TOWAMENCIN – Reclining in his chair, hands held behind his head, Bill Bartle lets out a sigh of relaxation. Taking a minute away from the mountain of papers and emails that have now become his job, Bartle leans back and looks around the room. The walls of his new office are visibly different than those of his predecessor, the faded outlines of dirt lasting imprints of what previously covered them. But the new blank spaces between the walls fill in around the awards, trophies, and newspaper clippings that were left behind.

“I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t put anything up yet, this is a lot of what he left,” laughed Bartle. “He took some important, personal things, but I think one thing he wanted to do was leave all of this behind. As a reminder.”

Success has become expected at North Penn, as the program’s 33 PIAA Championships, 219 Suburban One League Championships, and national recognition by some of the biggest US sports publications can attest to. When Donald C. “Doc” Ryan announced his retirement in early December, the first thought from many would be who would be not only who would take the reigns, but who would be the most qualified to follow in Doc’s legendary footsteps. Luckily for North Penn, the right man for the job was working just a few pods over.

In many ways, Bill Bartle and Doc Ryan had similar, and intercrossing, paths in getting to North Penn. Both are alumni of North Penn High school, both returned to North Penn after graduating, and both have been inducted into the North Penn Athletic Alumni Association Hall of Fame for their respective contributions to the North Penn athletic program. Bartle, however, knew Doc in a different capacity before he knew him as a colleague.

“Doc’s stepson and I are very good friends, in fact the best of friends, so I have known Doc in a different capacity, as well as athletic director of North Penn High School,” said Bartle, revolving slowly in order to take in the entirety of his office. “I remember being in this office as a student, a junior and senior, having all kinds of discussions, about Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Now I sit in here and think back on those experiences.”

Bill Bartle is already stepping into his new job as a hall of famer, owning his own bit of legend in just down the hall in the natatorium. As a student at North Penn, Bartle was a four year varsity letterwinner as a member of the swimming team under coach Rick Carroll, winning state championships in 1975 and 1976, and won numerous individual awards, both from his team, which he captained his Senior year, and in competition. One of the most decorated swimmers in North Penn’s history, Bartle was an All American in 1977 for the 200 IM and in 1978 for the 200 IM and 100 Freestyle, won five gold medals at the state level, and set a Pennsylvania state record for the 100 Freestyle. Bartle received an athletic scholarship from the University of Maryland, and discovered his passion for coaching in his four years there.

After graduating college, Bartle took a job at Reading High School, where he proceeded to coach for eleven years, winning a seven District Titles and a State Championship in Girls’ Swimming. It was also at Reading High School that he found the sport of water polo, something he has come to love coaching.

“I had played before intramurally, but not at the varsity level. No pun intended, but that was where I got my feet wet coaching water polo,” said Bartle grinning. “Since then, it is something that I have come to enjoy quite a bit, because the sport is interesting, demanding, and challenging.”

Bartle left Reading in 1994, taking a job at North Penn, becoming coach of the Swimming Program and kicking off one of the most dominant stretches of coaching in North Penn’s history. Undefeated over six seasons, the program held a record of 81-0, winning six straight League championships and six straight District championships. The program also won four straight State championships from 1997-2000, and the success culminated in a National Interscholastic Coaches Association National Title in 2000. During that time, Bartle also coached the Boys’ and Girl’s Water Polo teams, winning state championships in 1996 and 1998, respectively. After giving so much to the Aquatics program at North Penn, Bartle stepped away in 2000 due to the commitment to both the Varsity and Club level.

However, Bartle could not stay away from the pool for long. In 2003, he took over the Girls’ Water Polo team again, spurred by for swim coach and current assistant coach at LaSalle University, Selma Robinson, Bartle began coaching high school again.

“Ms. Robinson, who just retired from here last year, her daughter was coming into the water polo program, and the job opened up,” said Bartle. “I decided to take over, and with the support of many people within the program, I have been coaching that ever since.”

Not only has he coached, but Bartle has also worked closely in an administrative capacity with state athletics. He joined Robinson as District One Swimming and Diving Committee Chairs, and was appointed to the PIAA State Steering Committee. In working with the PIAA, Bartle has learned the logistics of organizing and running large competitions, running the District Swimming meet and state Water Polo championship, while also gaining invaluable experience with the inner working of state athletics.

Through his experience as an athlete, coach, and administrator, Bartle has accrued skills that will help him establish his own legend at North Penn. Not many people would be up to the challenge of succeeding a prominent figure such as Doc, much less qualified. While he recognizes that succeeding Doc will be a challenge, Bartle credits his experience for preparing him for the job, specifically with Doc, and is excited for the future.

‘In succeeding him, I believe that like I said, he’s a legend. There are only a few of the litter obviously that did what he did. I don’t plan on working here for forty-four years as the athletic director.I wish I could, I wish I had the energy he did at his age. If I have that much energy at the age of seventy, I’ll be a happy individual,” laughed Bartle. “But just having all of those memories is something I cherish a great deal, and knowing that I have not only had the pleasure of working with the individual, but actually succeeding and taking over for him, I wouldn’t say fill his shoes, but to at least take over and know he’s there, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

Stepping into his new job, Bartle has his own plans, leadership style, and vision for the future. An Athletic Director serves as the central hub for all athletic planning, bridging the rules and regulations of the PIAA and the everyday workings of coaches. In order to maintain the level of excellence that North Penn Athletics has operated at in the past, Bartle plans to use his coaching experience and knowledge to make the program run smoothly.

“Programs are successful for certain reasons, and I was fortunate to participate in very successful programs. I used those as models to continue that success when I was coaching, and that experience helps a great deal,” said Bartle. “I think many of the coaches are always thinking the same way, and knowing, as a coach, some of the obstacles Doc faced and the needs of the coaches, hopefully I can knock down some of those obstacles along the way.”

Athletics provide students with so much more than just wins and losses. In participating in high school sports, students gain the invaluable experience of working as a successful group, as well as the capacity to give the entirety of their efforts for the betterment of the team. Bartle hopes to establish his legacy through the level of success his athletes achieve, and thinks that providing students with the level of success that he has achieved is the most important part of his new job.

Now, with a seriousness in his tone, Bartle sits forward in his chair. For a man who has achieved success at every level of his career in athletics, the words that follow carry even more weight.

“I would like to establish what athletics is and what it should accomplish. There are a lot of different messages in athletics, and one of the things that I want to stress in all of our programs here is that success is a choice, and their choices will lead them to accomplish their goals,” said Bartle. “And if we can establish all of that, I will be very happy.”