Positive Approach Wins for Sherbeck : O.C. Hall of Fame: Former Fullerton College coach ‘never allowed negative vibes.’

Hal Sherbeck had a simple plan when it came to coaching.

The approach was formulated as he grew up in Big Sandy, Mont., and refined while he was a three-sport standout at Montana in 1951 and 1952.

He first put his approach to work when he coached football, basketball and baseball at Missoula County High School and then as an assistant at Montana.

He maintained the method from the first day he was at Fullerton College in July 1961 through his final season in 1991.

“I never allowed negative vibes,” Sherbeck said from his home on Flathead Lake in Montana. “I didn’t believe in them. We always wanted to be in the right frame of mind. Of course, all the winning made things much more positive.”

At Fullerton, winning seemed to be a constant for Sherbeck.

In 31 seasons, Sherbeck compiled a 241-71-8 record. He retired as the winningest community college coach in the nation; Saddleback’s Ken Swearingen passed him last season.

Sherbeck’s teams won national championships in 1965, 1967 and 1983. The Hornets finished ranked in the top 10 in 15 seasons.

Sherbeck, 66, who will be inducted Sunday into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame, coached his teams to 16 conference titles and 17 postseason appearances.

“It’s not Hal Sherbeck being honored,” he said in his usually humble way. “It’s an honor for all the great athletes and that staff that was together all those years. It was great to have a staff that was working toward the same goal day after day.”

Through it all, Sherbeck constantly talked of the Hornet family and traditionally referred to his players as “fine young men.”

His down-home approach was considered corny by some, but Sherbeck never altered it. The only changes he made were in his offensive and defensive schemes, not in the way he related to players.

The rewards for Sherbeck were many. He formed lasting friendships as well as had the chance to work with several outstanding players. He had 107 All-Americans and sent more than 600 on to play at four-year colleges.

Several of Sherbeck’s players have become coaches, including Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas and Golden West assistant Dennis Dixon.

Ogas went on to play at San Diego State and Dixon went to Alabama.

“It was just a feeling you had that you were being treated like part of a family,” said Ogas, who just completed his 12th season as Rancho Santiago coach. “You feel fortunate to play for someone like him. When you coach, you try to pick out the good things from the coaches you played for. With Hal, there were plenty of good things.”

Of all the statements of praise lavished on Sherbeck, what Dixon said may have been the most telling:

“I had no clue about life when I went to Fullerton but I learned the values that carried me to Alabama and through life. I learned the values that I teach my players--good work habits and self-discipline. I learned the kind of things we want to teach our sons.”

Sherbeck cites George Jelinek, one of his high school coaches, and George Dahlberg, whom Sherbeck played for and later worked with at Montana, as the two men that had the biggest impact on him as an athlete and a coach.

“Both had high principles and high values,” Sherbeck said. “But they were fair. Both were very understanding and gave me an opportunity.”

It was because of them that Sherbeck learned to be flexible with his players and offer them as many chances as he reasonably could.

When he was a high school coach in Montana he, at times, let players miss practice so they could go hunting for food to help their families make it through the winter.

He often held open gyms to give his players a productive place to be evenings and weekends. He and his wife Dona even hosted New Year’s Eve parties so his athletes had a safe place to be.

“Only once can I remember getting rid of a player,” Sherbeck said. “I always carried the thoughts of those two (George Jelinek and George Dahlberg) when it came time to deal with players. My assistants would sometimes come and tell me we had to get rid of an individual.

“I guess maybe I turned by cheek and felt we could help him. We got hurt sometimes but we helped a lot of players too. I think it helped them later in life to stay with the team.”

Sherbeck, who also spent 31 years as Fullerton’s athletic director and dean of physical education, ended about two years of speculation in March, 1992, when he formally resigned.

He and Dona, who met in college, moved to Flathead Lake in July, 1992.

The two lived in an apartment and helped build the home they now share on the shoreline of the lake.

They have become very active in the community of Polson, a nearby town with year-round population of about 3,500.

“It was the right time to go,” Sherbeck said of his retirement. “The only way I could have done it was to get completely away where I couldn’t come in on the weekends and help out.”

But he hasn’t left football completely. He spends his Saturdays either watching football on television or in Missoula, about 60 miles away, at Montana’s home games.

Hal has also gone on trips to the back country and recently went hunting in the Bear Paw mountains near where he grew up.

During the trip, he and friends found a cabin they helped build in 1940 as a Boy Scouts.

Sherbeck does nothing but rave about being back in Montana despite the snow and the cold. In fact, he even went sledding over Thanksgiving.

“That’s something I haven’t done since I was a boy,” Sherbeck said. “It was great fun. Dona and I are just so very fortunate to have so much here.”

Hall of Fame Induction Facts

What: 13th Orange County Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Where: Gate 6, Anaheim Stadium

When: 11 a.m. Sunday

Highlights: Ceremony inducting Bert Blyleven, Gary Carter, Maurice (Red) Guyer, Hal Sherbeck, Jerry Shipkey and Ray Willsey will take place outside Anaheim Stadium. The public can then gain admission to the newly opened Hall of Fame for $3.

Sherbeck at Fullerton

Year W L T 1961 6 4 0 1962 6 2 1 1963 3 5 1 1964 8 2 0 1965 10 0 0 1966 9 0 1 1967 12 0 0 1968 8 1 0 1969 10 2 0 1970 11 1 0 1971 5 4 0 1972 4 4 1 1973 10 1 0 1974 5 3 1 1975 7 2 0 1976 9 2 0 1977 10 1 0 1978 6 4 0 1979 7 3 0 1980 7 4 0 1981 9 1 0 1982 9 2 0 1983 10 0 1 1984 10 1 0 1985 8 3 0 1986 6 4 0 1987 5 3 2 1988 10 1 0 1989 6 4 0 1990 7 3 0 1991 8 3 0