Tim Hickey

Tribute Page Tim Hickey coached track at now-closed William Penn for 31 seasons (1973-2003). He won 23 of 29 possible Public League championships along with another crown in the "informal" 1974 meet. (There was no meet in 1973. A title in 1997 was forfeited due to an ineligible runner.) This story was written after Tim won his final crown (and below that is part of a story that was written in April, when he announced he'd be stepping down) . . . By Ted Silary CHRISTINA SMITH kept moving from class to class and kept wondering why Juanita Broaddus wasn't sitting nearby. In time, curiosity led to concern and then to shock and then, glory be, to a first that helped to produce a last. Smith, bound for Clemson, and Broaddus, headed for Barton County (Kan.) Community College, are top-shelf track teammates at William Penn High, where coach Tim Hickey has dominated the Public League for exactly three decades. Yesterday, in rain at Thomas Edison High that began as annoying and later increased in intensity to drenching, the fact Broaddus was unavailable helped Smith accomplish a first-time feat and gave Hickey, who will retire next month, his 23rd and final championship. Penn scored 163 points. Central placed second with 104. (Here are the years when the winner was not Penn: 1979, '81, '82, '83, '97 and '99. Penn had to forfeit the '97 title for using an ineligible runner. There was informal competition in '74 with a season-ending meet. Penn won that, too, so you could say Hickey is 24-for-30. ) Broaddus did not report to school, but came to Edison expecting to run. That's a no-no. Students marked absent may not compete in athletics. "It broke my heart to have to tell Juanita that, but rules are rules," Hickey said. "But I feel happy for Christina. She was overshadowed all year long by Juanita. Not today. This was her meet." Hickey, who serves as the PL's unofficial historian, said Smith is the first girl in league history to win four individual events. She took the high-jump competition Tuesday at Roxborough with an effort of 5 feet, 2 inches. At Edison, she added firsts in the 100-meter high hurdles (14.56 seconds), 400 intermediate hurdles (1:01.09) and 200 (25.31). "I didn't know anything about the four-wins thing until right before the 200," Smith said. "Mr. Hickey told me I had a chance to make history. It didn't add any nervousness. What I had to do hadn't changed. "If Juanita had been running, she would have won the 100, 200 and 400. I'm disappointed about what happened. She's in all my classes. As the day went on, everybody was saying, 'Has anybody seen Juanita? ' She should be disappointed in herself. It's not good to miss out on your last-ever Public League meet. But we had more than enough to win it without her, so that was good." In the third event, the 100, the Lions suffered a second blow when Karina Francis pulled a hamstring while clocking 11.99 for first. Moments later, while watching the 800 relay, Hickey said he'd be happy with a fifth-place finish. Tyeshia Michie, Kneshia Sheard, Kandis Worthington and Thlayia White instead ran third in 1:47.17. "To go out this way is very satisfying," Hickey said. "We got some very nice performances from our lesser lights. They're going home with trophies and they're all very happy." Hickey has expended incredible effort through the years in outdoor track, indoor track and cross country and is respected on a national level. At least 20 of his former runners showed up yesterday, and a reception (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) will be held in his honor June 7 at the school. "Our biggest challenge," said girls' basketball coach Alison Eachus, "will be to find him a gift