Paul "Pappy" Nohr - 1974

Western Hills H.S.

After teaching elementary school for two years, Paul "Pappy" Nohr accepted a teaching/coaching job at Western Hills H.S. in 1928. He coached swimming, gymnastics, cross country, football (assistant) and baseball until 1962. In swimming, he coached Western Hills to the state championship in 1939 and runner-up in 1940. It was in baseball that his legacy truly shines. As a baseball coach, his teams won 4 league championships, 4 regional championships and 2 state championships in 1948 and 1951. Many of his former players went on to play professional baseball: Chuck Brinkman, Eddie Brinkman, Dick Drott, Art Mahaffey, Russ Nixon, Pete Rose, Clyde Vollmer, Herman Wehmeier and Don Zimmer. Four of his six players, Rose, Nixon, Zimmer and Jim Frey would become MLB managers. In his autobiography, Zimmer refers to Paul Nohr as "one of the greatest high schoool baseball coaches ever."