In a long and illustrious high school basketball coaching career that produced a pair of state championships and widespread respect throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states, Bishop Guilfoyle was the first stop for Bill Gaffey.

And it may have been his most meaningful.

“He won (PIAA gold) at Susquehanna Township, but the first one at Bishop Guilfoyle was special because of the people involved,” Gaffey’s son, Mike, said Wednesday. “Whenever he went somewhere else, there was always a piece of Bishop Guilfoyle that went with him. When he had success at other stops, there was always that mention of BG, Altoona and the people there.”

Bill Gaffey died at home in Harrisburg on Monday from Parkinson’s disease, a month shy of his 85th birthday and 60th wedding anniversary.

Gaffey coached the Marauders to the 1967 Pennsylvania Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association championship.

When that team was inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, Gaffey said, “Of all the teams I’ve coached, this was the most special.”

The signature win came in the PCIAA semifinals when BG overcame a four-point deficit against Canevin with 14 seconds left on heroic shots by Pat Shute and Tim Sigrist at the Pitt Fieldhouse and then won the game on Shute’s shot in overtime.

“In his 29 years of coaching, he never got called for a technical foul,” Tony Labriola, who was Gaffey’s varsity assistant at BG and close friend, said. “He was always calm. And the kids believed in him.”

Joe Landolfi, Guilfoyle’s athletic director and one of the top players on the 1966-67 team, said the Marauders played with poise because of Gaffey.

“He was unique,” Landolfi said. “He would study the other team, and no matter how tight the game was, he’d say, ‘Look, this is what they’re going to do, and this is what we’re going to do.’ His calmness rubbed off on us.”

Labriola said he learned how to maximize practice time along with empowerment and discipline from Gaffey and then-BG football coach Al Pacifico.

“Every second of practice was planned,” Labriola said, adding Gaffey required “every kid to answer, ‘yes, sir,’ and ‘no sir.”’

Labriola said Gaffey involved the entire team.

“Because of that, the bench was deep,” he said. “Every kid on the bench could play, and at least 10 would have been able to start. He taught basketball, and the court was his classroom.”

Gaffey also had a sense of humor. When BG was told not to bring extra fans to a sold-out game at rival Bishop McCort, Gaffey had the pep band — which he created — stuff their instruments into bags carrying basketballs.

“They rode the bus and entered with the team,” Mike Gaffey said.

Mike Gaffey was under 5 years old when his dad guided the Marauders to the city’s first state basketball title.

Guilfoyle won another under Tom Lane in 1970, and the BG girls have since won seven (Mark Moschella four, John Frederick two and Kristi Kaack one).

After his coaching days, Gaffey continued his involvement by founding the Pennsylvania Basketball Hall of Fame, the PAhoops.org website and running regional shootouts and all-star games.

Mike Gaffey, the oldest of four boys of Bill and Ellie Gaffey, followed his dad into coaching. Today, he’s the head coach at Mechanicsburg, and his son, Scott, coaches at Ephrata.

“He would have two computers in his living room watching the livestream of both of our games,” Mike Gaffey said. “Having his grandson involved in the same vocation meant a lot to him.”

Gaffey’s funeral will take place in the Harrisburg area on Saturday, May 13. An obituary will appear in an upcoming edition of the Mirror.