that he won't give to one of his runners. That's how Mr. Hickey is. He's in this for the kids." Right after the meet, someone approached Hickey, shook his hand and said, "Well done! " Hickey turned red and pointed to a Lion standing next to him. "Hey, say 'well done' to her, too!" he said. "She ran great!" Here's betting a TV will not be Hickey's gift. According to boys' basketball coach George Phillips, in the living room of Hickey's apartment are two smaller TVs on top of a big TV. "A 25-incher, a 13-incher and maybe a 9-incher," Phillips said. "And while he's watching three basketball games at once, he's listening to the Phillies on the radio," Eachus said. "And he's got one of those eating trays stretched across his lap. And his food's burning in the kitchen. And he's doing all his track stuff. He does everything from his easy chair." Smith, among many, can't thank Hickey enough. "He didn't start me off, but he got me where I am," she said. "He keeps you in check. He also keeps it real. If you say, 'I'm gonna beat this girl,' he'll say, 'You're not quite ready for that. ' He won't try to boost your head so you're thinking you're going to do something that's not really possible." ----- By Ted Silary Tim Hickey expects to hit the next Olympics and World Cup and to make a return visit to Africa, where he served in the Peace Corps. That's what people do when they retire - check off items on their always-wanted-to-do list. Hickey, 60 and a teacher for 38 years, yesterday attended a wide-ranging news conference at the University of Pennsylvania mostly to discuss his new duties as chairperson of the Penn Relays Carnival high school division. But out the bigger news came: He will step down in June from his job at William Penn High, where he has coached cross country and track in magnificent fashion since the fall of 1972. Among his awards have been 24 outdoor titles in Public League track and "somewhat more than half" in cross country. His girls, of course, also have been terrors on the indoor circuit. "Back in September, saying I was going to retire was pretty easy," Hickey said, smiling. "It's gotten progressively harder. But it's a done deal now because I burned my bridge [Tuesday]. I signed all the paperwork and turned it in to the School District. "These last few years, it hasn't been as much fun. I have more trouble getting the girls motivated for practice. And myself. At the end of the day, I'm so tired. The teaching part is so difficult anymore. It's tough to maintain discipline in the hallways, and even in my own classroom." With a laugh, he added, "I try not to let it get to me. My department head said she'll know it has when I use one of the 300-some sick days I have saved up." Tim Hickey -- PERFORMANCES IN CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS Year Place Points 1973 No meet 1974 1st Unav. 1975 1st Unav. 1976 1st 48 1/2 1977 1st 61 1978 1st 61 1979 2nd 73 1980 1st 81 1/2 1981 6th 61 1/3 1982 2nd 95 1983 2nd 99 1984 1st 178 1985 1st 172 1986 1st 168 1987 1st 136 1988 1st 185 1989 1st 186 1990 1st 186 1991 1st 148 1992 1st 146 1993 1st 188 1/2 1994 1st 177 1/2 1995 1st 179 1996 1st 207 1997 *1st 172 1998 2nd 160 1999 2nd 173 1/2 2000 1st 187 1/2 2001 1st 236 2002 1st 202 2003 1st 163 *Forfeited (ineligible runner) -- INDIVIDUAL WINS IN CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS TEN Angel Patterson 1994-97 NINE Christina Smith 2001-03 SIX Valerie Fisher 1978-80 Radhiya Teagle 1990-91 FIVE Pat Helms 1974-75 Shawn Moore 1984-86 Jennifer Wilson 1992-94 Charlene Jones 1993-96 Madonna Patterson 2000-02 Juanita Broaddus 2001-02 FOUR Jeanette Chapman 1975-76 Cynthia Colquitt 1977-79 Anna Vargas 1984-86 Marcia Rush 