very passionate about the game, passionate about the people I worked with, was hard-working and who better give an opportunity to than one of his coaches. That meant a whole lot to me."

His legacy still lives on in the gymnasium at Hopewell High, appropriately named Coach Littlepage Court.

Littlepage is survived by his wife of 61 years, Brenda Littlepage along with son Jeffrey Littlepage; daughter Becky L English; grandsons, Austin Shepperson and Matthew English; and great-grandson, Avery Hale.

Info on Visitation & Funeral Service can be seen here

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.