Bill's Induction Ceremony

Bill Landry served as an assistant coach for boys basketball for 16 seasons, track & field throwing coach for 9 seasons and as the OL/DL football coach for 41 seasons.  Coach Mike Berg said, “Simply stated, there is no coach in the GFC Athletic Hall of Fame who is more deserving than Bill Landry.  He spent an entire career, 41 years, teaching and coaching at Central.  Consider this - EVERY football offensive and defensive lineman - nearly 450 games worth - was coached by this man.”  Coach Landry was a part of three teams that played for a state championship with Central winning the state championship in 2005 with Coach Landry’s son as the QB/LB.  

During his coaching career, Bill was named NDHSCA assistant football coach of the year in 1997 along with being an assistant coach in the Shrine Football game in 1997.  Coach Landry coached numerous linemen to all-conference and all-state recognition over the course of his career.  One of the highlights for Bill was being able to bring his three boys:  Nick, Tony and Jake to football and basketball practices where they got to be around tremendous role models.

A native of Florence, Wisconsin, Bill came to the University of North Dakota in the fall of 1972 on a football scholarship and has been in the Grand Forks community ever since.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies education and began his illustrious teaching career in the fall of 1977 at Grand Forks Central HS.  Bill said, There is no doubt that GFC's history, tradition, students, and staff are what places GFC at the top. No other high school in North Dakota can lay claim to GFC's history.

However, being simply the oldest doesn't mean anything unless you add the traditions and the people, both students and staff, that uphold GFC's traditions. There is a verse in our school song that says "Finest In Dakota". Students and staff make sure the verse is carried on.  Bill and his wife, Jill, reside in Grand Forks when the weather is nice but head to Florida and Arizona to enjoy some golf during the winter months.  He is also the proud grandfather to 4 granddaughters Greer, Nora, Reese, and Ryan. He quite frequently says grandkids are great, if we would have known how fun they are we would have had them first.

Bill had this to say about Central, “I am not sure after 41 years at GFC I can limit this to one significant memory. The championship games were great, playing against Red River was always intense, coaching and teaching two of my sons was interesting as well. However what I'll carry with me the most is getting to come to GFC everyday and work. The fantastic people that teach, coach, and the students that went there. I am a much better person because of the years I got to spend at GRAND FORKS CENTRAL.”