1988-90 Geneva Pugh 1989-91 Traci Jordan 1992-93 THREE Debbie Roberts 1986-87 Dawn Jones 1987 Lakeya Smith 1989-90 Gorgeous Harper 1999-01 Tasha Staten 2000 Ashley Holiday 2000-01 Tyeshia Thomas 2001-02 TWO Lynn Fisher 1976-77 Ballis Nash 1978-79 Tonya Hendrix 1984-85 Stacey Lewis 1987 / 90 Camille Hendrix 1988 Felisha Harris 1989 Blythe Crawley 1990-91 Shelie Turner 1992 Brandit Copper 1993-94 Tiffany Smith 2000-02 ONE Lisa Seay 1973 Beverly Helms 1974 Gale Smith 1975 Tweet Faucett 1976 Lois White 1977 Sharon Hogue 1978 Octavia McAliley 1980 Rosie Richardson 1980 Julie Rapley 1984 Dawn Prunty 1985 Debbie Bonner 1985 Nordia Samuels 1986 Kim Washington 1988 Loutrell Williams 1988 Najah Bradford 1989 Shanin Glover 1989 Donna Comrie 1992 Jalima Levine 1996 Quanda Talington 1997 Yvonne Anderson 1997 Neffertitti Cooper 1998 Quisha Anthony 2000 Cheron Walker 2001 Karina Francis 2003 This story was written in 1996 as Angel Patterson was three-fourths of the way through her wonderful career (10 individual championships . . . By Ted Silary Tim Hickey says junior Angel Patterson already ranks among the top runners he has coached in track at William Penn High. "She has the ability to be No. 1,'' he said. "She doesn't quite have the dedication. She's a little lackadaisical. If she really worked, there's no telling how good she could be. "Have I told her that? Maybe 100 times. Sometimes nicely, sometimes not so nicely . . . Like water off a duck.'' "He's right, I don't work hard enough,'' Patterson said, laughing. "I try to, but it doesn't always happen.'' Patterson was speaking yesterday after sparking the Lions to a whopping 207 points and their 18th Public League title in 21 years. Simon Gratz was second with 154 points. The Girl Who Could Be Better was not exactly a stiff. All she did on La Salle University's track was break her own PL records in the 400 meters (54.72) and 400 intermediate hurdles (1:00.11) and run a 55.0 anchor split for the 4 x 400 relay team, which also snapped a record (3:51.01). "Any time Angel feels like running, the ability is there,'' Hickey said. "During the indoor season, I was working hard every practice,'' Patterson said. ``We had to do our best in every meet because the [areawide] competition was so tough. It's a little different outdoors when it's just the Public eague. It seemed like I got a little lazy. "Mr. Hickey would always be yelling at me and the other girls. `You'll never beat anybody if you run like that! Don't think you're going to beat Gratz! ' He'd make us mad, then we'd work harder.'' Gratz's franchise, Joyce Bates, won the 100 (11.85), 200 (24.54) and 100 high hurdles in a record 13.56. Overbrook, which finished third in team scoring with 90 points, leaned heavily on Tanqueray Hayward, who captured the 800 (2:19.31) and 1,600 (5:18.09). Penn's day was not without consternation. Hickey said senior Kim Stowe went flying out of school yesterday morning in search of yellow shoes to wear with her yellow prom dress. "She dyed some shoes one shade of yellow,'' Hickey said, "but when she picked up her dress [Thursday] night, the yellows didn't match. So, of course, she had to go buy new shoes. "She took so long, she didn't make it back in time to catch our team bus. We didn't know what to think. She was going to be on both our 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relay teams. But first she had to run in the 100. This was a no-scratch meet. If she'd missed it, she would have been out of the relays. For some reason, the meet started 10 minutes late. She made it 90 seconds before the 100 started.'' Stowe, Brandit Copper, Charlene ``Tweety'' Jones and Neffertitti Cooper won the 4 x 100 in a record 