BOYNE CITY — Dave Hills just can’t step away from it all at Boyne City.
He loves it too much.
From teaching and being around the kids, to shaping the program’s athletes, he’s still got a hand in it, even after stepping away from leading the Boyne City High School football program in 2018.
Still a physical education teacher with Boyne City schools, Hills leads athletes through the strength and conditioning program.
“I get my fix that way,” Hills said with a laugh. “I’m still doing a lot with all the sports, including the middle school kids. It’s been nice. I still really enjoy teaching and really enjoy what I’m doing right now.”
Even in a behind the scenes roll, Hills is still making an impact with the Ramblers, even if people don’t see the long-time coach with the headset on.
When he did roam the sidelines, he set a program standard at Boyne City, one that current athletes strive to meet.
Now, Hills is entering the peak for football coaches in the state, entering the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in the 2025 class.
The coaches association recently announced the new class, which will be inducted into the MHSFCA Hall of Fame at a Southfield banquet on Friday, June 20.
“It’s quite an honor and quite humbling to say the least,” Hills said.
Hills spent a total of 16 years coaching the Ramblers in two different stints. He stepped away for a few years between 2009 and 2011, before once again returning Boyne to greatness in 2012, up until the 2018 season.
The all-time winningest coach in program history, Hills finished his career at Boyne City with a 125-45 record, earning three district titles and a pair of regional championships that put Boyne in the state semifinals in both 2001 and 2014.
The wins were great and some seasons are of course still talked about around Boyne City, but for Hills, it’s the relationships that stand out and that last.
“The most rewarding thing is hearing the stories of how kids have turned out and what they’ve become,” he said. “There are a lot of kids that have become amazing adults, they’re amazing parents and contributing in their community. To me, that’s always the most important thing and what’s so fun about being part of their journey. You get to hopefully have a little bit of impact on them.”
While he treated all of them like his sons over the years, Hills also coached his own, quarterback Ethan Hills, who started between the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
“Any coach that gets to do that, that’s a unique experience,” Hills said. “That’s very special.”
The coaches Hills will head into the MHSFCA Hall of Fame with include former St. Ignace great Les Therrien, along with Mike Berutti (West Iron County), Richard J. Corser (Jackson Lumen Christi), William E Dunn II (Saugatuck), Don Galster (Wyoming Kelloggsville), Jason McIntyre (Mount Pleasant), Gregory A. Morrison (Jonesville), Tim Parker (Oakridge), David Richard (Hudson), Glen Samson (Mendon), Jim Sparks (Clawson), W. Bernard Thomas (Dowagiac Union) and Foud ‘Walker’ Zaban (Fordson).
It’s a list of inductees Hills has a lot of respect for.
“Some of those guys have had phenomenal careers and just to be in the room with those guys is pretty special,” he added.
The induction banquet will take place at the Westin Southfield Detroit on June 20, with a dinner at 6:30 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. ceremony following.
Tickets can be purchased up until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 13, online at: www.mhsfca.com/hall-of-fame-hotel-information.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Boyne City’s Dave Hills entering MHSFCA Hall of Fame