“Wild” Bill Lundberg and his wife Sharon have been married 41 years.

 

Hayden Park Director “Wild” Bill Lundberg will retire at the end of the semester after 40 years of coaching and teaching at Hillsdale College.

“It’s exciting. It’s the time to be moving forward with that decision,” Lundberg said.

Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said Lundberg “is one of the sweetest and most enthusiastic people.”

“He loves to talk with people,” Arnn said. “Once he met Pat Sajak and hustled off to get him some track swag. As he presented it to Pat, talking a blue streak, the track team was behind him making the sign made in the movie business to stretch out the show. Of course the team was impressed to meet Pat, but mostly they were enjoying watching Bill exude.”

Lundberg said the biggest reward of teaching was being with the students.

“Being a part of our student life, teaching in our sport studies department — it’s been a blessing,” Lundberg said.

Lundberg has been teaching Physical Wellness and Dynamics since he retired from coaching men’s cross country and track and field coach in 2011.

Lundberg, a track athlete throughout high school, competed in the 1980 Olympic trials as one of the top five contenders but ruptured his Achilles tendon during the race. He began coaching at Hillsdale in 1985.

In 1994, Lundberg earned the honor of NAIA National Coach of the Year. He also oversaw Hillsdale’s transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II.

“We would host the national championships,” Lundberg said. 

He coached Charger athletes to 25 conference championships.

Sophomore Elizabeth Harvey said she took Lundberg’s class first semester freshman year.

“Physical Wellness with Wild Bill was an absolute blast,” Harvey said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun and class camaraderie in another class here at Hillsdale.”

Harvey said she has met with him one-on-one as well. 

“One of my all-time favorite memories of Wild Bill was going to his office hours at Hayden Park,” Harvey said. “He offered me a drive back to Olds Residence in his golf cart, and he told me all these fantastic stories about his family and his running career the whole ride back. Wild Bill is truly such a treasure and will be so dearly missed by all of us.”

Lundberg said he has seen the college grow exponentially since 1985.

“The expansion of things that are happening are pretty neat in a lot of ways,” Lundberg said.

Lundberg said he admires the school’s progress, especially with the work of Arnn.

“It’s the greatest school in the land with the greatest president one could have,” Lundberg said.

Lundberg said he held every athlete to a high standard. According to a post on the Hillsdale Chargers website, every team under his coaching achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3. 

Besides pushing his athletes for academic excellence, Lundberg said he prioritized a relationship with God.

“I love my family first and foremost,” Lundberg said. “I love the Lord.”

Although thankful for his opportunity to coach, Lundberg said he originally wanted to be an architect. Instead of designing buildings, Lundberg said he dedicated his career to building up people. 

“People have helped build me in my life. I wanted to give back to them as a thank you,” Lundberg said. 

He said his goal remains to “build the Lord’s kingdom and build up others.”

Senior Anna Baldwin said she and her siblings, senior Maggie Baldwin and sophomore Jack Baldwin, took Lundberg’s Physical Wellness and Dynamics class and Lundberg still remembers them.

“It’s a lot of fun to run into him around campus or Hillsdale when we’re together,” Baldwin said.

The siblings once ran into Lundberg at Udderside, Baldwin said.

“We talked to him for a long time, and before he left, he said a prayer over us, which was so encouraging because we’d had some hard things going on around that time — which he had no idea about,” Baldwin said. “That’s just the kind of encouraging presence he is.”

Lundberg said service to others and excellence are things he strives to be remembered for. 

A retirement party open to campus will take place April 30 at Hayden Park from 2-5 p.m.

“I love Hillsdale College,” Lundberg said. “I love our Chargers — it’s so cool to be connected to our men and women. I’ll be coming back. I’ll be around. As we say, go Chargers.”