47.07. Stowe, Zakiyyah Snead, Jones and Talington won the 4 x 200 in 1:41.54. Patterson's partners in the 4 x 400 were Snead, Talington and Jalima Levine. This story about Penn's outrageous practice situation was written in 1987 . . . By Ted Silary The main practice facility used by William Penn's girls track team consists of a sidewalk approximately 200 meters in length. The sidewalk thinks nothing of torturing runners' shins, and myriad people (students, neighborhood youth, women pushing baby carriages) think nothing of disrupting coach Tim Hickey's workouts by walking across it. Except that it's too hard, too short, too straight, too cluttered and too confining, the sidewalk is perfect. Say you're Hickey, and you want the young ladies to simulate a 400-meter run. You make them start on the 13th Street sidewalk outside the school fence, run up to Master Street, make a left, ontinue for about 30 yards, make another left at the gate - hopefully, it's open - and head down the 200-meter straightaway. Six hundred meters? Do not turn left at the gate, but instead continue on Master to Broad Street. Make a left on Broad, make another left on Thompson Street, run straight through the gate at the corner of Thompson and Park Avenue, and conclude by touching the flagpole just a shade removed from the 200-meter sidewalk. A half-mile? Up 13th, over Master, down Broad, across Girard Avenue. Crave a distance workout? Run to City Hall and back. "The 600 - the Flagpole Run, we call it - and the half-mile are the worst," Hickey said yesterday, taking time out from Penn Relays preparations. ''The wind on Broad Street is a son of a gun and you never know who you're going to run into when you round the corner. "The half-mile is worse. Down at that corner (13th and Girard), the girls have to contend with the winos. Up here a little further (on 13th), it's the guys playing cards under the trees. There is all sorts of verbal abuse." Is this any way to treat one of the nation's very best girls running programs? No, but don't expect any changes. After coaching Penn's girls for 13 years officially and for several years prior to that on a volunteer basis - before there even was Public League girls track - Hickey sure does not. Penn has won eight of 12 available Public League outdoor track championships, including the last three in a row. It has won seven of 11 cross country championships, including four straight. It has won the only four state indoor championship meets it has entered. It also has taken the last four Spiked Shoe Meets. "In the last four years," Hickey said, "we've won every meet in which a team score has been kept. But this year, the sharks are out. They smell blood. There are three teams - West Philly, Germantown, Washington - that think they can beat us (outdoors). And they might." First things first. Today and tomorrow at Franklin Field, Penn will be seeking (but not expecting) glory in the 4 x 100- , 4 x 400- and 4 x 800- meter relays. Seniors Barbara Worthington and Debbie Roberts and juniors Kim Washington and Camille Hendrix are slated to run in the 4 x 100. Roberts, Washington, Hendrix and senior Dawn Jones are the 4 x 400 quartet, while Washington, Hendrix, Jones and sophomore Najah Bradford will run in the 4 x 800. Even if every Penn runner in every race falls flat on her face, Hickey still will enjoy himself. As much as anything else, the Penn Relays are reunion time. "We'll be right where we always are, in the upper deck at the finish line," Hickey said. "The kids always stop by to say hello, reminisce and check out how the current kids are doing." Penn's grandest Penn Relays moment came in 1979, when Rose Richardson, Pam Hughes, Val Fisher and Cynthia