Hall of Fame induction: 1997
Coach Degnan is revered by all who knew him as one of the most successful coaches ever from lower Delaware. Bill passed away unexpectedly and suddenly in the prime of his life in 1996 at the age of 43.
His coaching successes include leading Woodbridge High School, the smallest school in the state at the time, to a Division II State Champion in Cross Country in 1978, and also winning the outdoor track & field title the following spring in 1979. Woodbridge won the Henlopen Conference title in 1981, and culminated an undefeated season the following year by again winning the State Championship team title in Division II.
Later at Cape Henlopen High School, Bill also led a team to the Division I State Championship in 1986 and was named Delaware’s State Coach of the Year.
Bill’s contributions can hardly be measured by a won-loss record. He came to mean so much to the Woodbridge and Cape Henlopen communities through his personal inspiration to countless young men and women who learned a love for track and field and the purity of the sport.