By Jack Pfeifer // Photo by Donna Dye

Tim Hickey came to Philadelphia from Indiana by way of Tanzania nearly 50 years ago and never left. Hickey takes girls’ programs from dust to powerhouse in the blink of an eye. No track to train on? Use the hallways. No budget for uniforms? Bake cookies. No travel budget? Drive the van. No summer program? Start a track club, Klub Keystone.

After running on the track teams at Parker High School and Ball State in Indiana in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Hickey joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Tanzania in East Africa. He quickly discovered coaching and assumed the reins of the national track and basketball teams, so when he arrived in Philadelphia in January of 1968, he got a job teaching math at Vaux JHS and “started coaching right away.” That meant starting a team, because they didn’t have one. In a couple years, a Vaux 8^th-grader, Pat Helms, ran 54.6.

By 1972 he was at William Penn HS, living across the street from the school in North Philly. He got a girls’ program off the ground as well and stayed until “retirement” 31 years later. William Penn quickly became the bellwether program for high school girls in the country. They were the first school to break 9 minutes in the 4x8 – still a dream for most teams – doing so 37 years ago. National high school records in the 4x2 (’91), the SHR (’96), the SMR (’97), the 880 medley (’75), the 4x8 (’79). Penn Relays championships in ’85 and ’96, taking on those brilliant Jamaican teams – once running 3:39 and not winning.

“In 2003, I thought I was done,” but he wound up at West Catholic for three more years. “We ran 3:41 with LaTavia Thomas, Nicole Leach and Nia Ali.” Then eight more years, this time back in the Philadelphia Public League at Swenson, in 2013 sweeping the Philadelphia-area Penn Relays races, running 46.97/3:46.13, the latter just missing the meet record – of 3:44.45 set by William Penn 20 years ago. Hickey Present vs. Hickey Past.

Now retired from teaching and coaching, he keeps his hand in as High School Coordinator for Penn Relays, where he’s been volunteering some 40 years.

Hickey, along with the seven coaches listed below will be inducted into the Armory Coaches Hall of Fame during the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational on December 17, 2016.

2016 Armory Coaches Hall of Fame Inductees

Phyllis Anderson – A Philip Randolph (NY)

George Febles – Fordham Prep (NY)

Walter Hall – Mount Vernon (NY)

Tom Heath – Christian Brothers (NJ)

Dennis Kornfield – Uniondale (NY)

Mark Mendes – Stuyvesant (NY)

Lisa Morgan – Columbia (NJ)

“Each of these coaches have shown exemplary leadership and through their support have helped countless student-athletes achieve their dreams on and off the track,” said Dr. Norbert Sander, President of the Armory Foundation. 

The Armory will post a bio for each of this year’s inductees to the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame meet page during the coming weeks.  

The induction ceremony will take place at the center of the Armory oval on December 17, 2016 at 12:30 p.m. and be broadcasted live via RunnerSpace +Plus along with the rest of the day’s competitions. 

This will be the second edition of the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational, which last year attracted more than 3,000 athletes from 133 schools across the Northeast. 

Like last year, athletes will compete in varsity, freshman/sophomore, and small and large school divisions. Schools with less than 525 boys or girls in grades 9-11 will compete in the small schools division. Each athlete will be allowed to compete in three events and there will be no limit on the number of team entries per event. 

The Winner of the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational boys and girls miles will receive an invitation to the 110^th NYRR Millrose Games High School mile if they have broken 4:20/5:00 at some point in their career as of January 24, 2016. Otherwise those invitations become “at large” bids.

Admission: adults $10, students $5, and children under 3 feet 6 inches are free. 

Visit the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame meet page HERE.

Current Armory Coaches Hall of Fame Members are:  Joe Biddy – Suffern (NY), Steve Borbet – Bay Shore (NY), Ed Bowes  - Bishop Loughlin (NY), Andy Capellan – New Rochelle (NY), Bill Carriero– Chaminade (NY), Shaun Dietz  - Medger Evers (NY), Mike Glynn – Ridgewood (NJ), Jimmy Jackson – Boys & Girls (NY), Art Kranick – Saratoga Springs (NY), Linda Kranick – Saratoga Springs (NY), Jim Mitchell – Bronxville (NY) and Nicola Martial – Medger Evers (NY).