Colquitt clocked 8:59.7 in the 4 x 800 championship. The time was a national scholastic record then and has slipped only one notch since. Fisher later ran for the University of New Mexico. Current Penn products performing for big-time colleges include Debbie Bonner, a sophomore at Pitt, and Shawn Moore, a freshman at Tennessee. Both are here this weekend, and you can bet that both will make a special effort to spend time with their former coach. Tim Hickey is revered by his runners because they appreciate that he is totally immersed in what he is doing. They also know - witness that he has lived for 18 years in an apartment building on Broad above Girard - that his commitment to the inner city is as heavy as his Midwestern twang. "I never met a black person until I was in high school," said Hickey, who was reared in rural Indiana, then attended Ball State University. "Where I grew up, an Irish Catholic was a minority. Even in college, there were almost no blacks. "When I got out of college in 1964, I went into the Peace Corps. I was sent to East Africa and that was when all the race riots were going on back here. We'd hear reports about what was happening in Detroit, Boston, New York. Places like that, I knew absolutely nothing about. I decided when I got out of the Peace Corps, I'd go to a big Eastern city, just to see what one looked like. "My original intention was to stay six months, then go back to Indiana. I stayed for a year and a half, but when I went to grad school at the University of Indiana, I came back on Easter break to visit the kids at Vaux Jr. High (his first teaching assignment) and I wound up telling the principal, 'I miss this too much. I'll be back in May.' " Despite his teams' various successes, Tim Hickey sometimes must feel frustrated. "How much of a hassle is coaching Public League track?" he said, repeating a question. "Just put down that I laughed." -- WINNERS IN FIELD EVENTS High Jump 1974 Beverly Helms 4-7 1976 Lynn Fisher 4-9 1977 Lynn Fisher 5-1 1980 Octavia McAliley 5-1 1984 Julie Rapley 5-0 1985 Dawn Prunty 4-10 1988 Loutrell Williams 4-8 1996 Jalima Levine 5-2 2000 Ashley Holiday 5-0 2001 Christina Smith 5-2 2002 Christina Smith 5-3 2003 Christina Smith 5-2 Long Jump 1974 Pat Helms 16-11 1/2 1975 Pat Helms 16-9 1976 Jeanette Chapman 17-4 1/4 1978 Sharon Hogue 16-1 1/2 1989 Shanin Glover 15-9 1990 Lakeya Smith 16-0 1993 Charlene Jones 16-9 1995 Charlene Jones 18-11 1996 Charlene Jones 18-5 2000 Ashley Holiday 17-2 1/4 2001 Cheron Walker 18-2 Triple Jump 1990 Radhiya Teagle 35-2 1/2 1991 Radhiya Teagle 34-7 1994 Brandit Copper 36-1 1/4 1995 Charlene Jones 38-6 1996 Charlene Jones 38-4 1/4 1997 Angel Patterson 37-6 2000 Tiffany Smith 35-6 1/2 2001 Ashley Holiday 37-11 3/4 2002 Tiffany Smith 36-1 1/2 Shot Put 1975 Gale Smith 32-10 1/2 1977 Lois White 33-4 1/2 1978 Ballis Nash 29-8 1979 Ballis Smith 32-0 1985 Tonya Hendrix 36-1 1986 Nordia Samuels 32-2 3/4 1987 Stacey Lewis 32-2 1/2 1990 Stacey Lewis 33-8 1/4 -- Winners in relays, 1980-2003 (No winning relays from 1976-79; earlier years currently unavailable) 4x100 Relay April Baker 1982 Missy Milligan 49.3 Chandra Wilson Marcia Brandon Pam White 1983 Missy Milligan 48.6 Chandra Wilson Sandy Bass Anita Stackhouse 1984 Yolanda Atkins 49.4 Pam White Debbie Roberts Dana Lancaster 1985 Debbie Roberts 49 Lisa Lucas Camille Hendrix Towanna Holloway 1986 Yolanda Atkins 51.1 Yolanda Santiago Kim Washington Felisha Harris 1988 Camille Hendrix 49.54 Lakeya Smith Kim Washington Geneva Pugh 1989 Felisha Harris 50.54 Shanin Glover Cliffae Wallace Alcqueline Dixon 1990 Shanin Glover 50.47 Lakeya Smith Geneva Pugh Quandra Reynolds 1991 Alcqueline Dixon 49.74 Donna Comrie Geneva