Members of the Class of 1954 remember former teacher Louis Hoitsma

September 30, 2008 Louis John Hoitsma, Jr., who died at 84 on September 5, began his long teaching and coaching career at Andover when we, the class of 1954, were there. We always thought of him as a gentle man and a fierce competitor.

My classmate Jack High’s excellent memory, reminding us of Lou’s football career at William & Mary before coming to Andover, set me to digging around.

In 1948 when we in the class of 1954 were all about twelve years old (remember?) the University of North Carolina (“UNC”) was one of the very best football teams in the nation. Charlie “Choo-Choo” Justice was UNC’s star single wing tailback and was in the process of acquiring what would then be the NCAA record for total yards of offense. He twice would be the runner up for the Heismann Trophy, and would soon be the MVP at the national College All Star game, and....to top it all off...Benny Goodman had made a recording called “All the Way Choo-Choo” which was selling out of the stores. And of course Justice went on after college to play for the Washington Redskins.

UNC’s football team with Charlie Justice in that 1948 season had soundly thrashed Texas, Louisiana State, Georgia, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, and Tennessee and was ranked either first or second in the nation. Then on Saturday November 6 the William & Mary football team arrived at UNC’s doorstep in Chapel Hill with a football under its arm and asked “Are You Ready For Some Football?!!!” Off they went, to play on UNC’s home turf before almost 50,000 screaming UNC fans.

The final score was 7 – 7 and when the gun sounded William & Mary was on UNC’s 6 yard line and driving, and narrowly ran out of time to kick a field goal (remember – the home team runs the clock!). UNC, tied by lowly and huge underdog William & Mary, was summarily knocked out of its high national ranking.

I was able to find the William & Mary school newspaper, published several days later on November 9, 1948 — now 60 years ago -- featuring on its celebratory front page a large and wonderful photograph of the William & Mary player who scored their only touchdown and made football history that day: Lou Hoitsma, the co-captain of that tremendous William & Mary football team. (To view this article, click here.)

The article highlights Lou Hoitsma and his “superlative play” during the game, both offensively and defensively. And as our classmate, Jack High, reminded us, Jack Cloud as the team’s fullback was mentioned as a powerful force “up through the center.” Cloud himself went on to play as a running back for the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins and in 1990 was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Jack Cloud is still alive and is about eleven years older than we are. Charlie Justice died a few years ago. Lou died just now.

So what are we to make of this man Lou Hoitsma? He intentionally interrupted his college career to fight in the Pacific in World War II. He then returned and was a tremendous college athlete as we have seen. He was married to a fine woman, Audrey, for 58 years and raised a family of three children (all Andover graduates) and three grandsons. Soon after his marriage he joined the Andover faculty where for 35 years, beginning with our class, he quietly and gently taught and coached and mentored kids like us for 35 years. Our class of 1954, hearing of Lou’s death, shared back and forth among ourselves a flurry of emails about Lou saying many things such as....

“A gentle man and a fierce competitor”

“Lou and Audrey, really nice people.....wonderful people”

“Lou was a terrific guy!”

Imagine how many similar words have been said about Lou by Andover alumni from 35 classes.

At his funeral the two most often words heard describing him were “kind” and “gentle” said a current Andover faculty member.

Good student, outstanding athlete, citizen soldier, patriot, husband, father, family man, always working hard and playing hard and playing fairly, and -- teaching, coaching and mentoring generations of Andover students, always with gentleness and kindness...

In the final analysis, what else is important in life? He lived an exemplary life in all respects.

Here’s raising all our alumni glasses to you, Lou Hoitsma ! Hail and farewell...and thanks.

--Kenneth E. MacWilliams, ‘54