Pugh Donna Comrie 1992 Alcqueline Dixon 48.85 Shelie Turner Jennifer Wilson Charlene Jones 1993 Brandit Copper 49 Donna Comrie Jennifer Wilson Kim Stowe 1995 Brandit Copper 49.3 Charlene Jones Jalima Levine Kim Stowe 1996 Brandit Copper 47.07 Charlene Jones Neffertitti Cooper Tina Carroll 1998 Zakiyyah Snead 50.2 Jasmine Tucker Ashley Holiday Tina Carroll 1999 Zakiyyah Snead 49.28 Tasha Staten Tiffany Poole 4x200 Relay April Baker 1982 Missy Milligan 1:44.4 Marcia Brandon Chandra Wilson Pam White 1983 Missy Milligan 1:42.6 Chandra Wilson Sandy Bass Dana Lancaster 1985 Yolanda Atkins 1:47.3 Debbie Roberts Missy Milligan Alcqueline Dixon 1990 Geneva Pugh 1:46.46 Shanin Glover Marcia Rush Blythe Crawley 1991 Marcia Rush 1:43.35 Lakeya Smith Geneva Pugh Donna Comrie 1992 Michelle Wright 1:42.18 Jennifer Wilson Latrice Jordan Kim Stowe 1996 Zakiyyah Snead 1:41.54 Charlene Jones Quanda Talington Tina Carroll 1998 Gorgeous Harper 1:46.2 Zakiyyah Snead Tiffany Poole Tina Carroll 2000 Gorgeous Harper 1:42.8 Juanita Broaddus Christina Smith Gorgeous Harper 2001 Kandis Worthington 1:41.69 Mary McAliley Tyeshia Thomas Runners With at Least Five Relay Victories NINE Gorgeous Harper 1998-01 SEVEN Camille Hendrix 1985-88 Kim Washington 1986-88 Marcia Rush 1988-91 SIX Alcqueline Dixon 1990-92 Geneva Pugh 1989-91 Kandis Worthington 2001-02 Lakeya Smith 1988-91 Missy Milligan 1982-84 Zakiyyah Snead 1996-99 FIVE Donna Comrie 1991-93 Madonna Patterson 1999-02 Najah Bradford 1986-89 4x400 Relay Tonya Blaylock 1980 Octavia McAliley 4:03.0 Rosie Richardson Tracey Finley Debbie Steele 1984 Tonya Hendrix 3:57.3 Debbie Roberts Shawn Moore Lisa Lucas 1985 Dawn Jones 3:57.2 Camille Hendrix Shawn Moore Najah Bradford 1986 Kim Washington 4:06.8 Barbara Worthington Camille Hendrix Camille Hendrix 1987 Kim Washington 4:01.1 Najah Bradford Barbara Worthington Felisha Harris 1988 Camille Hendrix 4:02.72 Lakeya Smith Kim Washington Felisha Harris 1989 Radhiya Teagle 3:59.44 Marcia Rush Lakeya Smith Alcqueline Dixon 1990 Radhiya Teagle 4:07.85 Primrose Channer Geneva Pugh Donna Comrie 1991 Radhiya Teagle 4:05.04 Marcia Rush Lakeya Smith Alcqueline Dixon 1992 Radhiya Teagle 3:57.37 Traci Jordan Shelie Turner Jennifer Wilson 1994 Michelle Wright 3:52.4 Brandit Copper Angel Patterson Aja Patterson 1995 Quanda Talington 3:54.2 Precious Harper Angel Patterson Zakiyyah Snead 1996 Quanda Talington 3:51.01 Jalima Levine Angel Patterson Gorgeous Harper 2000 Tiffany Smith 3:56.8 Angel Patterson Tasha Staten Kandis Worthington 2001 Gorgeous Harper 3:50.30 Madonna Patterson Juanita Broaddus Lynda Whitfield 2002 Shantia Byrd 3:56.17 Tyeshia Thomas Kandis Worthington 4x800 Relay Jackie Westbrook 1981 Val Phillips 9:50.7 Roz Smith Octavia McAliley Desiree Harris 1984 Christine Taylor 10:22.1 Missy Milligan Debbie Steele Najah Bradford 1986 Kim Washington 9:57.4 Barbara Worthington Camille Hendrix Cliffae Wallace 1988 Kim Washington 10:23.25 Najah Bradford Primrose Channer Jackie Rowley 1989 Dawn Maxwell 10:06.8 Marcia Rush Najah Bradford Primrose Channer 1990 Dawn Maxwell 10:12.5 Blythe Crawley Marcia Rush Wendy Miller 1991 Michelle Wright 10:36.5 Blythe Crawley Marcia Rush Shelly Dancy 1997 Zakiyyah Snead 9:49.84 Aja Patterson Yvonne Anderson Shelly Dancy 1998 Asa Patterson 10:09.4 Gorgeous Harper Unavailable Jasmine Tucker 1999 Tiffany Smith 9:56.57 Madonna Patterson Gorgeous Harper Shelly Dancy 2000 Gorgeous Harper 10:01.9 Jasmine Tucker Madonna Patterson Jessica Fulton 2001 Kandis Worthington 10:02.79 Gorgeous Harper Madonna Patterson Shantia Byrd 2002 Lynda Whitfield 9:54.99 Kandis Worthington Madonna Patterson Tyeshia Michie 2003 Lynda Whitfield 10:03.91 Kandis Worthington Dominique Samuels